I have come to the end of it, and I've been successful at it, but emotionally, I've been a hot mess. I'm not sure I could've been a moodier, whinier brat than I was during weeks 2 and 3. I even got on my own nerves at times. I'm not proud of this, but it happened, and I want to be honest.
I think I figured out where the breakdown happened, and what was different this time versus last time. I can not deny that I am an emotional eater. I don't binge, but I definitely use food to celebrate, comfort, or lift my mood. At the end of a rough day, some people have a drink. Personally, I would rather go have a nice meal. My upbringing was the same - food was always at the center of what was going on.
That being said, it's the summer. As most people know, the summer is always my busiest time of year at work - and I don't just mean busy. I mean intensely stressful for a period of about 3 months. By now, this process has already come into full swing, but this summer is worse for a few reasons. First and foremost, the head honchos at my company decided we should renovate all of the offices now. I'm not sure what planet they live on, but I'm fairly certain they could not have picked a worse time to do this. Our busiest time of the year, and we are dodging guys ripping up carpet, sporadically painting random sections of things, and jackhammering the floors. There are ladders and clouds of dust everywhere, as well as blaring Tejano music. Thank God for headphones.
What I saw in my office when I came in this morning. I'm not sure how I'm supposed to work under tarp, but I'm doing my best.
Add to this my work computer, that I've been using for 9 years, decided to take a dump on July 3. After weeks of phone calls, emails, and pleas for help, I now finally have a somewhat functioning new computer. Its not FULLY functioning, though, because I still can't scan rent checks into the bank. No one seems in a hurry to get this fixed, and I'm fighting this battle alone. Being incapacitated at your job is so stressful, especially when everyone around you is still expecting you to complete your daily tasks.
Add to this a few incredibly moody, unpredictable coworkers. I won't say any more than that, but if you've ever held a job, I'm sure you get my drift.
That gives you an idea of what my day consists of Monday through Friday, week after week. July has been like Groundhog Day for me. This stresses me out. Add to this the stress of bills, trying to budget, and maintaining working out, and I hit a wall. I couldn't get a release at work because talking to myself doesn't really make me feel better, I couldn't get a release at home, because I would get there and switch gears into worrying about money or having to workout, and I couldn't get a release socially, because I can't go out and eat anything. Therefore, since I had no way to channel this stress, I think I just got cranky. Food is usually the one constant thing I have to look forward to, and I chose to eliminate that option. How stupid am I? I was really just annoyed with myself and the stresses of work, but it came out to others as a whiny idiot. I'm forever grateful to my son and husband for not kicking me out of the house the past 2 weeks.
Overall, I will say that I'm still glad we did the cleanse, I'm just ashamed of how much I let my somewhat food-related mood swings get the best of me. When it comes to something like this, you only get out of it what you put into it - and I totally screwed it up. What I am NOT ashamed of is how much I am looking forward to a sandwich, with crusty bread, in all it's gluten glory, piled high with lean meats (yes, plural!), and delicious cheese. That's been my biggest craving all along. If I never see another bean for the rest of my life, it will be too soon. F*ck legumes. I might get a tshirt made with that as my new catch phrase.
I still feel fantastic physically, and I'm down 7 pounds. A few people, including my unequivocally forgiving husband, noticed I was shedding weight again and were quick to compliment. That's always a good feeling. I do love how I feel, I just made it way harder than it needed to be along the way, with all the stress and junk floating around in my head. Note to self: never do another cleanse during the summer, unless I have found new gainful employment first.
Now, off to plan my weekend menu. I feel like a kid on Christmas Eve. I haven't been this excited in at least 3 weeks, AND, I have the entire weekend off from both jobs. Life is good. It actually always has been, I've just finally stopped bitching long enough to realize it again. Time to do better.