IT'S ALL OVER

and I miss the diet! Despite feeling hungry the entire time, and excessively salivating at inopportune times, I absolutely felt healthier during those three weeks than I have in a loooong time (and certainly more so thatn I've felt the past few weeks since it ended and I've been reintroducing all the so-called bad stuff).

But it's strange how psychologically I seem to need the diet in order to control my intake. For instance, I didn't need that donut yesterday morning for breakfast. I could still be eating almond milk smoothies and mochi waffles - delicious! But buying a donut is so much easier.... snap out of it, Karen! Repeat after your more healthy, reasonable alter ego, BumbleV: "Do not enter the donut hole! You will not feel good afterwards!"

There. I think I'm cured of donuts for the time being.

Project WHEAT

Wow... I had no idea that wheat packed such a punch.

I have tried some wheat cereal, bread products and really basic things like - english muffins.

And in return, I have had some great cramps, some really impressive bloating (and associated escaping air!), and generally feel more tired.

I am considering stopping all wheat, and proceeding to soy.... the joy of soy!

Day TWENTY ONE!!!

Mmmmm.... latte. Well, decaf latte, decorated by the talented coffee artiste at Chapter House, Shannon.

OK, ok, we cheated. The reintroduction occurred a day early. It was a difficult choice, but Michal and I went with the diverse and delicious dairy food group. Owen , of course, went with booze. Vodka, to be specific.

I LOVE the reintroduction of dairy!

Yesterday evening cheese passed my palette for the first time in 20 days. It was delicious, even when eaten with lukewarm brown rice noodles. Salty, with delicious crystals of whatever those crystals are within certain cheeses.

So far, there have been no ill side-effects, thankfully. Mental clarity? Check. No Aches and pains? Check. Gastrointestinal distress? None to speak of!

I am definitely sneezing and stuffy this morning, but hopefully I can blame that more on dreaded spring pollen than on delicious milk products.

Day EIGHTEEN

Three days left!!?! Thank god! I have hit a wall today. I am cranky and STARVING, despite having eaten a lovely bowl of yellow riceandbeans for lunch two short hours ago. There's just something about this diet that causes hunger.
And, yes, I know that the point of the elimination diet has absolutely nothing to do with weight loss, but I would assume, having starved steadily for over two weeks, that it might be a pleasant side effect. But nooooo....I was weighed at the doctor's office this morning, and there has been no slimming down. What's up with that? How irritating!

Day FIFTEEN

I have no photos to post because everything that I cooked and ate this weekend was unattractive and brown. However, my dreams are in technicolor! And they are long and detailed. In fact, last night I dreamed that... only kidding. Noone likes to hear other people's dreams. Unless they are in them.

But seriously, I have never felt so clear-headed in my life! I sleep well, wake up fresh, and am fueled with a steady stream of energy. Does this mean I have to make a choice between clarity and chocolate cupcakes? Cognizance and alcohol? Sharpness and soft pretzels?

DAY THIRTEEN: (cue the freaky music)

After blissfully discovering that MOCHI can really be made in waffle formation, I moved on with fresh vigor to make the "baking powder biscuits" from the recipe book:



Although they appear to look, just like biscuits...

They tasted a little more like:



But, when smothered with agave nectar.... they are delicious!

Day TWELVE

We're more than half way there (the Bon Jovi song just played through my sugar deprived head - I think I'm starting to hallucinate)! The cravings have subsided, to be replaced by irritation and fear: what if, when we start to reintroduce, it turns out we DO have a bad reaction to something? What if we can't handle wheat? Or sugar? Or chocolate? Nooooooooo! Personally, I wouldn't care so much about dairy. Dairy shmairy. But life would be so dark without bread and sweets...

Day Eleven: Man Down

I am very sorry to report:



Someone who lives in our house, whose name is not Talula, ate a bacon double cheeseburger at the Philadelphia airport last night.

(ahem!)

And that's all I'm gonna say.

For the rest of us -- WE SHALL FORGE ON!

