One of those "forbidden" four letter words. And honestly, a word that is very misleading. Most of the time, going on a diet won’t actually “change” you. “Diets” are more quick fixes than anything; rather, it’s about the HABITS you learn from diets that help you truly get to where you want your body to be.
I enjoyed a few weeks of eating whenever and whatever I wanted while really just working out whenever and however I wanted after Ironman Arizona. I am totally the Type-A-need-structure-in-my-life person, BUT it is fun to just be a little more of a free spirit during the offseason.
First, I’m going on a cruise with Ryan’s family. They go on cruises every year, but we haven’t gone for the past three for various reasons, so decided this would be the year to go before starting a family. I most definitely did not want to look or feel huge on the cruise, so figured eating well beforehand would at least help with that.
And more importantly, I needed a challenge. Now that racing was over, and I wasn’t totally satisfied with the season, I wanted a new challenge.
I started the 21-Day Detox on December 2nd…. We did my family “December birthday dinner” on the 1st, and I wasn’t going to say no to Pequod’s Pizza.
Basically, fruits and carbs are out. Most nuts and most veggies are allowed, and all meats are allowed. For those curious, here’s the picture of what I could/could not eat. I also did the adapted version for athletes, which allowed ½ of a sweet potato as well.
I only have a few days left, but I honestly was surprised at how easy this “diet” could be. The hardest part is simply meal prepping. When I had veggies, meat or nuts available, I could simply grab and eat.
- The first 3-4 days were the hardest. I was CRAVING carbs. I don’t really discriminate with food, but I definitely prefer carbs over basically anything else. It didn’t help that the second day of the detox was the Santa Hustle 5k and there were donuts galore post-race!
- I also noticed that I was having to go to the bathroom more, particularly waking up 1-2 times per night in the beginning (first 12 days). I know this is my body “flushing” things out, but it definitely was annoying. That started to subside with about a week left as I simply started drinking less water after 7:30/8pm (I go to bed by 9pm).
- Day 14, Ryan and I hosted our “Poopy Present Party.” I LOVE baking, but asked Megan to bake sweets instead because I wasn’t sure I could handle not only cooking food I couldn’t eat, but then also baking food I couldn’t eat. Luckily, she enjoyed doing that! I did make the Skinnytaste Crock Pot Chicken Chili (no corn) along with meatballs and was able to be satisfied on just those, vegies, and La Croix throughout the night.
- Day 18, I really decided to test my strength: I baked TWO kinds of cookies for our staff holiday treats. One was a kind that I had never even tried before, which made the dough (and the cookie) even more appealing. I guess that just means I’ll make them again sometime soon ;)
- Day 19, there were SO many good-looking treats in the staff lounge that I had to stay away from. BUT, I still chose to eat my lunch in there, despite the temptation. This was a huge mental win for me!
For those curious, I don’t think my workouts were affected by this change. Granted, my workouts aren’t as intense as when I’m “in season,” but I’m still doing 2 workouts that are 1-2 hours each.
In terms of what I ate… here’s kind of a breakdown of a typical workday. The weekends fluctuated more, but again, I was mainly having meats/fish, veggies, a green-tipped banana or green apple, nuts, eggs and almond milk.
I logged everything I ate on MyFitnessPal and was eating between 1800-2200 calories each day, depending on what I was doing for working out. I definitely wasn't depriving myself or really conscious of the calories. I was simply eating every few hours, when my body was hungry.
I didn't set out with any goals in mind, other than to simply FEEL good about my body leading into the cruise. BUT, I’m down 5 pounds in 19 days and have lost 1.5 inches. And, more importantly, I feel like my body is ENJOYING food more. The banana and apple that I eat now almost seem like a dessert because they are “sweet” in comparison to the other foods I am eating. And, the best thing I learned was how STRONG I am…. I really do have willpower and self-control! TWO.MORE.DAYS!!!
Overall, I feel like I understand that old "it takes 21 days to form a habit" saying, as I'm actually at the point where I am excited to explore the healthy food options on the cruise....but, don't worry, I'll most definitely enjoy my fill of ice cream cones as well. This was definitely a HUGE test of my willpower and self-control and if I can do this, truly, anyone can!