Having spent so many years trying to lose weight, it’s hard to let go sometimes, especially when I’ve buckled down with my eating habits.
The past couple months I’ve been eating what I want when I want. Translation: I’ve become very good friends with sugar again. Yes, the weight has been creeping back, much to my chagrin. As fifteen pounds have piled back on to my body, my mentally acuity has diminished. I hit the afternoon crash, I’ve had insomnia, and things haven’t been going as well in terms of health.
Looking at my schedule, I decided to re-focus on my diet once I returned from my vacation. The way I ate during my intense weight lose phase wasn’t going to cut it for me now, but I still needed to clean up my diet.
What to Do
I looked at eating a Ketogenic diet, I looked at pure Paleo. I also looked at Whole 30. In the end, after talking to my Crossfit coach, I chose to follow the Zone diet. It took me a bit to figure out blocks and how many I need to eat in a day. I printed out some fantastic PDF’s and have hung them on my fridge for quick reference.
I returned home Saturday night with a big old case of jet lag. By Monday, I felt coherent enough to go to Costco with my new, healthy shopping list and stocked up for the week. I followed the plan, along with my husband on Monday. Tuesday morning, I made my giant breakfast, ate very early so it wouldn’t affect my workout later in the morning. During my workout I started to feel nauseous and weak and struggled to finish.
Once home, I started my lunch, following the plan. And then I was interrupted with what was the start of food poisoning. And my day was ruined, as were the next several as I spent the days in bed.
When I was able to start eating, my first thought was I need to get back on plan. I need a block of protein, one of carbs, and one of fats. I can’t eat unless I do it the right way. I didn’t want to sacrifice what I started. Reality spoke up though as did my stomach, and I had the good sense to listen.
Bland, mild meals were my staple for about three days as I listened to my body.
Eating healthy, staying on program is important to me and once I’ve set my mind to it, I will not veer off course. Sometimes though, we do need to be flexible and understanding and most of all forgiving to ourselves. I still struggle to be kind to myself and this time was no different.
Stomach Bug Recovery
Keep hydrated – This is so difficult but necessary. I drink water and some athlete friends have suggested coconut water once your stomach can handle more. I’m not a big fan of coconut water, at least the ones I’ve tried, so I’ll stick to plain water for now.
Eat Small meals – I still follow the BRAT (Banana’s, rice, applesauce, toast) diet when I’m recovering although some schools of thought say this regiment is outdated. We make our own bread and we have pints of applesauce from an over eager apple tree a couple years back. I don’t mind eating those items we make homemade. I add in chicken as soon as I feel ready.
Rest – I worked out one time after my vacation before coming down sick. The thought of missing more days was incredibly discouraging, but if I didn’t rest, it would take me that much longer to get back to 100%. So, another week off and I know my first few days back will be a bit slower, with a bit less weight. And that’s okay (at least that is what I keep telling myself).
We will fall ill at some point and the biggest piece of advice I can offer is to be kind to your body and treat it well so you can get back into your normal routines as soon as possible.
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