Last reintroduction and we're free! Er, I mean we can go on living inflammation free. Yeah, that's it.
20 min elliptical, 11 min treadmill, super light stretching
I think my body finally remembered how to run without wanting to die, now my lungs just need to catch up. I used my iPod shuffle (called it a nano in a previous post when I said I wanted one whoops, but yes, I actually bought the shuffle-what I really wanted. FINALLY). I need to update some playlists and figure out how to make my ear bud wires less intrusive, but this could be the beginning of a beautiful relationship. Oh Apple, you always steal my heart.
For breakfast I made a yogurt mess. Wow, it's been forever since I made one of those. Years maybe. I should have gone for plain greek yogurt, but I'm a rebel and wanted to try the new (sugar-laden) banana flavor. I tried to leave some of the banana part in the container to off set some sugar damage, but y'know, still not ideal. I dumped brown rice cereal, blueberries, blackberries, and pomegranate arils on top. It was good, but I don't think I have as much of a love affair with greek yogurt as I once did.
I felt perfectly fine after, but on the way to work about an hour and a half later I started feeling like shit. I got another headache and my stomach hurt a bit. But wait: did I mention it was raining again? Yep, every time I've told you guys I feel like shit it's been raining--skewed results much? I picked the wrong time of the year for this project. Ah well, I guess I'll monitor dairy the rest of the week and see what happens. Deja vu...
For lunch I had a turkey burger, but only used 1 slice of brown rice toast. Messy, but less filing (in a good way), since the bread is super dense.
I ate about 5 million bean and rice tortilla chips (corn and gluten free!) while I made chicken chili for dinner. I know I had dairy for breakfast, but I added a tiny bit of shredded cheddar and sour cream on top. Sue me!
& a Strawberry Zevia. In the running for one of my Zevia fave flava flav's.
For dessert I had a few squares of dark chocolate.
Felt ok after. No symptoms.
New Countdown: 6 days 'til vino!
Day 44:
20 min elliptical, 11 min treadmill, super light stretching
For breakfast I thought I *should* have a shake, but I made chocolate strawberry gf oatmeal instead. It was cold out!
I restocked my Sunwarrior (FINALLY! Took 11 days to ship. Shame on you, Vitacost! :-P), buuut I tried the Vitacost brand of vanilla brown rice protein powder instead to see how it compared (I reluctantly ordered it at the same time). I think I like it! And it's only $7.99/lb. The true test will be how it holds up taste-wise in protein chocolate, but so far so good.
I also made a coffee misto. I think I had coffee at work yesterday, oops I forgot. Oh well, I felt fine. Phew!
I used the new Tresemme Keratin hair products (shampoo, conditioner, and gloss), so I tried to show it off, but I have sooo much hair it was hard. This was the best of the bunch:
For lunch I had leftover chicken chili with half an avocado and the crumbs of the bean and rice chips. Uh, yeah. I kinda went through a 6-serving bag in less than 24 hours. My Dad had about 2 servings (1 yesterday, 1 today), but the other 4 were alll me.
I kinda felt shitty after. I felt too acidic--which almost always happens when I eat chili. Logically, you'd think I'd stop, huh? I think after this experiment, I need to try giving up tomatoes for 21 days. I refuse to live (completely) without tomatoes regardless of what I find, but it will be interesting to see if it helps me feel better, so I know to cut WAY back. Maybe I should just remove all nightshades and then reintroduce one at a time? But they're so good *pout* Then again, not feeling like crap all the time is pretty nice too...
My head also pounded all afternoon. For some reason when I made some herbal tea it calmed down. I was also having INTENSE cravings for gum. I was going to give in (my gum is all natural made from xylitol no other artificial sweeteners, but the xylitol is made from corn), but I must have taken it all out of my purse to not tempt myself. DAMMIT.
For dinner I made (wayyyy too cheesy) mac n cheese with peas & cut up chicken sausage + a simple salad.
