Week One Update

Update on our health journey, the rest of week one…

We made it through the first week.  My family of 6 had various symptoms pretty much according to the expectations.

Day one really was a breeze.  We were excited, open to trying new things,  and everything was fine.

Days 2-3 were really hard for my kiddos and hubby…. Turns out sugar withdraw is no joke.  There were headaches, diarrhea, tears and general misery.  I skipped hang over symptoms and went directly to “Kill All the Things”.   It’s work. A lot of work. So much freakin work.  Chopping, sautéing grilling, dicing, slicing, blending, grinding.  Cooking with whole foods and fresh herbs is like a whole new deal.  I went from feeling pretty comfortable in the kitchen to feeling like a contestant on the “Worst Chefs in America”.  I over steamed, under seasoned, over seasoned, kind of burned, you name, it I did it. 

 My precious family choked down the food and couldn’t decide if it was terrible because of what was in it, or because I botched it.  I’m not used to screwing up so many things at once.  It was a major blow, and a real discouragement.  There’s a learning curve, that’s for sure.

 On Day Six I had much success with home-made larabars!  They were a big hit. So much so, it felt like cheating.  We have to be extremely disciplined to not allow these bars be a substitute that satisfies our sugar dragon.  However, as a portable snack, or emergency food situation it’s great.  We’ll be having Chocolate Coconut Macaroon bars instead of wedding cake this weekend.  Brian was pretty sluggish this day, but he started mixing in ghee and coconut oil in his coffee and noticed a dramatic difference!

At this point, we were all feeling better. Physically here are things we’ve noticed:

• ·      Runny noses and allergy symptoms have stopped
•      The scoop on the poop:
•     Those pooping too much aren’t
•      Those pooping not enough are daily doers now
•     Middle Little has quick complaining of her chronic stomach pains
•     Little Little is sleeping through the night
•     Day time crashes and fatigue aren’t occurring any more, even though coffee consumption is about half of what it was

Non-physical observations:

We talk more at dinner.  We talk about what we’re eating and why we’re eating it.  We’re looking up things like “heal benefits of sweet potatoes”.  We’re making choices to consume more protein and fat, and allow our bodies to derive energy from that.  Brian and the kids are now, in week two enjoying things they wouldn't typically like.  Alot.  They're excited about scrambled eggs with veggies, fruit salads and all kinds of different things.

Previously, I stumbled out of bed, to the coffee and wasn’t able to form words until I’d finished a cup.  Over the course of the day I ate little, but drank 2-3 more cups of coffee.  I was exhausted by six or seven, but so wired from caffeine relaxing was a challenge.  I considered it a win if I made it to “wine time” every night. I'd pour a glass when the kids went down, and then another.  When I finally fell asleep it was restless, I was parched from the wine, and often woke during the night to get a glass of water.  I woke up feeling as bad as I had when I went to bed the night before. I thought the wine would be the hardest thing for me, but it really hasn't been.

I’ve realized through this process that I did a poor job taking care of my body.  When I was tired I used caffeine to stimulate and when I couldn’t relax I drank wine.  When my usual “go to’s” are largely removed, I find myself really paying attention to how I feel, and giving my body what it needs.  As a result of properly fueling, I’m not so tired any more. I’m having much easier time feeling energetic as I navigate my very busy life. 

Being present in the life, with my job and my family, and spending so much time in the kitchen make for good, full days, and I feel ready to relax at bedtime.  No wine necessary.  My sleep has been more peaceful, and restorative. I wake feeling ready for the day, and don’t even make that first cup of coffee for an hour or so.

I don't want to go back to how I felt before.