Diet Update (the Post With TMI)
Time for a progress report on my diet. As a reminder, I’m doing an anti-candida diet to resolve my digestive issues. I’ve been on it for two weeks, and I can report that I feel SO MUCH BETTER. On a scale of 1-10, 10 being perfect digestion and 1 being absolutely terrible, I was at a 1 when I started and now would put myself at a 5 or 6. That is a HUGE difference! Prior to starting this diet, I was at rock bottom. To give you an idea- one of the reasons my sleep was so terrible was that I had to get up multiple times a night to go to the bathroom. I took an Imodium so I could run my race in April, and also took Imodium when I traveled in May, just to make things easier. Obviously… something had to change. Things were so much better after only a few days on the diet, it makes me wonder if there was something specific I had been eating that was irritating my gut. Or maybe a combination of things, or maybe just taking away most of my normal foods made the difference- but it was like an intense irritation of my gut suddenly disappeared. There’s still a way to go- I would like to get up to a 10- but I’m really encouraged. And, much less tired because I can actually SLEEP at night. I’m purposely giving details in case anyone has been thinking “I could never stick to a diet like that” or “why couldn’t I stick to Whole 30?” I promise you- you could stick to a restrictive diet if you were feeling as sick as I was. I’m not doing this because it’s fun, I’m doing it because I HAD to. In spite of all the restrictions (and removal of lots of delicious food and drinks that I was addicted to) I’m actually enjoying my food MORE now. Before, I was eating the things I wanted, while knowing that they weren’t going to make me feel good. It’s hard to enjoy food when you know it’s not going to digest well, and is going to make you uncomfortable. Now, I can truly enjoy the foods I’m eating because I know they’re nourishing my body (thank you to Nicole for her post on this subject yesterday!) instead of making me sick. And- I’m usually very hungry by the time I’m eating, which feels different from before, where a lot of time I was eating because I was bored or was craving something specific. Hmm, it feels GOOD to eat when you’re hungry! Who knew. I’m going to stick to this very restrictive phase of the diet for five more weeks. At that point I’ll be traveling, and I’ll have to decide what to do. It’s going to be tricky, but I’ll do whatever makes the most sense when I get there. Here’s one of my dinner salads that I thoroughly enjoyed! And, one day I was feeling a little sorry for myself so I made a treat- homemade pecan butter. You roast pecans and then put them in the food processor with a little coconut oil and salt, and grind them up until they become pecan butter. It is SO, SO, good! I eat a spoonful for “dessert” at night. And, I made another batch of “Chef’s Salty Balls” to keep in the fridge for snacking. I added less salt this time, but I’m sticking with the name. I’m even enjoying my green tea in the morning (WHO AM I, WHAT HAS HAPPENED???) Two weeks down, five to go! Have you ever made homemade nut butter? What would be the ONE THING you would most hate to give up? (coffee-sugar-bread-alcohol-other?) Top photo by Tangerine Newt on Unsplash
Weekly Rundown- Liminal Space
Huh. This was a weird week. It was an adjustment, getting used to the new summer routine. Running was… interesting, as we shall soon see. But there are always workouts! I’m linking up as usual with Kim and Deborah for the Weekly Rundown. Here we go… Sunday I’ve decided that my daughter is not a good gym buddy! She changes her mind, wants to go later, then not at all… it’s easier just to do my own workout at home. I did upper body, focused on overhead press and lateral raise, and then took out the pull-up bar, which always gives me a hard workout. Monday All my runs this week were characterized by a lack of energy. My breathing was fine, but my legs felt heavy and tired. I’m pretty sure it’s this diet I’ve been on (once again- not for weight loss, but to fix some digestive issues). It’s not intentionally a low-carb diet, but it just works out that way because I’m not eating any sugar and very few grains. I felt like my legs were crying out for fuel! Well, it’s temporary, and I’m not training for anything right now. Every run this week was followed by Runner’s Touch and side planks with leg lifts. That hamstring is much better, but still a little stiff and achy. Tuesday Time for some maintenance! I did a Caroline Girvan abs workout, and then hip stability exercises that I haven’t done in a week. I figure the Runner’s Touch and side planks are also hip stability, but I needed to get back to my usual ones, including the one leg sit-to-stand. Use it or lose it! Some of these exercises are really hard if I slack off- but if I do them regularly I can do them well. Wednesday Another sluggish 3 mile run. At least I’ve eliminated most of the walking breaks. It’s not like my legs can’t run- they just don’t want to. Again, followed by Runner’s Touch and side planks with leg lifts. Thursday This was my one strength day in the gym, and it was a leg day. Squats, Bulgarian split squats, glute press machine, and core. This felt good! Friday Another plodding run, but I added a little distance on to make it 3.5 miles. The heat and humidity are not helping! This photo looks a little hazy because my camera lens was fogged up. Runner’s Touch. Side planks, etc! Saturday I had plans to go to the gym after work, but I just didn’t have the energy to work out AND deal with the crowded, noisy gym. I did another upper body strength day at home, again featuring the pull-up bar. Good, peaceful, workout. So… I felt like the whole week was a means to an end. A temporary diet (which is already helping- my digestion is much better, so it’s worth it!) and lots of hip exercises to get that hamstring 100%. My husband asked me when my next ultra is, and I was like “Huh? I run ultras?” Hard to imagine right now while I’m trudging through such short runs. But it will all come together… eventually. How was your week? Were you adjusting to a new routine at all? Yop photo by Scarbor Siu on Unsplash
Ultimate Coffee Date!
