- Weight: 1/4 kg down (2.75 down, 6.25 to go)
- Energy level: I’m going to quit reporting on this. Assume “no change”. Maybe maybe maybe reaching a good weight will result in more energy?
I’m not even supposed to be doing a true detox now; seems it’s contraindicated in autumn. However, I didn’t anticipate that I would, after a month of good behavior, embark on a personal re-tox program.
It started innocently enough. I’d intended to buy a wide-mouth thermos, for bringing hot food from home, but couldn’t locate one. And the thought of yet another miso soup lunch made me gag.
So I ordered food in. But just a salad. And without any goodies. No: cheeses, egg, tuna, peanuts, bottled dressings. Highly virtuous.
Yet, since I’m supposed to avoid raw food now, guilt was already setting in.
Which seemed grossly unfair. If I’m going to suffer guilt, why over a &*#@+^ salad?? I don’t even like salad!
And so, I reasoned, logically enough, as long as I was feeling guilty anyhow, why not run with it? Why not truly own the guilt?
That slope is slippery as a luge track. From salad I progressed to “tastes” of what the normal humans around me were eating. I had bites of: lasagna, pizza, potato kugel, salmon, roast cashews—even <gasp> Ben & Jerry’s Dulce de Leche and the birthday cake I’d prepared for my daughter, Chocolate Mint Dessert. So while I still abstained from meat, I did manage to ingest representatives of nearly all the other no-no categories: eggs, dairy, junk fats, white flour, nightshades and every possible variety of sugar. Plus enough sodium and additives to pickle a vat of cucumbers (thanks a lot, Pringles). At least I’m thorough.
Although the amount of each food was—truly!—small, the effects were immediate and overt. Apart from losing less weight (hey, I was grateful I didn’t actually gain), my appetite revved into overdrive. All the forbidden foods, which I’d learned [slowly & painfully] to ignore, suddenly seemed to bear huge labels with dayglo print: “Eat me. Now! This is an order!!” Hunger was not just keeping me from falling asleep, it was also making me awaken ravenous, ready to devour the entire huge box of stale Telma cornflakes left from the grandkids’ visit.
A DIY emergency detox seemed the answer.
A few years ago Yoga Journal ran a 3-day detox program—for autumn!—with a recipe that the whole family liked: kitchari. Warm, spicy, and with the accompaniment of a pretty fresh coriander chutney, this dish makes penance palatable.
By the way, finally figured out a way to rewarm moist food without killing it: bamboo steamer in a wok. Works perfectly & quickly & there’s no pot to scrub. (Next challenge: learn how to remove the plate without suffering 3rd degree burns.)
Also on this week’s menu: millet pilaf. Although the texture is a bit gooey for a pilaf, it’s tasty and attractive enough.
So these two dishes—plus cooked greens / roast veg, and the ubiquitous miso soup—should get me through the week with more variety than usual. I’m actually looking forward to lunch tomorrow. [Imagine Homer Simpson’s voice:] Mmmm, millet.
Mindful Eating 