It’s crazy to me that it’s almost 7:30PM (dinner time now), and I’ve only eaten…well…breakfast and lunch. But I’m not starving. The headaches are still sneaking in – never for long anymore though, and barely noticeable. This weekend was great! I expected it to be hard, hell to be honest, I expected it to be impossible. The week I never feared. As I mentioned, I’m used to my morning and afternoon routines at the office and the obstacles surrounding both have been easy enough to overcome. Another major challenge I feared would be the weekend which typically included joining friends for drinks, eating out, and drinking wine, and always included sleeping in past breakfast, drinking coffee, and eating donuts. Sigh…I sure do miss donuts.
Anyway, I feel good! I do, actually, I feel great! (And so does Brenen). The headaches, I’ve decided most definitely are related to the caffeine. Other than the withdrawal side-effects, so far the biggest change I’ve noticed is my sleep – my uninterrupted, deep, completely rejuvenating sleep. It’s as if my entire being – body, mind, and soul are resting for the first time in my entire life. That’s how I feel when I wake up in the morning. It’s actually incredible and I am positive any explanation I give here will never do the experience justice. I’ve never experienced anything like it, and if anything grows stronger throughout the next couple weeks, I hope it’s my ability to maintain this feeling – to maintain this kind of sleep where I wake up in the morning ready to hop out of bed and literally feel as if I could accomplish anything!
Hand in hand, I’m also happier; just all around in a better mood. Brenen and I are getting along wonderfully. Not that we ever don’t, but there’s an energy here like never before. It’s healthy and it’s strong and it’s good. Our darling friends accommodated us on Sunday for an over-due family dinner. We hadn’t gotten together in a while as a whole group, so a couple who live together initiated a Taco Night. Of course, Brenen and I prepared to attend and not be able to eat (so packed a bag of snacks for ourselves), but we were beyond tickled to arrive to a full Make-Your-Own-Taco spread, including a sub station meeting all of our restrictions. What amazingly sweet humans! 🙂 So far, the pain and struggle and temptation have been worth every second of this journey, and discovering the positive impacts on my health has only been a portion of the reward. 😉
Day 3: 03/03
Pre-Workout:
No exercise
Morning:
Hot water w/lemon
Quick oats w/blueberries, banana, honey, brown sugar, almond milk
Afternoon:
1/2 serving of Muscle Maker grilled chicken + steamed broccoli
Yogi Lemon Ginger Tea
1 C Carrots + Hummus
Hu Kitchen pear, spinach, blueberry smoothie
1/5 Hu Kitchen Crunchy Banana Chocolate Bar
Evening:
Fresh fruit mix + chocolate bars at movies (pictured)
Day 4: 03/04
Pre-Workout:
Hot water w/lemon
GFree Rice cake topped with almond butter + banana
Workout:
Vinyasa yoga + short ab circuit
Morning:
Overnight oats w/almond butter, almond milk, cinnamon, honey, blueberries, and banana
Afternoon:
Grapes, and blueberries
SweetGreen Harvest Bowl w/mesclun, brown rice, sweet potato, apples, chicken, balsamic vinaigrette
1/4 C Home Free Chocolate Cookies
Chamomile Tea
Evening:
Steak grilled w/chimichurri sauce
Mashed cauliflower
Homemade Chimichurri Sauce: olive oil, salt/pepper, cilantro, parsley, garlic, red wine vinegar, crushed red pepper
Sweets by Chloe (shared with Brenen) Matcha Chia Pudding + blueberries, and a chocolate cupcake
Javea chocolate coconut ice cream
Decaf Lotus Blossom Tea
Day 5: 03/05
Pre-Workout:
Hot water w/lemon
GFree Rice cake topped with almond butter + banana
A few apple + kiwi slices
Workout:
Full body work out + arm circuit
Afternoon:
Juice Generation Kale Supa Dupa Greens: spinach, kale, parsley, romaine, cucumber, celery, lemon & apple
Baked Oatmeal: almond milk, apple sauce, mashed banana, baking soda, lemon, salt, topped with blueberries, blackberries, and banana
1 dried prune
Evening:
Taco Salad: plain ground turkey, tomatoes, onions, GFree taco seasoning, lettuce, pick de gallo, salsa, guacamole, terra chips
Blueberries + Raspberries
Hu Chocolate Mint Bar (Shared with Brenen)
Chamomile Tea w/lemon
