I had a good diet day. This was an unexpected development after the horrible first day my wife and I experience yesterday, We are attempting to make it through the “40 Days to a Healthier Life” known as the Daniel Plan, and it has been harder than we thought. The first day found us struggling against stank tasting shakes, infant portion sizes and all the evils of less caffeine. By the time we exercised (which amounted to shuffling around our neighborhood for 30 minutes or so) in the evening, we were spent. We went to bed early and and slept late like I did when I ate anything I wanted and owned a beeper. But in the immortal words of Ice Cube, “Today was a good day.”
What really helped make this the good diet day worth noting was the return of some normal-like foods. We had an omelette in the morning, lettuce wraps at lunch and lean beef stew for dinner. None of which made me forget I was on a diet. And yet, if I closed my eyes, I could almost imagine that I wanted to eat what I was having at that moment. It was a magical change from the day before. One the first day of our cleanse, I had to imagine the food as a less-awful tasting version of what I was actually eating. Not a task for the caffeine-deprived.
For my journal today, I’m going to briefly focus on the overall physical and mental feelings I had today compared to yesterday. The first day did a number on my mind, but the second gave me clarity and a vision for the rest of the 40 day cleaner eating journey.
Good Diet Day, Better Mental Health Day, Too
I can withstand a good deal of physical discomfort. That is a skill I developed as a runner, and it has carried over into my less healthy habits. However, when I am not mentally coherent, I am not the best person to be around. This goes for times when I need medication or when I am confused by a subject or issue. I always want to be in mental control.
The Daniel Plan stripped me of this ability very quickly. It’s probably because a lot of the poisons I have pumped into my system through the years have given me temporary results. Today was a good diet day because I felt more like myself.
That was the scary part of day one. I was easily distracted, had a raging headache and got angry very easily. I expect more days like that one, but this one was a far more emotionally-sound day. Fortunately, in my desperation to find ways to get over writer’s block and work like normal, I didn’t grab another Diet Coke or a bag of potato chips. I feel better for it today and my gut thanked me for it. Audibly. With actual words and facial expressions. Maybe I’m not as put together as I thought!
My Daniel Plan Journal Day 2
Good: The beef stew dinner was almost like regular beef stew — it was filling, quasi-flavorful and lacked any resemblance to the previous day’s menu. Also, we “cheated” and had half an apple and half a banana with a little almond butter for “dessert” (so worth it).
Bad: The roasted chickpea “snack” was not as tasty as expected. I love chickpeas, so I was a little disappointed, but the “ho hum” dish might have been the result of our inexperience at preparing it.
Goal for tomorrow: Do whatever I can to only have a brain-splitting headache for part of the day.
Recommendations to others considering the plan: No matter how whiny I come across right now, try to cut back on caffeine as the plan advises. The sacrifices you’ll make today will do wonders for you in the long-term. People may avoid you as you scream disturbing, made-up words at them, but it will lead to good diet days and a happier you.
