Changes

Tuesday:

This is day six of the new regime. So what changes have I actually made?

I'm exercising most days, but still not all.

I have cut out almost all sugar, salt, and wheat -- and therefore almost all junk. There are exceptions. I am allowing myself chocolate a couple of times a week, so that has sugar of course. But it is dark chocolate which maximises the intensity with minimal sugar. I haven't added table salt to anything, but I have had things like soy sauce which are salty and probably has a little wheat as well, and salted nuts so I probably still need to reduce that a bit. But we do need some salt, most people just get way too much. Last night after taking Aiden to gymnastics, then Jasmine to dance lessons 15 mins away, then back to pick up Aiden, then back to pick up Jasmine ... we got take-away rotisserie chicken and chips and coleslaw. Which counts as junk in anyone's language, with huge amounts of salt and fat and also sugar in the coleslaw.

But.

No sugar in my tea.
No salt on my dinner. I usually cover everything in salt.
Lots of water.
No bread or pasta or cake or biscuits or lollies (candy) apart from a little chocolate, even during a party, and no dessert even when we had visitors.
Low fat cheese.
Natural yoghurt with no sugar or chemicals in it, into which I stir some real fruit.
More than five serves of vegetables a day, and two of fruit.
Around 1400 calories a day. This is not actually my focus, but is has been easy to achieve due to what I have been eating.

I am still eating plenty of carbohydrate, in the form of quinoa, potato and other vegetables and fruit. Lots and lots of vegetables. But within my pre-diabetic guidelines.

I've lost over a kilogram.

I feel quite tired, but I often do so it is hard to judge if that is any different. I am still eating carbs, but I could be having sugar withdrawal.

I am drinking twice or three times as much fluids as usual, but paradoxically I am now thirsty all the time (this often happens when I drink more, it must turn on my dehydration meter whereas my body usually thinks I must live in a desert so it doesn't bother me with thirst) and also my skin has suddenly become very dry. I have dry patches on my face, the inside of my nose is getting sore because the mucus dries up (sorry for that image) and my hands are dry too. I am rarely in air conditioning as the weather has been quite temperate lately, so it isn't that. My body is weird.

So I couldn't say that I feel like I'm bursting with health or full of energy. Hopefully that will come.