I miscalculated my countdown and gained an extra week in there. It was serendipitous. I have completely gone off the rails during my week in the wilderness. So much so that I am too scared to weigh myself.
I spent 7 nights in a titchy little tent in the snow, with a bathroom block 250 yards away. Yosemite National Park was stunning, but I was over the cold weather. I am done with winter. This is why I'm heading back to Australia where the sun always shines and snow is a novelty.
The week in Yosemite was full of hikes, but never too strenuous and most were on pretty level ground. I just didn't have my usual pizzazz. (More on that later).
During the week I ate a load of eggs, cream, canned salmon, full-fat cheese, 100% cacao chocolate, cacao nibs, gluten-free rackers, milk and far too many nuts. FAAAAR too many nuts. I don't even want to think about how many calories and how much fat I swallowed in all those handfuls. I have a built-in phobia of throwing away food and since I was carrying bags and bags of organic nuts of every variety, I couldn't bear to ditch them before Hawaii.
It was by birthday on the 9th, so I even bought myself a slice of cheesecake from our campsite cafe. (I ate it minus the gluten base). Then the next day I decided to have another slice, and a Lara Bar (which are so healthy if you're not carb-sensitive like me. They're made of dates and nuts and chocolate. Mmmm).
I learnt a big lesson during this week. Low-carbing does not work for me. I just didn't have the energy and buoyant moods I usually live with when I eat on The Zone. Eating all that fatty meat and cheese and nuts left me feeling lethargic, depressed and bored. At first I was excited at first to have free reign over the cheese cabinet. By the end, walking into a gourmet cheese store made me feel queasy. And I cheated. I was so starved of food choice that I'd eat all those high-fat foods but then add in too many carbs on top. Not good.
I also had a quick look back over this blog. In the beginning my meals were bursting with color and variety. I was excited about new recipes and made an effort to fill my days with a range of vitamins and minerals.
Compare that to lately. Low-carbing has been all organgy-browny-beige in color. I get clogged up thanks to a lack of fiber and my energy has been at an all time low. I have decided to get back on track with The Zone, whilst switching it up with perhaps a little more fat and a little less carbs in some of my meals and snacks.
When we got to San Francisco after a day of bus and train travel yesterday, I ate far too many meals and snacks all day and then settled for a Salami Sandwich on gluten-free bread and a gluten-free Spiced Pumpkin Choc-Chip Muffin. It must've been sweetened with nasty agave as my belly swelled to pregnant proportions and I was in a world of pain all night and half of today.
I'm now in Hawaii, by the way. Staying in a gorgeous ocean-view B&B. Today I was up at 4am in San Francisco's time-zone, and it's now 6:45pm in Hawaii's time-zone, (or 9:45pm in SF). I've eaten too many meals today, but couldn't help it as the day has been extra long and I'm subsisting on 3 hours sleep. I am exhausted but excited to be in the tropics and almost home after 2 years away.
I spent 7 nights in a titchy little tent in the snow, with a bathroom block 250 yards away. Yosemite National Park was stunning, but I was over the cold weather. I am done with winter. This is why I'm heading back to Australia where the sun always shines and snow is a novelty.
The week in Yosemite was full of hikes, but never too strenuous and most were on pretty level ground. I just didn't have my usual pizzazz. (More on that later).
During the week I ate a load of eggs, cream, canned salmon, full-fat cheese, 100% cacao chocolate, cacao nibs, gluten-free rackers, milk and far too many nuts. FAAAAR too many nuts. I don't even want to think about how many calories and how much fat I swallowed in all those handfuls. I have a built-in phobia of throwing away food and since I was carrying bags and bags of organic nuts of every variety, I couldn't bear to ditch them before Hawaii.
It was by birthday on the 9th, so I even bought myself a slice of cheesecake from our campsite cafe. (I ate it minus the gluten base). Then the next day I decided to have another slice, and a Lara Bar (which are so healthy if you're not carb-sensitive like me. They're made of dates and nuts and chocolate. Mmmm).