Looks like I'm okay with dairy. I try not to eat too much anyway, but good to know I can have it if and when I want.
For dessert I had a few dark chocolate squares, including a sample of the sweet riot (I think that's the brand?) flax seed dark chocolate. I've been loving their coconut dark chocolate, but the flax is DISGUSTING. I gave it away to my Dad even though he didn't like it either. Guh-ross.
5 days 'til vino!
Day 45:
Happy Hearts Day!
No exercise this morning.
Made a chocolate cherry (/strawberry) bomb shake. Used the new cheap-o brown rice powder again. Also excellent in shake form. Very promising. I also put spinach in the mix. Morning greens, gotta love 'em. Especially when undetectable.
For lunch I had a salad topped with salmon. The salad included organic romaine (baby and regular), blueberries, blackberries, pomegrante arils, cut up beets, cut up carrot, evoo, and lemon juice. I also had a Kevita probiotic drink. Happily surprised to find out they are nearly sugar free. I like them about the same as Kombucha too. I forgot to add the pistachios, so I had a few on the side shortly after.
For a pre-dinner dessert I had frozen yogurt! I was so happy my heart could barely take it! Happy Valentine's, indeed. One of the new flavors I tried was gross (chocolate chip cookie), but the rest were everything I dreamed. I topped it with unsweetened coconut flakes & fresh strawberries. I did fill the container more than I wanted (story of my life), but I didn't fill it all the way to the top with the toppings overflowing! I don't think that's ever not happened.
The yogurt filled me up, so I considered skipping dinner, but I put in quite a bit of effort in making my family a nice dinner that I had a little myself, mostly of the veggies. I ate an entire baby artichoke dipped in a homemade garlic aioli (shuttup, I know it had soybean and egg), I also had a few bites of leftover mac & cheese, steamed broccoli and cauli, and about 2 bites of a pork tenderloin I seared in white wine. I was so looking forward to that tenderloin too, but meat just sounded wayyyyy too heavy.
I considered just drinking some wine, but alas....4 days 'til vino
& here's My random Valentine iPhone collage--haha
Day 46:
No exercise again. I fail. I got to go into the office late again (but stayed later than planned grr it always evens out lol), so I slept in 'til 9 and snuggled with my Bella love even later.
For breakfast NOTHING sounded good, but I was sooo hungry. I didn't want breakfast foods or lunch. Finally, I had an idea. I don't think I've ever had a BLT in my life (remember, I hate regular bacon and until recently hated all bacon), but randomly a BLT of sorts was the only thing that sounded even remotely appetizing. I toasted up some brown rice bread, slathered it in mashed avocado topped with pink sea salt & black pepper, loaded up with some organic romaine leaves and peppered turkey bacon. No tomatoes. TBLA, perhaps? Turkey Bacon-Lettuce-Avocado? Not quite the same ring, but it was so amazing. New love, fo' sho'. I also had a grapefruit on the side. I'm not joking when I say I'm pretty sure I bought that grapefruit over a month ago. Isn't food supposed to rot? Are all foods frankenfoods these days? Scary.
Similarly, the pumpkin I bought for Halloween is still in good shape as well. Hmm....
My Dad and I are trying to eat smaller portions now that we're days away from eating "normal" again. We're calling it the new normal :-P. Anyway, I probably exaggerated (or, uh, the opposite of that) with a tiny-sized lunch, but it filled me up alright, so maybe not. We had sauteed spinach with diced chicken apple sausage and a small sweet potato on the side filled with sunflower seed butter. I actually threw away part of my potato and still was satisfied.
I must have just not been very hungry for most of the day, as I didn't even want dinner later. I didn't want to cook anything from scratch, didn't want anything carb-heavy in the pantry, and didn't have any frozen foods I could cook up quick. I eventually settled on veggie soup. I would have liked a little chicken, but none was thawed, so pure veggie it was. It included chicken broth, kale, cabbage, carrots, onion, garlic, a bunch of spices, hot sauce, and lemon juice. At the end I topped my bowl with parmesan. It was a little green tasting, but it was ok. I tried to make soup for 1, but it ended up being enough for 3 portions.
