So now that I’ve broken up with my bad boyfriend I’ve definitely
noticed some changes in my life. Some are good....some are bad. Just like with
all break-ups.
Let’s start with the bad.....
Major Protein Powder woes: I love
my whey protein. I used it for
post-workout shakes and in my frozen protein snacks. I found it very versatile
and loved the texture and taste. I’ve since tried two different brands of vegan
protein and while they work fabulously in smoothies, the texture is so
different from whey that my other recipes just aren’t the same. Because they
are much ’thicker’ I find that in oatmeal they turn it into a globby mess. Proposed
remedy for my woes? KEEP TRYING! So far I’ve tried a Harmonized Unflavoured
Vegan Protein, and Thorne Vanilla Protein. I think they’ll be great in baking
because the texture is different, I think the negatives it brings to my oatmeal
and frozen protein treats will actually be positive in baking because whey has
a tendency to make baking quite dry and cardboard-esque unless cooked perfectly.
I’m going to be experimenting with them a lot in the next couple of weeks! Stay
tuned!
Restaurant frustration: I’ve done
extremely well at more ‘upscale’ places (for example, the Keg is a great place
for people with food sensitivities) where I can order a great protein and
veggies. Where I fall apart is trying to go to more casual places, like when I
was out for lunch en route to the Jays game. I got a greek salad, but since the
feta wasn’t from goat and the dressing had dairy it was just old romaine,
chicken breast and tomatoes. Spending
$15 on crappy romaine and a chicken breast doesn’t strike me as a good deal.
Also, when travelling, it’s very hard to find en route snacks. Proposed remedy?
Research and pre-plan. Try to find
restaurants that will accommodate my issues, have items that I can easily
modify or in the worst case scenario, keep snacks on hand so I’m not hungry. Let
me know if you have any great Toronto based restaurants that cater to food
sensitivities and I’d love to check them out and blog about them. And for road
trips? My car is permanently stocked with almonds or pistachios and I will
always pre-pack protein to bring with me.
Convenience lows.....there was
nothing I enjoyed more than coming home after a long day at work to an egg/egg
white omelette with good parmesan and veggies. Alas, that’s not do-able
anymore. I’ve found that I have to prep a lot more protein ahead of time
because that’s currently the hardest thing to find in a pinch. I already did a
lot of protein prep but this just means throwing a couple of extra chicken breasts
on the grill. Also, I’ve found frozen shrimp really comes in handy because it
can be thawed and cooked so quickly.
And now for the good. In fact, the good so far, far
outweighs the bad. The most immediate
difference I felt was in my appetite. Maybe you’ve noticed by the amount of
time I spend talking about food, but I think about food a lot. Within 3 days of
removing eggs and dairy my appetite decreased significantly. I’ve read in
multiple articles that this is a pretty common outcome of removing foods from
your diet that you are sensitive to. Previously, even after eating a satisfying
meal, I’d feel like a bottomless pit and craving to eat more. For the first time in years, I actually feel
satisfied without ‘overfilling’. It’s a pretty amazing feeling. Like when I
removed gluten from my diet, I didn’t know that this was even a problem I had.
Sometimes you don’t know that you have an issue with something until the
situation changes – this is one of those incidences. It’s so nice to actually
feel satisfied after a meal, not just wanting more.
As for other physical changes, it hasn’t been me who has
noticed them, it’s been others. My mom was the first person to comment. For as
long as I can remember I’ve had to load up on under eye cover-up because my
eyes were perpetually puffy and I had bad under eye circles regardless of how
much sleep I had. Now, I’ll tell you, these days with starting up my new
business, getting a whole new web-presence started (6 weeks to go!!) and
maxxing out with training clients, I’m more tired than ever. But last week my
mom saw me and commented that I actually look awake! She said my eyes look so
relaxed and not at all puffy. I’ve also had multiple clients and coworkers ask
me over the past week what I’ve been doing exercise/diet wise because my shape
is changing and I’m leaning out. My workouts are the same...and other than the
eggs and dairy my diet is the same. But I notice it too. Bloating has
noticeably reduced and clothes are fitting me better than they have in years –
inches are literally dropping and it’s entirely unintentional. This is pretty
unheard of for me because usually I struggle a lot with this because of my
underactive thyroid. Could it be due to the diet change? Maybe. But whatever it
is, I’ll take it. It’s nice not having to be ‘crazy’ to maintain my physique. I
feel so much more relaxed. Not to mention, the lack of bloating and joint pain
has made my workouts that past couple of weeks phenomenal. Very welcome change
indeed!
Creativity and Compassion – this is maybe the best (but most
challenging) change I’ve seen. I’ve always loved to cook and I definitely had
my staples. For the first time in a long time I’ve had to go out of my box and
think up entirely new ways to cook to make my seemingly limited dietary options
seem infinite because anyone who knows me,
knows how I bore easily (with life in general and food!). I’ve done lots
of great reading done on substitutions for these foods and I’m coming up with
new and exciting recipes. I find they’re forcing me to incorporate a much
larger variety of foods into my diet (a very good and healthy thing to do!) and
they are even helping me create more interesting meals for a vegetarian client
that I assist with food prep. I think that sometimes forced creativity can
bring out the best in us – you just have to be up to the challenge!!
2 weeks down. They say 28 days to break a habit (or build a
new one). If that’s the case I’ve got 2 more weeks to go before it feels more
‘normal’. Here goes nothing! See you in two weeks when the next installment of
breaking up with a bad boyfriend continues J
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