Monday, June 22, 2009

Day 22: Cocoa Pebbles

Hey all,

I tried to get up early to my workout to day, but I failed miserably--too tired. I also, unfortunately, have to report my first slip on the diet. I ate a couple of korokes—potatoes and corn surrounded in deep fried batter. My family had prepared dinner and included these on my plate. Everything else fit the PCP except these. However, if I removed the karokes from my plate it would have caused some disharmony at the table since my family had put so much work into dinner. This combined with my cravings as of late made me keep my mouth shut and eat them anyway. I spoke to my family later, thanked them for the korokes, but reminded them gently I cannot eat anything cooked in oil. So, there you are. Do I feel bad? Yeah. Ultimately, it’s my fault. It won’t happen again. On the upside, I didn’t eat a desert treat that showed up yesterday and refused some McDonalds French-fries and deep fried tempura that were offered to me today.

So, now, let’s talk about health.

How do I feel at the end of the third week of the PCP?

I have more energy in the evening, my outlook on life is much better, and I have more patience than before, but my bowel movements have been an on and off problem. I feel like I’m passing large clusters of pebbles. However, I think I know why. Before, when I ate salty food with reckless abandon, I drank a lot of water. But now, with the salt almost completely gone from my diet, I don’t crave water like I used to do (The korokes I ate turned me on to this logic). With the exception being after my workouts, I actually have to remind myself to drink water during my day, because I just don’t feel thirsty. Low water intake means hard dry cocoa pebbles in my bowels. Sorry, to be gross, but I think that’s what’s happening.

I’m also a bit depressed, but I think this is mostly from lack of sleep. I pushed myself a little bit last weekend to finish the first draft of the post-task work I got from that English teacher training seminar I attended on Day 14. Add this to the fact I can’t reach for the comfort foods I crave from time to time, and I’ve been too tired to write save this blog, and, well, there you go. But, you know what, I’m glad I’m suffering. Food has been such a centerpiece in my life, and I don’t want it to be anymore. In order to accomplish this, I need to suffer through and make food less of an event in my life. I want food to be a side-dish in my life, not the main course. Ultimately, I hope I’ll be able to find the joy and comfort I presently take from food in other things like my family, my new found fitness, and my writing. This would be a real triumph. I want an extra-large pepperoni pizza dripping with cheese on a table to be as exciting to me as a coaster on that same table. Maybe this is a bit over the top, but it is how I feel right now. Although now, I'm not so sure I'm going to make my self-imposed Christmas deadline for the first draft of my novel--sigh.

Tomorrow, my anti-hero: Rufus!

Love to all,

Sean

4 comments:

  1. If I were you, I totally wouldn't worry about that slip on the diet. What I mean is, if you're doing the entire thing perfectly (or near perfect at least) then I don't think a few karokes would hurt (thought I don't know what those are...). For me, I seem to mess up the diet on some level at like, every major meal - like I'm trying to walk on a balance beam covered in olive oil. So, like I said, don't get too hard on yourself.

    Also, I hear you on the depressed part, though my sleep is fine - perfect actually. I feel great in the mornings and have no trouble passing out at night (also my dreams are so kick-ass). For me, the gloom comes from the pressure of keeping the diet. I think you'll do fine, though, because it seems like you have a strong outlook. Unfortunately, the only advice I can give is, "remember the imperminence of the present."

    Good luck man

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  2. Slip ups on diets are going to be part of it. I imagine how it will taste, then how I will feel after to try and ward off the temptation. I slipped up this weekend as well, a choc chip brownie from a friend at camping. Also had a few pretzels that def has some fake cheesy chemicals in them. I felt shitty for doing it, but after forgave myself and moved on.

    I have felt depressed on and off as well. I am trying to figure out if I always go through this severely, since I tend to forget once I am happy again, or if it is during training. Standard human experience or situational? Undecided.

    I am experiencing highs and lows of feeling strong and like shit. The past two days have been the latter and Friday I felt great. Sleep has a lot to do with it. I have not been getting any. I get stuck in these ruts of 6 hours a night and then don't bounce back. My serotonin and leptin are thrown off. If one does not sleep enough, your brain does not make enough leptin and you have unusual cravings that you may not normally have, or eat an out of proportion amount. Your energy level will also be low. Sleep is so key, yet I go through periods such as this one, where I lack is majorly.

    Lets stick this out together. It's hard to connect thoughts logically and function during the pockets of depression. I am sure it is even more of a challenge when you have a child to coexist with and love. Remember, he is going to benefit from Peak as much as you will, because you are going to be even more of a kick ass dad!

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  3. Chapter two of my comment spiel:

    Those pebbles could be one of two things.

    First, you may simply need to chew your food more. If you turn it into a soft, almost liquid state in your mouth with the saliva enzymes, your stomach with be required to work less, saving energy for other things.

    Second, and most likely, it is your body detoxing. Once you start providing it with regular exercise and good food, it begins to get rid of everything that was stored in your colon, or elsewhere, that it doesn't need. Before eating beautifully, your body was required to spend all it's time identifying the food that was in the body and trying to figure out how to digest it. Chunks of waste build up in your intestines and it stored there for a long time. Some people say this is one way that cancer develops in the digestive track. Now that you are feeding it fruits, veggies, and whole grains, it is cleaning out all the shit, pun intended, you had in it all these years. The more pebbles, the better the cleanse. Yaya.

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  4. I think Shelby's on the right track with the detox explanation. Keep us updated and don't be shy about. We all do it. Somewhere right now Angelina Jolie is taking a huge dump.

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