It's been a bit since I completed the challenge, and what has happened? (this might get long)
1. This is the first time in 3 years that I am back down to my pre surgery weight. I've lost over 10 lb during the challenge. I used to run a LOT. then had surgery on my ankle. and couldn't run for almost an entire year. I was depressed, gained 15 lb, and could barely fit into my clothes. When i was able to run again, I did it with gusto but continued to eat immensely. three years later, I still had only shaved off 5 lb of the surgery weight. Even when training for the marathons, I never reached my pre surg weight despite running 30+ miles a week. I felt great, but I thought I had settled into my new "normal weight" and lived with it. After the challenge, I practice yoga more frequently, don't run nearly as much due to some tendinitis but i'm more careful about what i put in my body.
2. I felt good. My sleeping seems to have improved. I still have some trouble staying asleep the whole night, but there have been improvements in the quality of the sleep I got. I woke up less tired and was actually able to get out of bed and start my day with less agony.
3. I was not as tired. The 2 oclock afternoon slump reminds me of those 5 hr energy commercials. And I used to hit it hard. The lab would frequent the local coffee shop and we'd all go for our mid afternoon pick me up coffee break. During the challenge, I didn't have to do this. 2 oclock coasted by with no problem, 3 oclock coasted by with no problem, and I found myself also cutting back on coffee. My morning coffee is a habit. It's a part of my routine. Whether or not i actually finish my coffee depends on how deliciously it is made. On a normal day, I would have my coffee in the morning. Maybe one with lunch, and of course the obligatory afternoon coffee break. I gave myself a limit, however-- no coffee after 5 pm. I have enough trouble sleeping as it is. That rule helped me sleep. But with the challenge, I would make my morning coffee. It would become unpleasantly cold before I could finish it. I might have some coffee with lunch. Again, it would become unpleasantly cold before i could finish it. and if i ventured for an afternoon coffee, I would hardly touch it. I found that drinking the afternoon coffee made my uncomfortably jittery so I would just use this opportunity as an excuse to socialize. I still enjoy my coffee, but it's become more of a ritualistic gesture of a former life than a necessity.
4. I was not hungry. Even though I didn't snack, I never felt the desire to snack. I used to reach into my snack drawer and grab something to munch oh, but I found that i didn't need to. Our conference room was always loaded with cookies and chips and brownies but I had no desire to eat it. It was easy for me to just say no. there was no craving to eat things. But when i ate, I thoroughly enjoyed every bite of what i ate.
5. I felt happier and more stable. Maybe it was because i wasn't hitting the hangry lows and maybe because I actively made yoga an integral part of my life, who knows. But something was working.
6. I saved a lot of money by not going out and not drinking. need i say more?
So what am i going to do now?
My first weekend liberated of the challenge has been almost shameful in acts of gluttony! I celebrated with wine, cheese and a chocolate. decadent. I probably overdid it with the mega deluxe chipwich ice cream cookie sandwich. and felt sick to my stomach for the entire night. yeah. lets not do that again.
I think some lasting changes will be cutting down significantly on refined sugar and processed foods. I won't make an effort to make it 100% cut out sugar because that just seems sinful, but I will probably not go out of my way to purchase those kinds of processed foods.
I am eating A LOT more vegetables and fruits. i think that is a good thing to continue.
I am not eating breads and gluten containing foods as often. I never really ate bread to begin with, so it wasn't really much of a big change for me. Even with pastas, I'd only eat them on occasion. So that probably won't change much.
I will cut down on the meats. It's too hard eating that much meat. I haven't found an appropriate protein source to replace all the meats. I can't decide if i'll go back to all pescatarian or if i'll occasionally indulge in the warm blooded.
I haven't been smart about reintroducing things into my diet, but i have sneaking suspicions that peanuts and yogurt do not agree with my body. i'll have to continue exploring this. I've also noticed that my mood has been dropping since the end of the challenge but I'm not sure if this is because of the change of foods i've been putting in my body or due to external things or both. So I should stay mindful about these things.
All in all, the challenge was a great experience. It was fun and I learned a lot. Would i do it again? maybe. if i had a chunk of time to dedicate to really doing it right. :-)
til next time.
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