Day Six Update - 21-Day Paleo Cleanse

End of a long, long week.  I've been sick for three weeks, and I'm tired of it.  No rest.

No change in my asthma.  Last year I had a nice reprieve from it, but this year it is ferocious.  Don't really expect anything yet, but it would have been nice.

I don't get the evening munchies that cannot be tamed.  Those "I'll just have a few chips.  They will hit the spot."  "No, that wasn't it...maybe a cookie."  "Hmmm, maybe just a few more chips."

Yesterday I really  felt some of my tummy bloat was tamed - and I have lost three pounds.  That's a big plus, since I haven't felt hungry at all.  In fact, I believe the volume of food I am eating is less, yet I am more satisfied.

I think I have been sleeping better.  I usually wake up several times a night, but have slept the last two nights through.  In fact, yesterday morning I slept right through my alarm.  Haven't done that in YEARS.    

My favorite meal of the last few days is simply called the "Breakfast Smoothie."  That doesn't come close to the deliciousness in a glass that it is.  Simply frozen mixed berries, banana, coconut milk and shredded coconut blended together.  Nothing to sweeten it at all.  I'm making extra tomorrow for Emma.  Will be interesting to see what she thinks of it.

She and her friend raved about the chicken tonight - Grilled Bacon-Wrapped Rosemary Chicken.  But she didn't like the "leaves," and pulled them out of the chicken.
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Withdrawal should be three words

Because then everyone would know what it feels like.  With-DRAW-al.

Ok, so maybe I don't know what the big-gun withdrawals are like - but caffeine withdrawal is no fun. I've quite coffee before, and I don't remember it being this bad. Maybe it's a combination of caffeine withdrawals and carb flu. Headaches, light-headedness, lack of focus. This afternoon is going better, though.

I didn't weigh myself the first morning (Sunday) because I was so busy researching and writing on my theory  of why man....oh, who am I kidding?  I just forgot. I did weigh when I got to the gym that afternoon, so I'm using that as my starting weight.  And, no, I'm not posting it here (are you CRAZY?)...though I will update with any changes.  None so far.  I need to remember that I am in this for the long haul and not the quick fix.  Every time I've gone "on a diet" I immediately regain that weight I had so quickly lost.

I know I haven't been drinking as much water as I should.  I misplaced my water bottle.

The food has been GREAT.  I've been using the recipes right out of Neely Quinn's "21-day Paleo Cleanse." I love the fact that she has lined out the shopping list and prep work as well as the recipes.  Our favorites, though, are the breakfasts.  No eggs? No cereals?  No dairy?  No problem, when you have Neely's great recipes.  My daughter and I love the Tex-Mex Breakfast.  It's a yummy combo of ground beef, onions, zucchini, and spices.  And the Ham Stir-fry with ham and sweet potato.  Mmmmm.

What do I miss?  Coffee.  So far that's pretty much it, but it's only been a few days.

I don't have daily arthritis pain, so I cannot say if there is an improvement yet.  Saturday was a very bad day, but I'd spent six hours in the car and nine and a half hours in meetings the day before, so that isn't surprising.  No typo there...my bosses apparently think I am so amazing I don't need sleep.

I was having some digestive problems after being on antibiotics for bronchitis, and those cleared up the very first day eating this way.  That was fantastic.  And Sunday afternoon when my caffeine-withdrawal headache was at its worst, I sat in the sauna for a few minutes after swimming and the headache disappeared without even an aspirin.

These are some of the tasty things I have been eating:

Ham Stir-fry Breakfast

I know I said some, but that's the only picture you get, because the picture of my tuna salad was taking too long to upload and I'm cranky from not having my cuppa joe for three days!

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Hack this

I'm a flirt. Nothing but a flirt...I flirt with this diet and that diet. I was a vegan for seven years, with a few two weeks cycles of that since (that's all I have to do to remember it doesn't work for me). South Beach, 17-Day, Omega...you name it, I've read about it. And probably failed at it. This is where I find myself today: Overweight. Arthritic. Asthmatic. Still cute, funny, and smart, but those things are harder to keep up these days.

