Day 1, April 1

[JamesCher]

Hello, I'm James.   I'm starting the program today, April 2.   I'm especially interested to see if the program will help me with some GI discomfort I've experienced in recent years, as well as skin problems.  I'm intrigued and excited about giving it a try.   Good luck to you all.

[ladyshanny]

Hi James, welcome!  How are you doing so far?

[JamesCher]

hi, thanks for saying hello.    It's going quite well.   I seemed to go through some of the expected phases (like carb flu or crankiness) a bit ahead of schedule.   The biggest struggle for me has been that the plan is more food than I am used to eating.   I'm a full-time single dad and I am used to cooking meals for my son and shortchanging myself a lot of the time.   I often had only coffee for breakfast.  So I am feeling like the appetite is not there for a lot of this and am essentially forcing myself to eat.  The thought of preparing another meal and doing dishes again in a few hours can seem daunting.  But, I feel better -- I suspect I've had some gut symptoms related to the dairy or carbs that are lessening.  I'm struggling with whether I can really handle attending a family birthday party where I know there will be loads and loads of non-compliant foods and whether it might be better to skip it (which I can definitely get away with, since it is about 2.5 hrs away)

[ladyshanny]

hi, thanks for saying hello.    It's going quite well.   I seemed to go through some of the expected phases (like carb flu or crankiness) a bit ahead of schedule.   The biggest struggle for me has been that the plan is more food than I am used to eating.   I'm a full-time single dad and I am used to cooking meals for my son and shortchanging myself a lot of the time.   I often had only coffee for breakfast.  So I am feeling like the appetite is not there for a lot of this and am essentially forcing myself to eat.  The thought of preparing another meal and doing dishes again in a few hours can seem daunting.  But, I feel better -- I suspect I've had some gut symptoms related to the dairy or carbs that are lessening.  I'm struggling with whether I can really handle attending a family birthday party where I know there will be loads and loads of non-compliant foods and whether it might be better to skip it (which I can definitely get away with, since it is about 2.5 hrs away)

The lack of appetite thing is a pretty common initial response.  Lack of appetite, especially first thing in the morning, is a high sign that your hormones are way out of whack.  You're right in "forcing" yourself to eat. Human need nutrition and there is no virtue in going hungry.    And just think, you're teaching your son how to nourish himself and that self care matters!

 

In a few days of eating template meals 3 times a day your body will start to get on board and it won't feel like force feeding anymore.

 

If you do decide to go to the birthday party, pack food.  More than you think you need.  Don't show up there hungry or cranky or feeling resentful.  Eat a big meal before you get there so that your body is satisfied and your brain is content.  And then remind yourself that it's only 30 days, cake, chips, booze, whatever, will still be there for you to have at the end and you made this promise to yourself!  

[JamesCher]

I'm halfway through.    I've been 100% compliant in terms of what I ate, but I have to admit that I have not eaten as much as the plan wants me to.   I've continued to have almost no appetite.   There hasn't been a single moment recently when I have wanted to eat.  I guess that has been helpful in making it easy to avoid non-compliant foods, since I have had no desire to eat those either.   But it has been a struggle to put three meals a day into myself, and there have been 2-3 days where I ate two meals and an rx bar.  This week I have been ill (including fever, so I think a virus rather than anything related to this) and yesterday I ate almost nothing.  I've had some positives.   I think my mood is elevated, I've definitely lost some weight (just judging by feel) and my skin is better.  But I have had no "tiger blood" effect, that's for sure.   In general, my energy has been lower (especially this week while I was ill).  I would say my sleeping is more disturbed than usual, as well.    So onward and upward.