Journey From Sloth and Despair: June Edition

You may recall that I have been working towards health and well-being through clean eating.  No?  Here are some links for you to peruse:

Journey from sloth and despair: the beginning
January sloth and despair
More of the Journey

Anyway.  I spent a good month cleaning up my act this spring.  I eliminated ALL fast food (ok - nearly all), just about all processed food (boxed, bagged, prepared, colored, canned, jarred, etc.), all simple carbs. (potatoes, pasta, bread), and even grains/legumes (oats, rice, beans, wheat, etc.).  Also no alcohol or sodas (ok -- I did have the occasional Diet Pepsi.  I'm no angel.).

I ate (nearly) solely fresh meat and fish (lean beef, chicken, turkey, seafood), and low-carb veggies and fruit for over a month.  Why?  Because I needed to break my attachment to food.  I needed to see what my body was like without chemicals and junk in it.

It was SUPER difficult for the first several days.  I went to bed dreaming of cake and wine and mac 'n' cheeze.  I woke, craving cereal and donuts and danishes.

BUT: things I started noticing:

• My stomach was happier.  It was peaceful (if you know what I mean)
• My skin was GREAT (with all the water I was consuming)
• I would wake,and feel less muzzy and fuzzy and gross
• My allergies improved (could be that the atmospheric allergens decreased, though)
• I started to really LOVE fish (tilapia and salmon are lovely!)
• Fruit became a delicious dessert, especially strawberries
• I totally stopped craving fast food and high-fat snacks
• Diet Pepsi became a treat (one glass, with ice) rather than sustenance

After about a month of this, I decided it was time to start adding back a greater amount of foods.  I added more proteins, fats, and fruits/veggies.  Also alcohol in small amounts.

Things I noticed:

• My body likes pure meats better than processed (sausage, bacon, lunch meats).  I know this because I had a few stomach aches AND I'd feel kind of grody after eating a salad with chopped lunchmeat and bacon
• Avocados are WONDERFUL, no matter how high-fat
• Cherries are good for me
• Diet Pepsi is still not that great for me.  I feel weirdly chemical-ish after drinking much of it
• Alcohol now gives me a gross feeling the next day.  Even just one glass.  Sigh.  
• Real cream (whipped, with just a tiny bit of sugar) is terrific on berries as a dessert.  Just a bit.  And I don't care if it IS high-fat.  It's deelish.  And doesn't make me feel gross like CoolWhip does.  My mouth doesn't feel all slimy afterwards.
• Whole, raw almonds are a fantastic snack.
• My body NEEDS lots of water. No matter what.
• Triscuits are grossly slimy feeling, and Pringles?  EW.

My next step will be adding back grains, legumes, and so on.

This has been amazingly enlightening. 

Some questions I had:

• Is it more expensive to eat "whole-ish-ly"?  Not that I've noticed.  Pre-packaged foods are fairly expensive, and fast food is too.  I buy a bag of frozen tilapia fillets ($9/12 of them), a bag of frozen turkey patties ($8/12 patties) (just ground turkey, pre-portioned), and lots of veggies/fruit, and maybe a buy one get one free steak, and I'm set for the week.  I buy almonds on sale, and lemons/limes by the bag.  
• Is it hard to dine out at restaurants?  Well, kind of.  Depending on where you go.  We went to an amusement park, and UGH.  But I did find a restaurant that had a big salad.  However, the protein available was chicken strips (breaded).  But still, could have been worse.  At most restaurants (not crappy ones) I can order grilled protein (chicken, steak, fish) with veggies.  I just ask for no butter or sauce.  I ignore the breadbasket, and request no croutons/bread/junk on the plate.  Mexican places are excellent, because I can order fajitas with no tortillas (with extra lettuce), and make a fabulous salad.  I even have some guacamole.  No margaritas, though.
• Do I end up cooking twice to accommodate my family?  Sometimes.  But mostly, I just make them additional sides (potatoes, pasta, breads), and they eat my healthy stuff PLUS the other stuff.  
• Do I feel like I'm obsessing about food?  Kind of.  But I realized that I already was focused on food.  "Can I get away with eating pizza?" and "what will I make for dinner" and "what kind of martini" and so on.  Now, it's just the opposite direction.  "How can I make this a clean meal?" or "Will they be able to make this without breading?" and so on.

I'm indulging in small amounts of full-fat sour cream, butter, and olive oil.  I'm learning that veggies are NOT supposed to be just vehicles for dressings and cheeses and sauces.

I don't want to be all religious about this.  All fanatical.  But something needed to happen.  I needed to clean up my act.  I've done it!  I have no illusions.  I"m going to eat pizza again.  I'm going to eat cake and drink wine.  I love tortillas and bread.  I do.  But ... I really needed a re-set.