Day 56

So, my 40-day experiment ended over 2 weeks ago, and it's been over 40 days since I've blogged.  Let's just say I've been busy.  Like, really busy.  So busy in fact that this is literally the first time I have opened up my laptop since my last post.  I can do a lot of things from my phone, but creative, thoughtful writing is not one of them.

To get us up to speed, I'll give you a synopsis of my 40-day experience.  If you recall, I had committed to 40 days of "clean" eating- that is, no meat, dairy, or gluten.  I also had high hopes of regular mediation and yoga, as well as plenty of photo documentation and blogging.

The first week went pretty well.  I got up early and stretched and meditated.  I ate wonderfully well.  The second week my 2 year old began cutting molars.  So gone were my mornings, as they were used to make up for the lost night's sleep.  Still, I stuck to my clean eating.  I even blogged a little, though not daily as originally planned.

By the end of week 2 I was buried pretty deep in too many projects.  I built a chicken coop that seemed to need nonstop modifications.  I landscaped and hardscaped my backyard.  I entertained weekend guests, celebrated my husband's and baby's birthdays.  I built a fence and installed a privacy screen.  I threw an epic party.  All of it (mostly) by myself while breastfeeding and caring for young children.

Still, I stuck to my guidelines in terms of eating.  That, at least, I could do.  Nearly every night found me falling into bed absolutely beat from the day's work, after a few long and lazy stretches to ease the kinks out of my back and neck.  But that was all I could muster.  And that was okay.

So, I'm back.  And what, you ask, have I learned?

Well, first and foremost, I can say that this particular diet plan has done wonders for me.  Absolute wonders.  My skin became radiant, and my eyes were shining brighter than ever before.  My sweat no longer smelled funky.  My energy was acute and sustained, my mind sharper, my patience longer.  I burned fat easily.  All in all, I felt amazing.

Now, if I'm going to be totally honest here, I didn't make it the full 40 days.  At the 3/4 mark on the 39th day, I had a little wine with our houseguests which made me crazily tipsy.  I served that epic (it was epic) chocolate cake I had frozen for dessert.  And I allowed my self a few bites.

A funny thing happened.  I awoke to find my face broken out again.  Not horrendously, just more than a few tiny little blackheads and a loss of luster.  My skin looked a little dull.  My belly felt heavy.  Just from a few bites (okay half a piece) of chocolate cake.

So I got back on the horse.  Which is why I'm writing now.  To let my dear friends and readers know I'm still here, still going strong.

Oh, I almost forgot to mention that I did a 2-day fruit and vegetable only cleanse sometime during week 6.  I had aimed for 3 days, but was too weak to make it another day.  Breastfeeding a toddler, building stuff, and mothering in general takes a certain amount of strength, and more than 2 days without salmon or eggs was simply too much for me.

Here's what I have found to be the ideal diet plan for my and my particular constitution and lifestyle:  Fruits and vegetables.  Honey.  Salmon and eggs.  Quinoa.  Lots of spice.  And yes, coffee.  I will give up coffee when they pry the French press out of my cold, dead fingers.

This has amounted to being my ideal (and very doable) diet.  I allow myself french fries from the drive thru (only the ones serving real food, no Mickey D's here)…  this allowance helps me stay sane and not fall off the wagon.  Also, I give myself permission on weekends and special occasions to eat whatever I want, so long as it isn't meat (fish is okay).  While I do see the consequences pretty much immediately, I  can easily repair myself come Monday by sticking to the aforementioned foods.  Which, you have to admit, is quite a lot of delicious choices.  My sanity savers were almond butter and allergy-free chocolate, curried cashews, and Alexia chipotle sweet potato fries.  I seriously don't think I could have made it without those.

And, finally, our local farm box delivery, Local Organic Moms helped me to stay on track.  With the yummiest fresh produce delivered to my door every Friday, I couldn't help but to eat healthy.  I hope by this time next year, I will have a vegetable garden of my own.

Today, I am on Staycation.  There's been a lot of hard work on my part here at the Love House.  After an absolutely beautiful party over the weekend, I am taking a few days off.  Eating whatever I want.  Tomorrow (or maybe Wednesday) I'll get back on my diet plan.  I have a wedding this weekend, and I'm planning on going sans makeup, except for a bit of lip gloss and maybe some mascara.  Got to have that glow!

Thanks for reading, dear ones.  Good luck on your own individual journey to glowing good health.


Peace.