Hey, I have a new mug! My son gave it to me for Mother’s Day. Just in time for the Ultimate Coffee Date with Coco and Deborah! I’ll be drinking green tea, of course. To start things off, I’ll tell you how I solved ONE of the problems with that drink. I was complaining that, in addition to the taste, aroma and color, I also don’t like the fact that green tea is supposed to be steeped in 175 degree water, so as not to burn the “delicate” tea leaves (sigh). But I like my tea REALLY hot, and guess what- that’s what microwaves are for. Now I obediently heat my water to 175 (there’s a setting for it on my electric kettle), steep the tea, remove the tea leaves and then put it in the microwave! It really is true- for every problem, there’s a solution. If we were having piping hot coffee/tea together, I would tell you that I miss my son! He didn’t come home for spring break (he went to a trumpet competition) and now he’s at a summer music festival. We saw him for two days at graduation and that was it! I know he’s having a great time, and he’ll be home for at least a month in July. But it’s a long time to go without seeing him. If this post is shorter than usual, we can blame it on this: Birchie and I are doing a buddy read of this book, and coincidentally we’re reading at almost the exact same pace. I cannot put this book down! I’ve never read it or seen the movie, so I’m on the edge of my seat to see how things develop. In addition to Scarlett’s story (is Ashley dead? What is going to happen with Rhett???) I’m getting a fascinating history lesson. Obviously I know how the Civil War turned out, but I don’t remember learning any details about it (somewhere, there’s a middle school history teacher wringing their hands in despair right now). Birchie seems to be a fast reader and I’m determined to keep up. She said “It’s not a race” but I truly feel like I’m racing through this book because I love it so much. On that note… I have to get back to reading! Have you read Gone With the Wind? Have you seen the movie? What was the last book you read that you loved so much, you couldn’t put it down?
Reading and Eating!
Let’s start with books. I finished this one: It was SO GOOD. The main character is a journalist who, for personal reasons, decides to investigate an apparent suicide. The deceased is the daughter of a famous film maker, whose horror films became so disturbing they’re banned in theaters and only shown in underground screenings. This man is a mysterious figure who has become reclusive, holing himself up in a remote mansion where… possibly… strange things are happening. I talked in my last book post about the mixed media aspect, things like magazine articles and police reports interspersed throughout the book. Now I’ll mention that there’s a bit of horror and black magic in this book- two things I’m not usually fond of, but it was inserted into the story in such a way that it made sense. The plot was still grounded in reality, although there was some exploration of that concept (is something real if you believe it’s real?) Overall, I loved this. Now for something completely different… HOW IS IT EVEN POSSIBLE that I’ve never read Gone With the Wind, or seen the movie??? It’s so good! Birchie and I are doing a “buddy read” of this book, which means we’re emailing our thoughts and observations back and forth. Let me know if you want to join us! Okay, let’s talk about food. I’m happy to say that I’ve fully adjusted to my diet. Starbucks even has a green tea option that works for me, so I can still sit in the cafe sipping tea. I mean- it’s not Earl Grey and never will be. But you can get used to anything! I made pancakes! It’s a recipe from Rikki Heller’s book, Living Candida Free. The batter is made from millet (finally, a use for millet!) chickpea flour, coconut flour, and various other ingredients. Against all odds, these actually tasted pretty good! I also made bread. This was an afternoon-long adventure. First you roast spaghetti squash, wait for it to cool, puree the flesh, mix it with the other ingredients (the long list includes almond butter, ground pumpkin seeds, chickpea flour) and THEN you bake it. This bread came out… surprisingly delicious!!! Maybe my tastebuds have gone berserk, but I really liked it. After all the work it took to make it, I carefully and lovingly cut it into pieces, and put some of the precious slices in the freezer for next week, and the rest in the fridge, to be taken out as a treat, one each day. It occurred to me- maybe this is the way bread should be eaten- as opposed to scarfing down half the loaf in one sitting. Hmmm! Anyway, I’m now realizing why I didn’t stick closer to this diet after I did it the first time. It’s not that the food doesn’t taste good- it actually does- but it’s just so inconvenient. If I could buy this in the store that would be one thing. To make it all from scratch is okay for now, but not something I want to do for the rest of my life. Because so much of this diet is complicated and time-consuming, I’ve just been having a big salad for dinner every night. It’s easy, it’s good for me, I like it and it makes me feel good. I’m not cooking anything else! Have you read Gone With the Wind? Do you like big dinner salads? Top photo by Nadine Primeau on Unsplash