The Ludicrously Short Course (Whole10, Day 1)

Three days of eating junk food was pretty cool, although according to the scale I am 10.8 pounds heavier this morning than I was on my birthday. (After three days? JESUS. You can see why it's easy to get discouraged - some people's bodies just want so fucking badly to hang on to extra weight!) I'm hoping that it's primarily retained water and that it'll come off over the next ten days of clean eating. Maybe even an extra pound or two, although I'm not counting on it. My body can be pretty stupid sometimes and it probably thinks we're preparing for a long hard winter or something, and also that I'm a cavewoman. Blargh.

Here are a few things I've noticed during the short period of being off-plan:

1. My energy was completely obliterated. I've never really been a "bright-eyed and bushy-tailed" morning person, but this was ridiculous. Some of it was likely sugar crashes, some of it may have been that I was consuming less caffeine.
2. I didn't have the same food desires that I thought I would. I find I don't really crave soda that much. I used to be able to put away liters and liters of Diet Coke or Dr. Pepper, I loved it so much. Now I guess I'm so used to drinking other things, that when I try soda it just tastes and feels a little weird to me. Moreover, I found it took me a much longer time to decide what I wanted to eat. I wanted to make my "treat" choices count and I knew I wouldn't feel very well if I just stuffed everything into my face. 
3. I found myself leaning towards more nutritious foods, even the off-plan ones. This was maybe the biggest surprise of all. My favorite treat that I had was on Monday (the day after my birthday), when my friend Melissa and I went to get Greek food at lunch. I got a falafel pita and it was OUTSTANDING. Although it's chock full of items not allowed on Whole30 (chickpeas, which are legumes, and the bread itself which is made from grains, as well as tzatziki which I think has dairy in it), it was massively delicious AND didn't leave me feeling slightly sick the way a lot of other "junk" foods did. I find one of my favorite things about eating on-plan is the idea that the foods I eat make me healthier and happier, so maybe it was a psychosomatic thing. (I don't think legumes, dairy, or grains are bad for me - I omit them on Whole30 so I can focus on meat and vegetables and try and lose weight; some people have sensitivities or allergies but I've luckily never had those issues.) This gives me hope for establishing a long-term eating plan, and finding more nutritious "treats" to eat when not on a WholeSomething. (side note: I also got Greek fries with feta and garlic, and they were also delicious but not nearly as good as the falafel).
4. I ended up not consuming nearly as much as I'd anticipated. I'd bought a box of brownie mix and a box of cinnamon cake mix, neither of which I ended up baking. I didn't drink my almond Champagne or my Vino de Mocca (I figure I can have a glass at the end of the Whole10 to celebrate Julius Caesar's opening weekend). I only had one or two browncoats, which are my favorite cocktail, and I didn't even open any of the cartons of ice cream Panda had bought. While I ate several ice cream clowns over the 3 days, we didn't finish the Baskin-Robbins cake. Now that I think of it, I'm not even sure I had 3 actual meals a day during my days off. Which is very weird.
5. After only 3 days (in fact, just after the first day) I immediately felt puffier, heavier, and more self-conscious. A huge part of that is in my head (although nearly-eleven pounds doesn't lie). When I feel bloated it feels more like I've gained 30 or 50 lbs, and the shape of my face is different enough that I feel sure people notice.

So, there you go. I'm very much looking forward to our all-inclusive vacation in Mexico (as is Panda...we're both seriously jazzed about it), but to be honest, I don't much feel like going crazy on the food and the booze. I'll indulge when I feel like it, but I don't have the urge to eat the sugariest or booziest thing just because I can. I find I like how I feel when I eat more nutritious things, and there are lots of on-plan (or just healthier off-plan) things I can eat that taste awesome, so I'm not inclined to nosh on things like chips or cookies unless they're really good. Does that make sense?

Anyway. Ten days on (final day will be opening for Julius Caesar, and I am beyond excited about this show), then on August 9th the Whole40 begins. Had a nice big breakfast of eggs and avocado and coffee this morning, and brought apricot chicken for lunch. Looking forward to hopefully clearing up some of this brain fog.