Last night I made some Tator Tots under the impression they were safe. I filled the kitchen with that lovely Tot scent (brought me right back to elementary school) and I was salivating at the thought of gettin' into 'em. Then I read the ingredients more closely and Karen verified that dextrose is a no-no.
Tortured myself.
Threw out the tots.
Ate asparagus with pesto instead.
Almond butter, apple butter rice cakes for dessert.

I have not yet found a safe potato chip. They all seem to have an illegal oil in them- even the baked ones.

Day NINE

After about 48 hours of just not feeling very satisfied and sort of hungry all the time.... last night we hit the satisfaction jackpot:



Spiced lentil casserole with cabbage salad (thank u K & O!)

Who could have imagined that unsweetened coconut was HEARTY?

But, thank goodness, because even a little talula pot roast was starting to sound awfully good.

Still managing to feel fairly OK without caffeine in the mornings, but very much missing the ritual. I have found that just having something warm, that smells good, and heats my paws -- is really what I love about morning coffee. (And of course, the smell.) It continues to be painful to walk by Starbucks and let the aroma fill up the nostrils........ sigh.

Day EIGHT!

One week down, two to go.

Over the weekend we ate like kings: salmon, coconut soup, tilapia, Jen's amazing gingerbread muffins (pumpkin spice muffins?), Michal and Paul's Hungarian peasant food... With that bounty, you'd think the dreaded cravings wouldn't raise their ugly heads (or mouths), yet there they are, salivating. Mine are currently focused on two things: Prosecco, and Brown Betty cupcakes. Apparently I am an alcoholic with a sweettooth! Help! Is anyone else having cravings?

Owen has satisfied his sweet tooth with a mixed spoonful or two (or 10) of apple and almond butter. This didn't work for me because while it resembled a sinful spoonful of nutella and peanut butter, a hard-to-beat combination, the taste didn't live up to the visual. It was a lot of anticipation for little result.

Day 5 (3/5/10)

I have no pictures to share (what happens in the bathroom stays in the bathroom.) One thing I would like to share is the mental clarity I've had in the past few days. (Read my words...aren't I brilliant now?!) I'm especially looking forward to a weekend of cooking new recipes. A girl (or boy) can only have so much quinoa in a day. I've found oranges very hard to resist. Such an easy fruit to eat and so necessary after a day of turmeric laden food. I found crackers, if I can call them that, that are wheat-free and gluten-free. "Rich satisfying flavor," the box exalts. Indeed they are so rich I almost lost a tooth eating them. But, here's to the upside. The weekend is here and I can't wait to have a pomegranate martini...hold the vodka.

Day FOUR

So as day four rages on in a series of nut nibblings and ricecake crunchings, I find that the hardest thing is not in fact not being able to eat/drink certain things, but actually avoiding eating certain things! Corn, for example, is in everything! As is wheat! And soy! And evaporated cane sugar! It's in the dried fruit, it's in the oatmeal, it's in the almond milk, it's in the daily multi-vitamin...

Day TWO

Today started off strong, with a lovely bowl of nutri-ola, blackberries and unsweetened rice milk. Then, I spent some time in the bathroom. (Is that inappropriate to write? If so, I will remove it).

The nutri-ola took 1.5 hours to make, and resulted in approximately 1.5 cups of edibles. Next time, I will make more in order to share. It's good, though - the consistency is similar to Halva (yum!), without, I'm assuming, alot of the sugar and fat. I made mine with applesauce, millet flour and walnuts, and am excited to try it next with hazelnuts (a potential substitute for that nutella food group we're giving up for the next few weeks).

Lunch will be leftover pea soup, some of Michal and Paul's quinoa salad, and perhaps some ricecakes, and dinner is planned to be fish, asparagus and brown rice, although I have a bad feeling Owen and I forgot to defrost the darn fish.

Feeling strangely energy-less, although I'm sure this is less due to food intake and more because I am normally fueled by coffee and the occasional Dr. Pepper.

Day ONE

After some serious shopping yesterday involving label reading, aisle cruising, and a visit to the bulk flour section at Whole Foods -- the cupboards have now been reconfigured to accommodate:

THE ELIMINATION DIET!

Our first entree is the lovely - oats with blueberries, almond butter, nuts and dried fruit with almond milk. Oh yes, and green tea.