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All the way in to May!


GoJo09

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Days 27-28 (Wednesday and today)

My knee is a little swollen from hiking on Sunday still (haven't had knee issues in ages, but it was a tough, hilly, hike, so not terribly surprising). Have been putting anti-inflammatory gel on it rather than pills, and I don't think it's as effective. Hasn't stopped me from Crossfit though.

I've been allowing the fruit and nut "treats" to creep in, so will focus on weeding those out for the next week. (I say weeding them out like I don't know how they are ending up in my house - like I'm not the one going to the shop and buying them! Rather say I will eliminate them for the next week.)

Have been hitting the sweet/potatoes pretty hard this week (maybe 2 serves a day, sometimes 3) - I have been extra weary this week though, so I'm not too concerned about it. I have been doing extra at the gym, as well as hiking and sprints, so probably just need the extra energy. Will have to keep an eye on my self though to make sure I don't gain extra fat (I have no idea what I weigh, and I seem to be putting on a lot of muscle at the moment, so I don't want to say putting on weight).

Running with some new friends after work tomorrow, and then we'll pop to the bar for a drink (sparkling water in my case :P). I'm not sure how to manage a post-WO snack, as I will be running from home, and this isn't the kind of place you can leave anything sitting on the side of the footpath while you run sprints and expect it to be there when you get back... Sometimes South Africa is a lot of hassle! 

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13 hours ago, JenJenRN said:

@GoJo09 Love following your log! Lol,:D at first it just made me tired reading ALL of the exercising you do, but now it makes me want to get up and get out there! 

Haha, sometimes it makes me tired too! That's when I take a day and sit on the couch ;) . But it honestly helps that I don't have kids, and I have a  daily housekeeper so I have no dishes or cleaning to do!

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Day 31 - Reintro 1

Yesterday I ate a pork steak and I actually don't know what it was cooked in. No ill effects, however. 

Today I had halloumi in a salad, and an almond milk latte (unsweetened almond milk, but I think the brand they use has carrageen in it). Felt fine after the halloumi, but by the time I finished the latte I was having stomach cramps and felt very nauseated on the train (motion sick), then super gassy by the time I got home. I think all symptoms related to the almond milk, but I'll have to test the halloumi again separately to be sure (not actually an easy proposition here, as halloumi isn't very common). 

Did eat a lot both last night and tonight (including a fair bit of fruit), but I think I was just hungry rather than side effects of the food. 

No plans to reintro anything else in the next few days, bought all the same compliant foods at the supermarket this weekend. 

 

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Day 33

Haven't reintroduced anything else yet. Have come down with a cold (definitely a cold, my friend was miserable with it this weekend), so taking cold and flu tablets and a throat spray - I guess they're reintros in themselves :P. Did mean I didn't run yesterday evening like I'd planned, added to my not trail running Sunday because of my wonky knee, it's been a chill few days (read: lazy!).

Was very snacky all evening yesterday, although more like to be PMS rather than from the halloumi/almond milk debacle on Sunday. I did have some fruit and nut balls before/with dinner, which I didn't need but enjoyed. 

I haven't poohed properly in a couple of days, so that sucks - on top of being pre-menstrual and a bit bloated from that.

Out for drinks tonight, and dinner and drinks tomorrow. I think I'll just stick with my standard sparkling water and eat before I go - everyone's used to it now anyway, and I feel like drinking while pounding pseudoephedrine is probably a bad idea...

Speaking of pseudoephedrine, I've been awake since 2am this morning after last night's dose - I must remember to get the night and day stuff! I always have this reaction to it though - fall asleep normally but wake up super early and can't get back to sleep. Ended up getting up about 3.50, having a meatball and mayo, and a coffee, and going to Crossfit at 5am. Cold hasn't affected Crossfit, so that's all good. 

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Reintro 2

Continuing my unplanned, dual reintros, last night I ended up having 2 beers, and corn chips with guacamole and sour cream. No immediate reactions, but I did feel bloated and fluffy when I got home, and there was my usual (and to be honest, expected) reaction to beer this morning - nothing like a good clean out first thing in the morning :P.  I also felt pretty seedy this morning, which was my main reason for cutting out alcohol in the first place - I already knew my Crossfit class had been cancelled for this AM, so it's not like I wasn't doing things I wanted to because of the beer/feeling, but it still felt gross.

So, my takeaway for beer - was it worth it? Yes, but on a limited, considered, basis. It clearly doesn't agree with me, so I'll cut right back and think more before ordering. 

I didn't do a reflection for almond milk (I'm positive that was the culprit previously) - was it worth it? I love a latte, and really miss having them every now and again, but no, it really wasn't worth it. 

It will be easier to stick to my guns tonight as I don't really like the food that much where we're going, and I am happy to not have a beer again so soon! 

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Reintro 3

Another bit of a free for all... Lunch was unexpectedly supplied at a workshop,and I chose to eat it. Dolmades, halloumi, babaganoush, meat balls - all nice, but got full very quickly and quite annoying cramps stomach afterwards. 

