Day #1: No Refined or Processed Carbohydrates

Day 1: Success
Success Rate: 100%


Day 1 is over!

It wasn't exactly easy - not so much because of the urges, but really because of the lack of foods you can eat. I'm finding that if I had said "no refined or processed sugars, then I would have been just fine...but no, I said CARBOHYDRATES, which covers a much much larger group of foods.

So what was my day like?

Breakfast

Well it started, of course, with plenty of phone calls and meetings for work. I took 2 hours worth of these from my room, and then on the way to work (I am working at the Crown Center in Kansas City right now - I walk through the mall to get to work) I stopped at Einstein Bros. for a fruit cup.

It turns out that I am so well known at Einstein, that when I walked in, the lady said "Nova Lox on a plain thin", which is delicious - you should try it some time - but I simply grabbed a fruit cup, and told her "not today". Easy enough, so I got some fruit, and enjoyed it (even though it wasn't very fresh)

Lunch

Then...meetings, meetings, and more meetings, and we came to Lunch. Since this is my last week in Kansas City, I went out to lunch with a co-worker who lives out here. He took me to Margaritas (menu), for "Taco Tuesday". i.e. buy one get one free on tacos. It was tough! I felt like I would be a jerk if I didn't order the tacos, since that is what he was raving about. However, I learned a long time ago, that people are understanding (especially when you are my size) if you order a salad. Seriously, no one can feel hurt if you are watching what you eat, right?

So I ordered the "Ensalata Fajitas", and a cup of Abondigas soup - which is like a meatball soup. Of course the Abondigas came with rice and tortillas, and the table had tortilla chips, but I stayed away from both of those things (come on, it's Day 1, of course my will power is strong). Lunch was great, had some great conversation with a friend, and I made it through 2 meals already!

Mid-Afternoon Snack

You all know the feeling. You're tired from the combination of work, lack of sleep the night before, and lunch. You don't know what to do. "Coffee" you say? Well no, I gave up caffeine almost 2 months ago (you should too, it's bad for you). So my other responses had been "maybe some hot chocolate". Well that's out now. So I meandered down to our cafe, and found a raw nut and dehydrated fruit mix. A quick check of the ingredients indicated no added sugars or carbs, so I bought some (actually, I bought a lot, I slipped and unloaded like 1/2 a pound into my bag - I've got tons left over today).

Walnuts, Almonds, Pecans, Cranberries, Raisins, Pumpkin Seeds, Sunflower Kernels, mostly raw.

Coolio, I'm set!!!

Dinner - The breakfast of people who don't wake up on time

Dinner...what to do for dinner. I was at the office until 6:30 (we get kicked out - lame), and then I debated dinner. I can't cook for myself in my hotel room, so I have to go out. I could go to Jack Stack Barbecue, or just downstairs to the cafe in the hotel - both probably have valid options. But then I realized that Jack Stack puts sauce on no matter what - you can't get the BBQ without sauce, and that certainly means sugar. The place downstairs is similar, and the prices are outrageous.

Then I remembered a great place in the "Plaza" of Kansas City - Fogo de Chao. Of course I've been here multiple times, but it's great for meat lovers, and would work for my diet. It's high quality food that is mostly whole. They have an incredible salad bar (with less "salad" than anything else) and then they have guys walking around with skewers of meat. You have a little card that is red on one side and green on the other. When you want meat, you flip it to green, and they stop by and offer you what they have. When you're finished, or need a breather, you flip it to red.

It's something like this

So after stuffing my face like a pig, and enjoying the many salad bar items. I was set! It was a bit of a challenge, because they give you these little "cheese rolls", polenta, mashed potatoes, and fried bananas. I can eat the fried bananas (as long as they aren't coated in sugar) but the rest is off limits, and the sides are delicious!!! 
Either way, I survived, and I felt good for having sidestepped some hurdles. 
So now, here I am, off to day 2, and I have the success of day one to push me along.