Wednesday, March 18, 2009

Mnph...Food...Hangover

Yesterday, my husband defended his PhD. (Hurray!) It was a strange, unstructured day, a day with lots of food around, a day when I ate ALL that food because I was nervous/celebratory. In a word: Regression.

(A pause to emphasize that this was a fantastic, momentous day! Happy!)

Despite my efforts in packing a favorite salad for lunch, here is what I ate yesterday:
  • pie (yes, at breakfast)
  • cereal and soy milk
  • coffee
  • 3 cookies
  • some of that salad
  • a giant falafel wrap
  • iced coffee (at 4:30 PM! Then I wondered why I couldn't sleep...)
  • fried Indian appetizers: half a samosa and 2 pakoras
  • masala chai (tasted traditional, i.e., made with half-and-half in place of milk)
  • naan
  • coconut rice
  • channa saagwala (mmmm, spinach, chickpeas, spices, and loads of ghee)
  • kulfi
Immediately after dinner, I felt sluggish, bloated, heavy, gross. My mind was dull. I recognized this sensation and instantly realized that I hadn't felt it since I began WW. I used to feel this hyperglycemic stupor fairly often after a restaurant meal. Also? I'm mildly lactose intolerant, but yesterday I did a marvelous job of pretending I was not.

I didn't feel well as I tried to sleep last night. My gut felt heavy, my mind was both dull and racing, muscles achy. I dreamed all night that it was Christmas and I could not get away from holiday cookies and eggnog. At one time, these would have been heavenly dreams, but last night, they were nightmares.

This morning is the strangest, though. I feel what I can only describe as a food hangover. Its symptoms are different from a regular hangover (so I'm told, I was never a big fan of alcohol). I STILL feel full and slightly queasy. My mouth is dry and has a bad taste. Brain racing and slightly foggy still.

This experience is an excellent affirmation for me of the effects food has on my body and mind, and also of the improvements to my own well-being thanks to WW.

I think a little tea with a little honey and a slice of toast will suffice for breakfast. I think I will stick to monastic food today.

2 comments:

Narya said...

What you mostly sound is dehydrated--I bet that a lot of the food you ate yesterday is much higher in sodium than what you've been eating. Drink lots of water today! And perhaps some ginger tea.

I think what you're going to figure out--and yesterday was a data point--is how to enjoy those foods. Tiny portions? Only some of them in a given day? Whatever works for you so you can enjoy them and not feel like crap the next day.

Yay defense, btw!

kStyle said...

Oh, I do eat all these things, and in moderation--yesterday simply got out of hand. A great thing about WW is the No Bad Foods aspect. Moderation, imagine that!

I drank my homemade digestive tonic tea before bed: Pour boiling water over a generous portion of chopped, fresh ginger, cardamom pods, half a cinnamon stick, fennel seeds, and mint. Let sit. Strain and enjoy (honey optional).

You may have a point about the salt--I am most thirsty today, even though I downed a lot of water yesterday!