I haven’t been sleeping poorly, but the sleep hasn’t been as good as it was the first few nights. Perhaps I’m eating too much sugar too late in the day. I know sugar is typically eliminated from the common elimination diet, but this is MY elimination diet, and so while I’ve never really been much of a sweet-tooth, I didn’t feel the need to completely forbid myself from a sweet now and again. To be clear here, the sugars, or sweeteners rather, that I am consuming are for the most part just in the form of natural raw honey and organic blue agave. There has been the occasional allowance of pure cane sugar or light brown sugar, but I determined early on in my planning that I didn’t really cross paths with sugar enough to worry about going out of my way to avoid it.
Anyway, I’m going to experiment with avoiding sugar at least in the evening moving forward. Further, Brenen and I both decided to eliminate bananas, and I am going to leave the chocolate at the door :(. These are both also noted as common “triggers,” cut out of most elimination experiences, but we didn’t bother at first. To be clear, Brenen claimed that he hopped on this crazy train of mine as a “might as well” opportunity for him to experiment with his reactions to gluten and dairy. He personally hasn’t given up caffeine, (and isn’t that worried about cocoa), but otherwise he is on the same exact restrictions as I am. To be even more clear, I think he mostly just is just in this whole mess as a means to support me ;).
Which of course has to be contributing at least in slight measure to my mood, which has never been better! I know i’ve already mentioned this, but it remains steadily true, and is very profoundly obvious. I am still feeling extremely positive about the whole experience…despite it only being a quarter of the way through and my yearning for coffee and donuts growing everyday 😅 ..”I can do it!”
I’ve been thinking a lot about this concept: listening to your body. I’ve spoken about it before, and so it’s clear I’m a true believer in it – I think it’s fair to say I wouldn’t even be on this current venture if I wasn’t. Part of what makes most people I speak to skeptical of the whole process is “how do you know” when your body feels differently. Perhaps this is something that I’ve spent a lot of time working toward…but perhaps it’s also something that comes natural for each of us, if we let it. I believe our bodies are the only thing we have. Seriously. What else is there guiding you through life? Your brain? Your heart? All a part of your body, my friends! It might seem funny to cut-things-out along the way, but again, that’s why I am so determined to make this process my own! Listening to my headaches and pains and positive vibes and following the right nudges is what is going to make it worthwhile.
I am back to attending regular physical therapy sessions for my skiing injury, and it’s actually be a great because I feel like I’m getting two workouts in in the mornings. As long as I wake up about 25-30 min earlier than normal, I can still hit the gym and then make it to PT before work. Because of this altered scheduling, I’ve been trying to focus on cardio and legs at the gym so I can save my arm and upper body strength for my therapy. I’ve also noticed the two-a-days (so-to-speak) are leaving me a bit more tired than usual. I usually can stay consistently active with my workout routine but, as you can notice, I’ve skipped a couple days already this week. I can’t say I’m thrilled about it because I am anxious about a potentially over-booked weekend with family visiting (yay!) which usually means my independent time is cut short. I suppose it’s a fair trade-off though. Mom and Taylor get here today and I am soooo excited! The weather has been nice and they are pumped for exploring, despite the trip coinciding with my diet. I’m looking forward to getting some q-time in with them both, and guess it’ll be a nice forced-break from the routine if my body apparently needs it. I’ve always listened to my body, but I feel like for the first time, I can hear her so loud and clear! Cheers to hump-day! 😀
Day 6: 03/06
Pre-Workout:
Hot water w/lemon
1 dried prune
No exercise
Morning:
Overnight oats – no fruit
Afternoon:
Chopt Chicken Tinga – no cheese or tortilla
Hu Almond Fig
Celery + hummus
Evening:
Pasta w/marinara, salmon, mushrooms & zucchini
Fresh mango for dessert
Day 7: 03/07
Pre-Workout:
Hot water w/lemon
1 dried prune (good for the brain)
Workout:
Full Body Strength Training
Rotator Cuff Physical Therapy
Morning:
Kale, blood orange, banana, and almond milk smoothie topped w/chia + flax seed mix
Overnight Oats
Afternoon:
Chop’t Chicken Tinga w/double chicken
Lemon Ginger Herbal Tea
Dinner:
Pasta w/marinara
Herbal tea
Day 8: 03/08
Pre-Workout:
Hot water w/lemon
1 dried prune
No Exercise
Morning:
Overnight Oats
Afternoon:
Hu Kitchen 1/4 rotisserie chicken w/roasted market vegetables and pineapple w/cashew butter + cinnamon
Hu chocolate bar w/mint
Lemon Ginger Herbal Tea
Evening:
Pureed sweet potato bowl, w/banana + dark chocolate
[…] of intentional experimentation. However, everyone is different! And slight allergies can exist. Listen to your body and take the time to be thoughtful so that you get the most out of your experience. It’s even […]