For dessert I concocted a random blueberry cottage cheesecake. It would have been awesome if I just blended it and chilled it, but I tried to bake it a little. The texture turned a little rubbery yet watery, but I still liked it enough to eat, um, both (it ended up making two, since the ramekins I used were quite small).
3 days 'til vino....or is it??? Foreshadowing...
Day 47:
So the plan was supposed to go to day 49 I believe, but we basically ended it here. We had reintroduced all of the foods and had gotten the gist of everything. It helped my dad lose about 12 lbs or so, while I think I lost 6? But otherwise we didn't feel too different. I still feel like crap all the time and my Dad still feels fine, as always. We normally would have taken it the final few days, but my parents celebrated V-day on Friday (so my Dad actually ended yesterday) and it was my dad's birthday weekend, so we said screw it.
I have decided to try and limit soy, gluten, corn, and sugar (possibly dairy and eggs too, but not as stringently or as often), but not restrict any of them. I'm also bringing back peanut butter. Maybe not as often, but I'm not giving it up, I'm just not. I always knew that. I do seem to swell up from the gluten, so I plan to do my best to keep it out of my house, but if I go out and friends or family want pizza, I'm having pizza. That kinda thing.
To start my day I had a repeat of the turkey bacon/avo/romaine sandwich. It was too good not to have again asap. This time I had it with 2 clementines. I alway seem to eat those in increments of two.
To drink, I foamed up some cinnamon/vanilla stevia almond milk & then popped a hazelnut cappucinno k-cup into the keurig. Unbeknownst to me, the cappuccino was kinda milky, frothy, and a bit sweet, much like a cappuccino you get out of those machines at a gas station. I just thought it was the flavor, oops. I drank it plain/as is, but then made another cup of regular, fair-trade coffee to enjoy with the foamy milk. Luckily my stomach behaved and allowed me to have both.
My house was cold as balls, even moreso than its usual frigid bitch self (nope, I'm not bitter at all! haha), so Bella and I huddled up real close on the recliner and I tucked Buster back into bed. I used to LOVE cold weather, but now that I pay my own bills, including electric heat, well, let's just say mild temperatures are my best friend now. When the heat and a/c can both be off and I remain comfortable, I am one happy cheap girl!
To warm up a bit more at little cost to me, I had leftover veggie soup for lunch.
Again, it wasn't too filling, so for a snack I had a brown rice cake topped with almond butter & lingonberry jam. I felt guilty using the jam. Sugar! But it was gooood. I also had a ginger ale Zevia. I think all the fiber in the soup may have had my stomach feeling just a bit off. I also had a headache. Again. Fun times.
I sort of put myself together later that night to venture out for groceries and birthday cards. I also picked up a bottle of vino (because the 12+ bottles I already had at home apparently weren't good enough!) Headache be damned, I was having wine!
Don't I look happy? Haha. Disheveled moi pic, but I decided to share my glee anyhow.
Unfortunately, I didn't care much for the wine. I'm not very picky, but it was too acidic, imo. I'll finish it off, but it won't be a rebuy. Womp womp.
I didn't eat dinner until after 9. I quickly heated up a TJ's frozen meal I had been excited to buy. I tried a sample of it shortly before the diet. It was TJ's Chicken Valencia! It contained rice, peas, and grilled chicken in a red pepper sauce. Good stuff. But the box said 2 servings. Err, I would love to know who determines serving sizes at Trader Joes. They always seem SUPER off, by 50% or so. The pic below is what they call 1 serving. Keep in mind that is a super small salad/dessert plate, not a dinner plate.
Needless to say, I ate both servings. A bit carby for night time, but tasty considering it came from a frozen box.
