Ain't Nobody Got Time Fur Dat!

(Fair warning. I'm talkative tonight...)

Weeeeeeeell, the detox challenge is now technically over as of yesterday! Can I confess something? I don't feel this detox went as well as the first. You see, my goal in all of this is to find health. My body is not the wellest (that is not a word) it should be and I am trying to uncover why. What am I doing wrong? That's what I'm trying to know. During the previous sugar-free experiment, I felt the BEST I have felt in years! But this go-round, I felt less than stellar.

On Jan 8th, I woke up so sick. If puny and pathetic had a mascot, I was it. I needed help getting myself to the Dr because my entire body ached terribly, my throat felt like I was swallowing glass, my temp was over 101, and I couldn't stand or walk far without nearly passing out. All signs were pointing to Mono, but I got tested for Flu and Strep anyway; both of which returned negative. Mono it was. I have had it (and will always be a carrier...ugh...) since 2007 and since then, my poor immune system has been exactly that: poor. I hadn't had an "episode" in years but somehow, my body gave up and I was so very unwell. I ended up missing 4 days of work and many, many hours of my life because all I could do was sleep. And that's really what you're supposed to do. It took me another 9 days or so to start feeling fully back to normal.

But I thought I was getting healthier! I thought I was doing all of the right things! Detoxing from sugar (and frankly, avoiding it altogether) is, as I have been researching, a great way to help the immune system heal. I gave this analogy to my dad: imagine trying to fill a tub with water while the drain plug is pulled so the water doesn't stay. That's what it feels like is happening with my immune system. I am "filling" it with healthy eating but I must still be doing something wrong. I must still have the drain pulled somewhere. I must find where...

While I was resting during this sick time, I watched some very interesting things on Netflix. (I love me some Netflix!) I watched the documentaries "Forks Over Knives," "Engine 2 Kitchen Rescue," and "Food Matters". (Prior to this, I had also seen "Food, Inc.," "Fat, Sick, & Nearly Dead," "Vegucated") I was noticing a common thread throughout: Organic plant-based nutrition is the best thing for the human body. I was certainly increasing my fruit and veggie intake but oh buddy, my animal intake was high! You could not separate me from my love: bacon. :) But, I am interested and fascinated by the scientific research presented in these films about the affects of animal proteins on the body.

Then, someone recommended I watch "Earthlings" (www.earthlings.com), so I did. Folks, this rocked my world. I cannot condone the treatment of animals in the manner that many large-scale farms do. This film reveals so many unsightly things. Unacceptable. AND, those animals that have to withstand filthy conditions and then I consume that animal? Just because it tastes good? How is that healthy? Ugh. (But bacon tastes so good!!!!!!!! *sigh...)

So here I am, continuing on this journey of trying to find health by ways of good nutrition. I still have a long way to go to understand all of the scientific reasoning behind food but the logic I am uncovering in my research clicks with me. I am going to try a new approach to this health quest. I am going to continue the Paleo diet practices but eliminate animal products. I do believe Paleo is a very healthy way of eating. But I am now not convinced that eating animals is good for the body. (Feel free to feedback on this.)

I really dislike getting sick. It makes me angry, actually. And, honestly, ain't nobody got time to be gettin' sick!!!!

(Enjoy this video: http://youtu.be/bFEoMO0pc7k)

Planning: Squared, or Thirded

Mondays. I am not a very big fan of Mondays. My alarm clocks (because I have several) seem to be broken on most Mondays.

So it's the end of Day 7 of 21 (already?!?) on this sugar detox and I have to say...I am having more fun this time than with the first one I did over a year ago. That could be due to having more knowledge about what foods I think are D-lish and how to cook them, and also knowing more about the abundance of combinations I have with so many good, whole foods. Additionally, I have a more sincere care for consuming foods that will lead me toward health and not toward unwellness (I think I made up that word).  I went to Zio's (one of my favorites!) today for lunch and was able to completely refrain from eating any bread. That. Is. Progress, friends!!!

