the id, the ego, & the single misfiring brain cell

We're on a diet. I'm against any limits to unrestricted consumption and I thus avoid diets, but...well. Mich wanted to do the Whole30 diet again--without cheating this time--and was curious about how it would effect me. I agreed to do it with her. 

The point of the diet--actually, it would be more accurate to call it a "fast"--is to help you re-evaluate your relationship with food. It also removes the foods people tend to be allergic to in some sense: all grains (rice, corn, wheat, etc), legumes (beans, peas, soybeans and products...), and dairy. You get nothing chemical or refined; no sugar. No alcohol. In theory, you aren't supposed to eat fruit, either (since it's a sweet, and part of the point is to go without anything sugary at all for 30 days), but this is a part we fudge. 

What does that leave to eat? Meat and vegetables and tree nuts. That's it. All you want of these things--no limits. You can also have coffee and tea if you like, but since I'd been a few weeks without any caffeine to speak of (because it aggravates my anxiety), I saw no point in starting back.

We're on day 11 now. It isn't a big deal, really. It would probably be more of one if I cut out the fruit, but with that tiny concession (and I think it's a healthy one), it isn't difficult for me to eat this way.

When Mich did this last year, she cheated with lots of Lara bars (which are compliant, but you aren't supposed to live on them) and the occasional glass of wine, and still had a couple of pretty awesome effects: a nickle-sized spot of psoriasis on her left foot went away and didn't come back (it had been there almost two years and no amount of creams and treatments seemed to help); and she lost eight pounds. 

Mich and I were just discussing the changes we've noticed so far this time.

A strange effect I've noticed is that I'm not thirsty all the time. This has been a part of my physiology as long as I can remember: I'm always thirsty. But suddenly...nope. I drink like a normal person now. 

Also, I don't want to eat as much. Part of this is the sheer boredom of the diet, I suspect, but another part is that the fat in the meat fills me up. 

I cook more, as well--which is a great habit to get into, when I have the time--and I've been using a lot of fresh ingredients since I am cooking daily now, so the dishes are pretty tasty. 

Also, we've both noticed that there's less, ahem, flatulence in the house. Unless you count the dog. 

I'm not having trouble sticking to the diet except...well, yesterday, some asshole left a big pecan and caramel Cinnabon roll in the breakroom. I confess that I allowed myself to pause and gaze longingly at it. 

I saw my therapist today and he asked how the diet was going. I told him it's going well and I feel good, but I could have done without the Cinnabon temptation. He asked if I've had anything to drink. Nope...and I don't want anything to drink. 

I just want a Cinnabon roll. A big, fresh, sticky, pecan-slathered Cinnabon, sweet enough to choke a honeybee. 

d