I've done the research. Unending research. Everything conflicting. But I keep coming back to two major theories: there are a lot of fat-free vegans who have "cured" themselves of issues like mine. But I know that doesn't work for me. I'm hungry all the time, which equates to cranky. My skin and hair are dry. My stomach hurts. I don't sleep well. And then..there are the Paleos/Primals/Ancestral Eaters. I've tried that, too. But haven't quite found the right style. So now I will try this...the "21-Day Paleo Cleanse." Have to love it...the author knows how to use a hyphen, right? And 21 days is doable. I did the 21-Day Sugar Detox a while back. Felt pretty good, too...but it wasn't quite right. Neely Quinn, the author of the e-book, calls this "A step-by-step guide for people with auto-immune diseases, food allergies, and gut health problems to reduce inflammation, reverse symptoms and lose weight." How can you argue with that? So, here are the rules:

No:
Grains
Beans
Refined sugar
Dairy
Vegetable oils
Artificial additives and preservatives
Caffeine (what? Wait a minute, here...did I really sign up for this???)
Sweeteners (artificial and natural)
Nuts and seeds
Nightshades (tomatoes, eggplants, etc.)
Eggs
Alcohol
Dairy

And this leaves me with..what? Styrofoam?

Meat
Seafood
Fish
Veggies
Fruits
Good fats

Thank heaven I went to Johnny Garlic's yesterday. That pretzel bun and those garlic fries will carry me for
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This is not a food blog

No. Seriously. I love to cook. My mother taught me how to scramble an egg when I was four, and how to make a mix cake at six. She was a basic meat and potatoes cook, so she never taught me anything too fancy.

When she died, I had just turned ten. My stepfather was not a cook. I found her copy of "Joy of Cooking" and a couple of other cookbooks and started working my way through. I mastered hollandaise, steak and kidney pie, liver pate, and beef Wellington. No one told me I couldn't.

Fast forward three years to a foster home. There were never less than 20 mouths to feed. We ate fried chicken, Hamburger Helper, swiss steak...simple meals, easy to multiply. I took four years of home ec, and loved cooking in the little kitchens. I also loved the attention I got from the home ec teacher, Mrs. Zumwalt. She always encouraged me...and we got to make doughnuts during first period.

What did I never learn? How to cook without a recipe.

I have cooked my way through decades of dinner parties and family meals, and until the last couple of years, I never even tried to make anything without explicit directions. And pictures, if possible.

Something happened after my divorce. I had two young kids to feed, one of whom is incredibly picky (blame it on a sensory processing disorder) and my repertoire took a turn for the limited.

Then it happened. One day, I made a meatloaf by memory. Not specific memory, just a general one. And it turned out great. The next time, I decided it might be good with the addition of some grated zucchini. And it was. And a new, adventurous Annie was born.

Alas, nothing I made was ever spectacular. If I wanted to impress, I still turned to my recipes. Until last weekend.

I had a pork roast, and I couldn't find a recipe that fit exactly what I was craving. So I jumped in and winged it...totally winged it. My daughter gave it the highest praise ever. It was spectacular, if I say so myself. I think it was the cumin/cocoa combo.

Tonight, we needed something for dessert, but I am working very hard to stay away from sugar.

I stuck a can of coconut milk in the freezer when we got home tonight, and after dinner, I opened it and scooped out the thick part from the top of the can. I threw that into the food processor with three previously frozen bananas (I always keep them in the freezer for smoothies). A splash of orange juice to get things moving in the food processor, and within a few minutes, we were feasting on a tropical treat. So yum.

I have always said I am not creative, and I don't think that is changing anytime soon, but I think I will have some fun in the kitchen.

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A change of color

This is my daughter. She simply knocks me out. Her beauty radiates, from the blue of her eyes to the kindness of her heart. She is a bundle of explosive energy, a dynamic dancer, a good friend.

I never thought I was a good photographer. I'm not. But she is a terrific subject. Did I mention she is kind to animals?

She adores her older brother. He tolerates her, most of the time.

She has been wanting to dye her hair. I have always said my kids can do whatever they want with their hair, as long as they could turn it presentable enough for a funeral (don't ask why that's my aim). No mohawks, because there is no way you can make that look good, IMHO...but color? Go for it. Cut? Whatever.

Never been a problem until now. My baby wanted to go red. She wanted to jump in and go full blast cherry red. Her hair is so beautiful - grownups pay hundreds of dollars to get half the blonde streaks she has naturally. I told her fine, but nothing permanent. I am such an ogre.

We found a 28-day auburn. I am sure it will last longer than that, and I am confident it won't be pretty while it's fading.

But she loves it. And she is beautiful.

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Election Day

I did. Seriously, it was easy - I walked directly across the street from my house. I was disappointed that hardly anyone was there. I had my choice of kiosks, and only one person walked in before I finished.

As we left, my daughter asked, "Mom, why aren't there more people here?" I didn't have a good answer for her.

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My mother, Yvonne

Today would be my mother's birthday. She died when I was 10, just like her mother died when her youngest child was 10. A family legacy I do not plan on keeping.

Yvonne Marie Wilson Bakaleinikoff Oakley

June 3, 1919 - December 5, 1969

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