Day 2 - Cravings.

So. Day 2 has almost come and gone, and I gotta say, it's been magnificent. Difficult, but magnificent.

It's amazing what you can learn about your body in 2 days, particularly if you've been ignoring it and treating it like garbage for the last year. Today, I learned that I crave things. Hardcore. I know I don't need them, but oh, do I want them. 

Everything about today has gone wonderfully. This morning I used the remaining leftovers of yesterday's breakfast smoothie (the one that was seemingly too minty) and added more mango and orange juice. It turned out fantastic. So. Note for future attempts at this recipe? More mango. Less mint.

Around noon, I'm not gonna lie . . . I was kinda putting off drinking my second smoothie. Not because I was trying to get out of eating something, because let me tell you, I was ravenous, but because I just had this sensation of not wanting to feel my food all pre-processed in my mouth again. People who are on a pureed diet - I feel for you. This shit gets kinda rough. Particularly when it's things like kale that already has a bite to it when raw, and then you just throw it into a blender and try to make it as smooth as possible. There's still chunks. Not large chunks, or even an unsettling amount, but enough for someone who is expecting one texture to be taken aback to find that they still feel like they have to kinda chew their smoothie. I'm 99% sure though that this one is just me being a freak.

So, instead of attempting my second smoothie, I roasted some beets. And holy shizznit, do I love beets. I was kinda in a pickle though . . . I wasn't sure how to roast them without putting any oil on them! In the end, I saw a tip somewhere that said to make a foil packet, and then roast them in the packet. Granted, that recipe was also with olive oil, but I decided to just take parchment paper, put my scrubbed and quartered beets in the parchment paper, roll that into a packet, and then wrap it all in an aluminum foil packet. 

And guess what? It worked! The end result was delicious, sweet, tangy, earthy beets roasted to perfection. They were quickly joined by my new best friends, balsamic vinegar and sea salt, and I had a delicious snack. 

But, after I was done, I was still hungry and knew I couldn't put it off any longer. The next smoothie in line for consumption was more of yesterday's leftovers - the goji berry and strawberry one. Because I was a little turned off by the "unripe" banana taste yesterday, I took another peek at my bananas today and found that they were pure perfection. Yellow, with just a hint of brown spotting. So, after I pulled my leftover mix out of the fridge, I quickly threw that in the blender with another banana and a little more coconut water, and it was heaven. 

I honestly probably added a bit too much coconut water, but let's be real, hydration is good, right? And the consistency was actually way more palatable than yesterday's thicker counterpart. I think thinning out smoothies might always be the option for me. Not only will it stretch my eating time, which is what I've been told you want to do when doing such a restricting diet to keep your blood sugar in check, but it also made me feel more like I could just sip it, rather than feel like I kinda had to chew it like before. So, all in all, lesson learned - add more liquid, happier camper. 

A couple of hours later, I had the nibbles. Oh, the nibbles. But, I was on Tumblr . . . and I wasn't just having the nibbles for things like the cucumbers I just bought. I was having the nibbles for pasta. For bagels. for anything carb-tastic that I could sink my teeth into. And it was bad. Almost to the point where I thought "Oh, hey, just one bite won't hurt, right? I could totally sneak some grits and it would be fine." And the images of pasta dishes that were lighter fare just kept popping up on my dash.

But then, oh, then, I grew a pair. I went into the kitchen, and I looked at all of the fruits and veggies in our fridge, and I said "absolutely not. I will not destroy the last 24 hours of work." And I grabbed my cucumbers out of the fridge, and I grabbed some tomatoes, and I chopped them up, added some more balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper, and I ate a giant bowl of those. And I sat. And I ate my cucumbers, in mild frustration. 

A little later I was getting ready for dinner, resolute to my idea that I was going to overcome these cravings, that I was a strong woman. And for dinner, I drank my chocolate-blueberry-banana-avocado-cucumber smoothie with pride . . . until I had a random craving for grilled chicken.

It seriously was just like that. Sip, sip, sip, chicken.

And I was furious at myself again. I guess it's just from having all of these sweet things, and my body craving something savory. But man, it's annoying. After I finished my smoothie, I decided to pop open a bag of frozen peas. Added a bit of sea-salt and called it a day. 

I've still got the nibbles. My tummy is still grumbling a bit, and I definitely feel it in my energy levels. Not so much at rest, but when I actually get up and move around. It's made working a little bit of a bitch these last 2 days. I feel like I have more energy, but as soon as I try to lift something, I'm drenched with sweat and it takes me a half an hour to recover. 

Aside from my cravings though, I feel great. I feel my body thanking me. Not only do I feel healthy, but I feel slim too. Which, is aided by the fact that my boyfriend came home today and says it looks like I've lost weight - not particularly over these last 2 days, but since the time that he's seen me last almost 3 weeks ago. I'm not too interested in what the scale has to say right now though. I just want to get my system in check before I try to handle any of that. 

But man, am I ready for tomorrow to be done and over with. As soon as that happens, it's walnuts and pumpkin seeds and chia seeds and almond milk . . . and I'm so freaking excited. Chia pudding, anyone? :D