Lesson Learned

    Wow, if I wasn't too sure about avoiding wheat and sugar the last 24 hours have reinforced my dietary restrictions. Yesterday was Mother's Day. We had a potluck picnic at the local mini-train park where the train rides are free, to the delight of my train freak grandson. I decided to indulge my sweet tooth and made some epic sugar cookies complete with pink frosting. They were amazing, if I do say so myself. Of course that meant snacking on cookie dough, a few spoonfuls of the buttery icing, and then way more cookies than I should have. I felt fine last night. if a trifle guilty for my overindulgence. But hey, I don't do it often. Right?

    Today was a different story. For starters, I had a helluva time waking up, fighting off the fog, and getting out the door on time. At work my brain was so addled that anything remotely resembling multi-tasking was a recipe for abject failure. I made more mistakes today than I normally would in a 6 month period. I was short tempered, and overly sensitive. I had volcanic heartburn that was unaffected by antacids, and radically effected by stress. The arthritis in my ankles and feet flared up so much that a young coworker asked if I had injured myself.
    I was so worn out after work that I almost skipped my swim, but knew if I did I would just come home and park myself at the computer feeling miserable. My energy level was low, and my muscles felt fatigued. But I swam a 50 lap individual medley swim, swimming for about 65 minutes, despite heartburn and acid reflux that made me feel like I was going to ralph during most of my swim. Let me interject here, this particular swim set is my favorite when I am tired and brain dead because I don't have to work too hard to keep track of sets: 2 laps breast stroke, 2 laps backstroke, 4 laps crawl equals one set. Easy-peasy. Today I was having a hard time keeping track, I couldn't remember what my previous lap had been unless I really focused. It was a bit unsettling actually, and made me wonder if early onset Alzheimer's might feel a bit like this. I was so easily distracted I didn't worry so much about the lap count and decided to just aim for an hour swim. I followed with my usual 30 minute leg workout. Sitting in the Jacuzzi I downed a liter of water hoping to help flush the sugar and wheat from my system.
    Dinner started with a gigantic salad from greens cut fresh from my garden and topped with an avocado dressing. Then I had black bean and yam chili tacos with fresh spinach and guacamole. Dessert was a fabulous tree ripened navel orange, and 2 medjool dates. Now I'm sipping a giant mug of herbal tea, listening to Pink Floyd's Animals, and feeling a bit more like my normal self.
    The lesson here is clear: Indulge a bit now and then, but don't over-indulge. I had a helluva a food hangover today. I paid the price for injudicious choices. This has nothing to do with worry about calories, or fat, or "cheat foods." (I don't believe in Cheat foods, or Cheat days... I eat what feels right). It's not about jumping on the Gluten-Free Bandwagon. This is all about listening to my body, understanding that some foods are toxic to me, and paying attention to the signs. The funny thing is that I didn't really make the connection between all of today's weirdness and what I ate 24 hours earlier until mid afternoon. Now, full of fresh greens and herbal tea I am definitely feeling better. My brain is more functional, and my gut doesn't hurt. I am hoping I don't repeat this particular idiocy any time soon.