I learnt a big lesson during this week. Low-carbing does not work for me. I just didn't have the energy and buoyant moods I usually live with when I eat on The Zone. Eating all that fatty meat and cheese and nuts left me feeling lethargic, depressed and bored. At first I was excited at first to have free reign over the cheese cabinet. By the end, walking into a gourmet cheese store made me feel queasy. And I cheated. I was so starved of food choice that I'd eat all those high-fat foods but then add in too many carbs on top. Not good.
I also had a quick look back over this blog. In the beginning my meals were bursting with color and variety. I was excited about new recipes and made an effort to fill my days with a range of vitamins and minerals.
Compare that to lately. Low-carbing has been all organgy-browny-beige in color. I get clogged up thanks to a lack of fiber and my energy has been at an all time low. I have decided to get back on track with The Zone, whilst switching it up with perhaps a little more fat and a little less carbs in some of my meals and snacks.
When we got to San Francisco after a day of bus and train travel yesterday, I ate far too many meals and snacks all day and then settled for a Salami Sandwich on gluten-free bread and a gluten-free Spiced Pumpkin Choc-Chip Muffin. It must've been sweetened with nasty agave as my belly swelled to pregnant proportions and I was in a world of pain all night and half of today.
I'm now in Hawaii, by the way. Staying in a gorgeous ocean-view B&B. Today I was up at 4am in San Francisco's time-zone, and it's now 6:45pm in Hawaii's time-zone, (or 9:45pm in SF). I've eaten too many meals today, but couldn't help it as the day has been extra long and I'm subsisting on 3 hours sleep. I am exhausted but excited to be in the tropics and almost home after 2 years away.
Here was my food for the flight.
Breakfast: 2% Fage with 6 Organic Strawberries, 1/4 Avocado and a Roma Tomato.
Morning Snack: Cucumber, 2 Eggs, 1 String Cheese, 1/2 Red Bell Pepper.
Snack: 1/4 Avocado and 1 String Cheese Stick.
I also had a Decaf Coffee onboard with 1 Tbs Cream and a Black Tea with 1 Tbs Cream.
Breakfast: 2% Fage with 6 Organic Strawberries, 1/4 Avocado and a Roma Tomato.
Morning Snack: Cucumber, 2 Eggs, 1 String Cheese, 1/2 Red Bell Pepper.
Snack: 1/4 Avocado and 1 String Cheese Stick.
I also had a Decaf Coffee onboard with 1 Tbs Cream and a Black Tea with 1 Tbs Cream.
We found Hawaii's version of WholeFoods and bought some Grass-Fed Roast Beef and a Vegan Beet Salad. I ate half of this for lunch, then the other half a couple of hours later.
We drove to a coffee farm and taste-tested a few sips of Black Coffee, 1 Choc-coated Macadamia Nut, a few bites of weird local bitter Fruits, and a bite of a Coconut Macaroon. (Naughty).
We drove to a coffee farm and taste-tested a few sips of Black Coffee, 1 Choc-coated Macadamia Nut, a few bites of weird local bitter Fruits, and a bite of a Coconut Macaroon. (Naughty).
I also had 2 pieces of a new 99% Chocolate I bought in San Francisco. The remaining 1% is Fructose. It has a nice creamy mouthfeel but is not worth the $8 I paid for that tiny bar.
And 1 Tbs Cacao Nibs to follow.
And 1 Tbs Cacao Nibs to follow.
Dinner (my second dinner in a 2nd timezone?) was a can of Sardines in Olive Oil and an Organic Salad.
Pre-bedtime I had a 6oz tub of Nonfat Greek Gods Plain Yoghurt. This is the stuff I positively raved about last month, with one difference: it was Full Fat. Hate to admit it, but the nonfat doesn't cut it. How can you enjoy food without fat?
I added 3 Pecans to boost the flavor but it was all wrong. Still, I can't argue with a mere 60 calories a tub.
I added 3 Pecans to boost the flavor but it was all wrong. Still, I can't argue with a mere 60 calories a tub.