I also had a square of dark chocolate and *drum roll please* a mini peanut butter cup. OHMYGAW peanut butter. Where have you been all my life? Anyone who's not deathly allergic to peanut butter and doesn't eat it is NOT right in the head. It was HEAVEN.
Day 48:
I woke up with an irritating, dull headache. I wonder if it was the wine. I must be old if that's the case--I only had about a glass, 1.5 tops! Ridic! Those crazy sulfitey tannins.
It was my Dad's birthday, so my brother and I took him to Denny's. Haha. Breakfast is free on your bday and he loves Denny's. That's my Dad!
I had an egg white veggie and cheese omelet with fruit and turkey bacon (with nitrites I'm certain, sigh). It was pretty good!I also ate a little bit of my brother's ham, also nitrite-filled I imagine. I had 2.5 cups of coffee (2 dark blend, .5 regular. Dark ftw). I could tell if I had even one more sip of coffee it would have pushed me over the edge into stomachache city. Usually I'd ignore it and sip away, only to be doubled over minutes later, but luckily I'm learning my boundaries (aka LISTENING to my boundaries and when NOT to test them.
We planned to have dinner/our family party before my dad's bowling league, but that would have cut it a little close (we ate breakkie late), so we changed it 'til after 9 pm when he gets home. Late! I didn't want to eat a full meal mid-day, but I got hungry and dinner was hours and hours away. I was shuffling through my cupboard of no-longer-forbidden foods and ate a couple greek yogurt bites when I came across my ranch flavored veggie chips. I'm still trying not to eat too many potatoes, but I decided dipping a handful in some cottage cheese would be a good idea.
We went to watch my dad bowl for a little over an hour before we had to leave so I could cook. A girl scout was there selling cookies. I abstained from buying any, but my mom and brother each got a box. I tried one of each (a samoa and a lemon one). They were good (ish) and all, but not as good as I remembered. Probably not worth it. At least I realized that at 1 cookie of each and not 4 cookies in just waiting for them to taste of delicious nostalgia, ya know?
Anyway, for dinner we all had different variations of food. Just call me a short order cook. I had a little of everything (aside from the steak I made my brother....except the one bite I stole and he yelled at me for lol): lobster, crab legs, au gratin potatoes, salad with herby goat cheese, and brussels sprouts. Anddddd 2 glasses of Riesling. I don't play. Delish!
In lieu of cake, I made gluten free (sort of reduced sugar) brownies. I should have waited to put in the candles after it cooled. They kind of melted into the brownies. Whoops. I also should have used a square, smaller pan to make thicker brownies, but this dish was prettier and left more room for the candles! :-x.
And custom made action figure ;).
BTW-If you've ever wondered what 70 candles looked like, here ya go.
He blew them all out in 2-3 puffs! 68 of the 70 went out in one go. Powerful lungs!
Haha, we're funny.
I mindlessly picked at far too much brownie (we all pretty much just ate with our hands right out of the pan like the classy animals we are!). Have to remember--the NEW normal now! New normal Amanda doesn't eat like that! She takes 1 serving on a plate and puts the rest away. DUH. That sneaky old Amanda, I swear...
Sooo I guess that about wraps up the experiment. I'm not sure how much good it did or didn't do, but it helped us reset and become aware of our portions and what we're putting in our bodies (even more than before, which was probably better than most). The actual plan didn't really pan out in the desired/promised ways, but that's the way it goes sometimes. Hopefully we will adopt new, healthier habits from this time on and continue down a good path. I know my Dad says he doesn't really mindlessly snack anymore (a big problem for him in the past), so I will try to continue to keep him accountable with that. I will definitely be watching my(/our) portions, and even try and continue eating out less. I think that's a key component as well. Though we are a family that loves our restaurants, balance must always be there! JJ Virgin believes moderation is what sets most people up to fail, but I think it's what will work best for us. *shrug*
xo,
Amanda
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