Day 18. Meh Meh.

Depression was worse today. Funny thing about depression - when you're in it? You don't actually want to get out. People, they try to cheer you up and snap you out of it, and you just resent it. You don't want to be cheered up, because in that state all you can think is that "cheery" is absolute bullshit.

You don't want to let it go. You can't let it go.

CONSUMED

Breakfast:

Banana

Cup of Tea

Lunch:

Leftover Pesto Sausage Pasta

Snack:

Oat Bran Pretzels

Dinner:

Red Pepper Hummus

Slice Wheat Bread

Olives

Pellegrino

Dessert:

Licorice with an ennui sauce.

Day 11

Man, people are dropping like flies. The middle of health month (which this is, just about) inevitably raises uncaffeinated missives about the very legitimacy of the concept. I understand. At this point, the novelty has run thin, the body is purged of all of it's stores, and you really, REALLY want a Chocolate Cream Cheese Muffin and a cigar. Fair enough.

And I agree - if this kind of strict change of lifestyle only makes you return to your old ways in spades, it's probably bad for you. But some of us are using this as a big ol CTR-ALT-DEL on our lives, attempting to shake off the habits once and for all, so we can reform and return to a more realistic and sustainable way of living. With bourbon. Of course, with bourbon.

CONSUMED

Breakfast:

Multi Berry Yogurt Smoothie (I love my blender.)

Lunch:

Chickpea Salad

Whole Wheat Pita

Dessert: 

Odwalla Bar

Snack:

Greens+ Protein Bar

Dinner:

Whole Wheat Penne with Italian Wheat Sausage, Basil pureé

Sanfaustino Raspberry Lime Water

Dessert:

Panda Licorice (Molasses, Wheat Flour and Anise)

Day 5.

If I don't keep up on eating, the headaches get unbearable. I had no idea how many calories I was taking in on my normal schedule - it's kind of nuts I'm not the size of a house.

Also, Kombucha is lovely, it really is, but it is NO substitute for beer. First of all, you can only drink one, TOPS, a day (even that threatens to turn your digestive tract into some sort of super-digestor...not good). Second, they're effin' expensive. Third, well, they're not beer, damnit.

CONSUMED

Breakfast:

Granola, Soy Yogurt and Dried Cranberries

Kombucha

Lunch:

Leftovers from Day 4 (Tempeh Ragout, et al)

Snack:

Greens+ Energy bar

Dinner:

Bowl of Leftover Brown rice with Goddess Dressing

Beets (I've eaten so many beets over the past 24 hours that the entirety of my digestive tract is bright pink. AWESOME.)

Day 4

One of the great things about Health Month is the amount of cooking I've been doing...well, it's a plus and a minus. I enjoy it, and haven't been doing it that often as of late. The drawback being it takes a LOT of time and I hate grocery shopping in NYC (imagine NYC drivers armed with shopping carts, with aisles as narrow as italian alleyways). 

That said, I haven't had one meal out since this debacle started, lunch OR dinner. That means the $20 I'm usually spending a day feeding myself is being saved. Mostly for groceries, but I'm sure I'm saving some somewhere.

CONSUMED

Breakfast:

Smoothie (Wild Berries, Banana, ALMONDS, soy yogurt, ice)

Kombucha

Lunch:

Leftovers from Dinner on Day 2 (Chicken Sausage, et al)

Snack:

Unsweetened White Tea (INKO's - really good)

Some crazy chocolate covered energy bar that had Royal Jelly in it. (calm down, the chocolate was sweetened with barley malt)

Dinner:

Wild Mushroom and Tempeh Ragout (so, so good)

Candied Beets and Garlic

Roasted Fennel

Brown Rice

The only big hurdles I see are the weekends - I get bored easily. Maybe I'll find a good veggie place, finally, in Park Slope. Also Football - I have GOT to find some nutritious snacks and something to drink.

The Rules.

OK, so here are the original rules:

Part A. The banned list.

No Alcohol
No Smoking
No Caffeine
No Drugs - doctor-prescribed stuff is ok, as is Advil or whatever for those 'week 2 headaches,' but nothing else.
No "Big Bread" - this basically means no bread/bagels/muffins/etc. But, a pita is ok, and so is a tortilla.
No Red Meat or Pork - giving up bacon really sucks.
No Pasta
No Cheese
No Sugar
No Chips / Crackers
No Cream / Cream Sauces
No Artificial Sweeteners (aspartame, saccharin, etc.)
No Fried Foods
No Butter / Margarine
No Fast Food
No added salt - you can cook with salt, but no dumping table salt on you food after it hits the plate.

Part B. The allowances.
Light salad dressing is allowed on salad - hey, if i'm going to eat a freaking salad...
Small portions of Rice are allowed - for things like sushi, or a wrap can be "light on the rice"
Only enough Oil to cook with is allowed. About 1/2 tbsp per serving (less if possible)

Part C. Amnesty Day.
We are human, and sometimes we mess up. With health month, this is built in. You get one 'Amnesty Day' for the month. This means that for one day, you can have One of the things on the banned list. So, if there's a party you want to go to during HM, you can use your amnesty day then and have a drink. Or if you have a crazy sweet tooth, you can have a piece of cake at the end of week 2, as a halfway point reward.

Now, my Preferred Rules:

Part A. The banned list.

No Alcohol
No Smoking
No Coffee
No Drugs - doctor-prescribed stuff is ok, as is Advil or whatever for those 'week 2 headaches,' but nothing else.
No Red Meat or Pork - giving up bacon really sucks.
No Pasta
No Dairy
No Sugar
No Chips / Crackers
No Artificial Sweeteners (aspartame, saccharin, etc.)
No Fried Foods
No Fast Food
No added salt - you can cook with salt, but no dumping table salt on you food after it hits the plate.
No Eggs (I just threw this in because I hate eggs, and I figure i should go for the easy points where I can)

Part B. The allowances.

Brown Rice
Whole Wheat pasta or breads
Green Tea or Kombucha are OK (low Caffeine)
Maple Syrup

Part C. Amnesty Day.

We are human, and sometimes we mess up. With health month, this is built in. You get one 'Amnesty Day' for the month. This means that for one day, you can have One of the things on the banned list. So, if there's a party you want to go to during HM, you can use your amnesty day then and have a drink. Or if you have a crazy sweet tooth, you can have a piece of cake at the end of week 2, as a halfway point reward.

Part D. Exercise

I'm still working out my schedule, but it will be something like this:

Monday: Strength Training
Tuesday: Pilates
Wednesday: Cardio
Thursday: Yoga
Friday: Strength Training
Saturday: Yoga/Pilates