Then had chips and an almond milk latte for a late lunch later on. Fine after this, so now I think the sick feeling after the almond milk /halloumi day was from the halloumi :(

I also have the beginnings of eczema on my hand. This might be related to the cold weather this week, or something I've eaten. Will eat compliant from Sunday to Friday and see if it clears up, and give my stomach a break! 

I also am really craving sweets and carbs this evening, no doubt due to all the sugar and additives in the food today (even though none of it was sweet!). Had pork and broccoli for dinner, even though I wasn't particularly hungry or interested. 

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Well, the party was a major success, involving so much dancing and singing to 80s music, that I must surely have burned as many calories as a marathon! I ran  8km alone on Saturday morning, because I knew regardless of what happened with the alcohol situation that I would be too tired to do it with my usual group on Sunday. I'm really proud of running on my own, as well - I find it a little hard to get motivated for longer runs, and I was also a little worried about running in the Reserve on my own as there have been some attacks in the past, but I did some research and reassured myself that the security was pretty tight there now, and there were tonnes of people on the trails so it was all good.

I met a friend for lunch, but I'd had a late breakfast after my run and wasn't hungry, so just ordered a berry crusher (was made with honey and berry "juice" - didn't taste super sweetened though).

I bought a bottle of wine to have a drink while getting ready for the party with my friends. Had one glass and didn't enjoy it overly much (my favourite wine too!). Grabbed a G&T when we got to the party, took a couple of sips but didn't really like it, so just put it down on the table and walked away. Then I played beer pong (apparently the ultimate 80s party game?!) and had a couple of very small cups of beer when I had to - it tasted ok, but nothing exciting (it wasn't a great quality beer). Then I just drank water the rest of the evening! I had a few chips with avocado hummous at about 11pm (because I was genuinely hungry!), I ignored the pizza that was delivered at midnight. Got to bed about 1.30am (canning any half thought of plans I'd had for hiking Sunday), and woke up feeling seedy. That is possibly a side effect of the late night/lack of sleep, possibly the alcohol/food combo. It wore off quickly though, so not like a proper hangover!

Went for coffee with a friend Sunday and had an almond milk latte (no side effects), and they brought as 2 chocolate-caramel truffles because it was Mother's Day. I ate both of them (she didn't want hers) - they were delicious and I savoured them. Then I went to the pub with a friend Sunday evening and honestly, I just didn't feel like having a drink. So I ordered sparkling water, as per usual. I did make him order a limited edition beer that I'd seen on Instagram, and I had a sip of it and it was delicious, but I still didn't feel like having one myself. I did order a serve of chips though, after eating some of his, and they were great too. Didn't finish the plate though.

So, overall, a weekend full of little treats and delicious things, but everything was a considered, responsible choice and I didn't have any ill-effects (that I've noticed to date) that I wasn't prepared to deal with.

Oh, one other thing - I was getting some vege at the supermarket, wandering around trying to decide what kind of "treat" I wanted to buy. And I really didn't feel like anything particular, and yet I was going to buy something just because... So I walked away.

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I've been unwell this week, with a variety of stomach cramps, diarrhea and a cold, so have spent much time on the couch, under a blanket, eating all of the carbs. Seriously, so many potatoes and sweet potatoes! So much food in general, actually. I'm sure my body just needed a bit of extra food, but I need to reign that in, especially when I'm not exercising. Pretty sure the stomach issues were period related, rather than food. 

Haven't had anything non-compliant aside from some peri-peri hot sauce on my breakfast eggs yesterday - my absolute fave! - which was nothing to write home about. No side effects though. Toyed with the idea of getting a hot chocolate when I was at the shops yesterday, but when I thought about it, it was only because I could, not because I seriously wanted it and thought it would be worth it. So I passed. 

That half bottle of wine in the fridge from Saturday night is bugging me - not because it's calling my name to drink it (oddly, it's not), but just because it seems like a waste. I think I'll just tip it down the drain and wash my hands of the whole thing. Out of sight, out of mind!

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The slow, unstructured reintro continued over the weekend. 

Friday I had a gluten free brownie, which was actually surprisingly good (gluten free flour, flaxseeds, other paleo ingredients). It did however, go straight through me. So, tasty (but not amazing), and side-effects not terrible or urgent. Was it worth it? Let's put that one in the maybe pile.

Saturday I went for a quick hike with a friend, then had an almond milk latte, which was fine (I think I can just call that ok now).

Then had a boerwoers (sausage) on the way to a rugby game in Jo'burg. It did give me stomach cramps for a bit, but not long lasting. Possibly there was wheat/gluten in it, I didn't check (it's 50/50 if they do or not - I could have found out pretty easily too, which is silly). Was it worth it? Not really.

At the game I had a beer, and schwarma with no pita and chips. No idea what on earth was in the schwarma meat or vegetables, but it was delicious. No side-effects aside from feeling very full, and a little bloated. Was it worth it? Yep!

