The age of change

…is off to a rough start. Rather than having a panic attack about turning 27 last week, I decided to embrace the opportunity to make some positive changes in my life. I’m going to become a better person in my 27th year. Volunteer. Get in shape. Talk to people in elevators. Eat a healthy diet.

I thought that a good way to kick off the age of change would be with a detox. After a week of eating nothing but fried catfish and bourbon, this seemed like a good idea. On Tuesday, I started an 11-day detox diet. Basically, I couldn’t eat carbs or dairy. No caffeine, no alcohol. My diet was restricted to meat and vegetables.

Fail. I made it 36 hours before I nearly died. During a rainy drive home from Olympia to Seattle last night, I began to realize that it was not safe for me to be on the road. I could barely keep my eyes open, and I felt like I was hungover. I ate the rest of my snacks (blueberries and carrots) in attempt to get some energy – to no avail. I chugged the rest of my water. I began to question whether or not I was giving myself an eating disorder. Was my brain turning into mush from lack of nourishment?

Around Tacoma, I realized that I was not going to make the last 45 minutes of the drive without a) killing myself or b) killing someone else. I needed carbs or a nap ASAP. I pulled over in Fife and promptly ordered medium fries and a diet coke from McDonalds. I felt better, but still felt queasy/tired. I took a 20 minute nap in the McDonalds parking lot. (Is this rock bottom?)

I eventually made it home where I shakily ate a bowl of cereal and headed to bed around 7:30pm. Who was I kidding? I’ve never gone more than two days without candy in my entire life, and I thought I could survive on meat and vegetables for 11 days?

Today, I woke up to a sunny seattle day. I promptly purchased a breakfast sandwich and double tall Americano. Life is back to normal. I might try the detox again someday…baby steps for now. I’m going to try for 11 days without candy and see what happens. Cheers to day 3!