Day 8

I’ve officially got one week under my belt. It’s probably the longest I’ve ever stuck to something regarding my eating habits, other than my year-long bout of vegetarianism (ummm… could I be any further from that now? haha).

Week one in review:

Eat a “paleo” diet, including lean meats, vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds, and oils that come from nuts and seeds (plus olive and coconut oil). No sugar, dairy, or grains. Plenty of water. Honey and organic peanut butter allowed. I think I did pretty good on the diet aspect. I ate some corn and (natural) popcorn this week and I am unclear on if corn is actually a grain or not… I think that it probably is, because of the full feeling it gives me after I eat it. Nothing else I ate this week made me feel that way… which has taken some getting used to. I need to be eating more vegetables (incorporating them into every meal).

No TV (including Hulu and Netflix). Take time to work on goals/desires listed on my 101 in 1001 lists instead. Stuck to the no TV goal. It was hard at first, but now I am really enjoying the time it frees up in my schedule. I started reading again which I haven’t done in forever and forgot how much I love sitting down with a good book.

No computer use after 8:30 p.m. Set a specific time to blog each day so that I am not crammed up against that deadline. I am enjoying this, too. It’s not hard to keep.

Pray intentionally about using food and entertainment as coping devices and journey with God into the deeper heart issues at hand. Haven’t really delved into this yet.

Try not to be too crabby at Joshua as I go through the “detox” phase. Trying… he says I’ve done better than he expected.

Whenever I am tempted to eat or drink something I shouldn’t, remember that it is not the last opportunity I’ll ever have to eat/drink ________. I haven’t had too many temptations. Today it is snowing and it is a perfect day to be cozy and I was wishing earlier that I could drink some hot chocolate. It wasn’t because I was actually craving it, it was just that I thought it would go perfectly with the weather. I’m into that sort of thing and not being able to match foods to events or moods because they aren’t sugar/dairy/grain-free is a little disappointing. Takes some of the joy out of the eating process for me. I think I might be a foodie.

Enjoy an active lifestyle! Go to a class at CrossFit Asheville twice per week, start training walks for the 3-Day Walk in September, start running again, incorporate swimming into my fitness regimen, go hiking with Joshua and friends, explore new places and activities, do an “at home” WOD once per week on an off-CrossFit day. I have been really tired this first week. I went to both CFA classes, but other than a quick walk one evening, the rest of my time has been pretty sedentary.

Let myself cry if I need to. Twice in one week. I’m just trying to go with the flow.

Get at least eight hours of sleep per night. Use candles instead of man-made lights after sundown when possible. Everyone at CFA has stressed the importance of getting enough sleep, so this has been a major focus for me. The candles have mainly been just before bed… I’d like to try to back it up even more so that I can get as close to sundown as possible. I still feel tired after a full night’s sleep, although when I wake up I do feel more rested than I have in a long time. The fatigue just sets in early in the day. I don’t know if it’s sugar or caffeine withdrawals or that I need to be eating more for breakfast or what.

Spend quality time with my family. Spent more quality time with Joshua and Michelle this week than I have in a normal work week in forever!

Spend quality time with my God. Found myself somewhat avoiding this. Must not want to get down into the muck and mire of things yet…

I have realized this week that I definitely have some feelings lurking in the depths of my emotional waters that I have been avoiding with food and entertainment for a long while. I’ve known this on some level, of course, but now is the time I’m going to have to deal with it. Fun, fun. I am a little discouraged about it.