Then Sunday I did a 10km trail race Sunday morning. Had breakfast before hand (it didn't start until 8), and had some chicken in the car for afterwards, then met up with the guys I was running with, and they'd bought me a craft beer. At 9.30 in the morning. It was delicious! (The farm where the run was has a brewery.) Was it worth it? A little bloated this morning, but no other issues, so yeah.

I have been eating like it's my job all week, as well as not exercising, and I feel like I look thicker through the waist and stomach. But, I've also been taking anti-inflammatories, which always make me retain water, so that will be having an effect too. But I will try to cut back on quantity this week, as it's been a bit excessive (although mostly in response to my body demanding it).

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Dialled the eating back to a more reasonable level yesterday, although did eat a bit more fruit than normal (tasty, tasty grapes!) but all compliant foods. My digestion is still a little iffy, which is annoying when I'm going away for a long weekend camping, but I can't blame it after all the things I've been throwing at it the past week or so. Although, currently I'm a bit constipated and bloated, rather than my usual urgent, loose morning stool. 

Energy a bit up and down the past few days, I haven't been sleeping amazingly well, waking very early and not going back to sleep, then consequently going to bed very early, which leads to waking up early... Yesterday's Crossfit was fantastic (91kg deadlift, thank you very much!), then this morning I struggled to get out of bed and Crossfit was very average (although it could just have been that I didn't like the workout). I have run out of magnesium, and I can feel it in both my sleep and my muscles cramping more, so I will rectify that this afternoon and hope it helps things on all fronts.

Out tonight after dinner, but I think I'll stick to sparkling water or tea - I know this weekend is going to be all over the place for food, so best to keep it simple now!

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Well, I decided to have a ginger beer last night (alcoholic), and it was pretty tasty, although it was very gingery and burned a bit (it is called Fiery Dragon for a reason!). But, woke up at 2am feeling hungover and thinking I might throw up! Honestly felt like I'd had at least 4 drinks, not 1! So, was it worth it? Not even a little bit!

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  • 2 weeks later...

The 5 days away in Swaziland for the music festival were...difficult on my digestive system. I did not go crazy, by any means, having only 1-2 drinks each day (compared to people who were drinking solidily from 7am, I felt like a saint!), and I made the best choices with food (there was not a salad to be found in the place and the vego options were all beans beans beans), but to no avail. Possibly there was a touch of food poisoning in there, and I've now conclusively decided that hummus is not for me - the gas was out of this world disgusting!

Anyway, I came back and went straight to the shops and stocked up on vegetables and all my usual good foods. It took a couple of days but I got back to normal. Went for dinner with a friend on Wednesday, had a fleeting consideration of ordering the halloumi and pulled pork bowl (delicious!), but then remembered how I felt the last 2 times I had halloumi, and ordered a bunless burger and salad instead (there was cheese on the burger, feta cheese in the salad, and a few Pringles chips on top), and 1 beer. I struggled to finish the whole meal, but it was right after a crossfit class, so it might just have been my stomach protesting. Felt fine afterwards and the next morning, except for very loose stools due to the beer. 

I've still been sticking to my plan with not buying foods just because I can - but it's honestly because none of it's appealing at the time. Last night I was thinking "man, I wish I'd bought x at the supermarket" but it honestly wasn't true - I only wanted it because it popped in to my head. 

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  • 2 weeks later...

Been having a lot of mid-morning brain fog and sleepiness, which was confusing me as my day-to-day diet is pretty sharp (I have the odd treat or meal out, but mostly on the weekends, so shouldn't really account for Wednesday tiredness).

Finally made the connection while reading a blog yesterday that I've changed magnesium supplement and while I've always taken mag in the mornings (out of habit), this new one is more indicated for muscle relaxation and therefore could have been the culprit (there are 8 types of magnesium, did you know?!). Took it last night instead, and today I've been fine. Such a silly little thing! 

Hopefully that change also stops me falling asleep at 8pm and waking up at 3 as well...

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  • 2 weeks later...

Yeow! This week has been pretty rough on my poor body (some things out of my control - 3 day conference with buffet food - and some things in my control - a couple of drinks every night at the conference). I've been sleeping poorly for the past few weeks at least, and been extremely tired as a result, and now my digestion is a bit stuffed up too, not to mention a few spots on my forehead. 

Clearly this calls for a mini-reset! I have a dinner next Friday that is guaranteed non-compliant, but if I count from lunch today (I had a scoop of whey protein after my workout this morning) until lunch next Friday, that's still a good week of compliance ;).

Oh, I have not been drinking enough water either, so that's a goal for the week.

Red flags in the next week:

Drinks tonight - actually  my friend just cancelled, but if alternate plans arise, I can just have sparkling water. No one will question "I had a few too many drinks this week, my liver needs a rest"!

Lunch tomorrow - should be at a market or something, so I'll just eat before I go and no one will even notice. 

Post-run beers Sunday - I'll just tell him my stomach is playing up, he's not going to ask questions!

Sunday drinks session - BYO sparkling water, they won't care (I've done it several times before).

Hopefully a week will be enough to sort a few things out...

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