I follow several people on social media sites that give me inspiration and ideas on how to live this life healthier and cook some yummy foods. Since I am still fairly new to this whole cooking thing, I need all of the inspiration and ideas that I can find! :) Cave-Momma's Quest posted an idea on Facebook for the meal planning stage that resonated with me, so I tried it:

Fold a piece of paper into thirds. On left panel: plan your week's meals, middle panel: list ingredients, right panel: list what you need to buy. This took some time (partially because I was distracted with funny episodes of Monk and Psych) and as you can probably see, I didn't finish the week's meal planning but I am not worried about that. I have a feeling I will have leftover food for several meals. :) But this strategy of planning meals is what I did not do on the first sugar detox. Not planning made the last detox frustrating sometimes, and yes there were moments of tears (lots of tearful moments). But somehow I made it through with great success, and this concept was so simple that I think it will make this detox even better! You should try it. 

Success can really be enhanced with planning and the practice of writing those plans down. I mentioned this before and it's funny that I keep coming back to it. Perhaps there is something I am still not learning. :) 

"If you fail to plan, plan to fail" - Benjamin Franklin

More good news is that I haven't burned bacon again. Whew! On that note, I think I shall go cook some for tomorrow. :)

I Burned the Bacon

Friends!!! Happy New Year! Oh, how I have missed you. I am so sorry to have been away for so long. I have so much to tell you, but I don't want this post to be long enough to stretch to the moon and back (but maybe to the Equator and back). So, I will try to give you some highlights today and sprinkle in the updates over a more regular posting schedule. How's that sound? How have you been? Did I mention I missed you?

There has been so much change in my life since the last time I wrote. Let's see...

• I completed the Sugar Experiment and was a champ! I continued it for about 6 months and felt the best I have ever felt (made it through Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years with out cheating on a sugary treat once. Not once!)
• I got a good grade on this sugar project I was doing for my Nutrition class
• I started Grad school in Education
• Stopped Grad school in Education
• Changed directions for Grad school and am now taking prerequisites for a degree in Dietetics and Nutrition
• Got a new car
• Got a new job
• Moved to my favorite part of town
• Completed a triathlon
• Completed several 5K races
• BECAME AN AUNTIE!!!
• Became a Paleo diet follower
• Became an Online dater (have mercy)
• Became a published photographer 

And somewhere along the way amidst all of this, I fell off the sugar-free wagon. And when I fell, I fell HARD. My old eating habits returned and my car started driving itself to Braum's for a large Mix w/ Reese's and M&M's (drool). My excuses that "I am just so busy, I don't have time to cook." and "I am too exhausted to cook." and "blah blah blah" were taking over and I simply slacked off. This Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years were not sugar-free for me. In fact I can recall sitting in the recliner at my parents' house with an entire bag of iced sugar cookies and eating them...all. So, here I am. Starting anew. I'm washing my produce and new stainless steel cookware and starting over.

It's a new year and I am starting this sugar-free diet again. This time I am following a different plan. I am following the 21-Day Sugar Detox (21DSD) by Diane Sanfilippo of Balanced Bites (http://balancedbites.com/2012/12/the-biggest-21-day-sugar-detox-begins-on-january-1-2013.html). I have been reading their material for a few months and really enjoy their approach. They simplify things. I like that. Simple. It's nice.

Day 1 = Jan 1: I was doing really well until... I burned bacon. I seriously freaking burned bacon. What??!! I love bacon (you really don't understand how obsessed I am). This doesn't happen to me. Is this a bad sign? It looked like hazardous waste on a plate and smelled even worse. I probably should have ionized the air in the house and worn a Hazmat suit to carry it outside to cool off. It was laughable.

I really thought this new year was off to a horrible start until it ended with this beautiful surprise. Heck yes:

I am happy to be back to the writing world. One thing I should mention if I haven't before: I do not consider myself to be a doctor, nutritionist, registered dietician, or the like. I am working my way toward those credentials and am learning as I go, and share what I learn and the awkward things that happen to me along the way.

Happy New Year to you and please... Don't burn the bacon, please.

-With One L