Happy Thursday to all!
Let’s talk about this Specific Carbohydrate Diet for a second. I’d be lying if I said the SCD has been easy. It hasn’t quite been two weeks yet but I can honestly say I am exhausted from it already. The biggest issue I’m having is simply finding enough time to do all of the food prep, not to mention clean up afterwards, especially since I am still going in to work. This diet looks into every last ingredient in a food item, which means I have to make all of my dressings and sauces from scratch and then there’s the meals of course, snacks, bread, crackers, etc. This is obviously pretty time consuming, and not the most practical in my life. I may be speaking out of sheer exhaustion right now, but I am thinking I may convert to a more modified version of the SCD. I have some thinking to do.
First things first. A recap from yesterday.
In the morning I wasn’t feeling the best, but I still wanted to attempt a run. I went into the run telling myself it was okay to walk if need be. I started off in a slow jog and continued that pace for a couple of miles. I kept my route real close to home in case I needed to make it home quickly, and towards the end of the 2nd mile, I really wasn’t feeling too well, so I made my way home. I still managed to work up a nice sweat in that short period of time. Although it was only two miles, like I say, two miles is better than no miles at all.
I wasn’t hungry for breakfast which rarely happens. I think it can be attributed to my cookie monster fiasco the night before. I knew I had to eat something before work and it needed to be substantial enough to hold me over for four hours until lunch. I made cinnamon honey peanut butter alongside a banana. That did the trick.
For lunch, I still wasn’t very hungry (again, cookie monster), but I made myself a plate of cooked carrots, pulled chicken, and topped it with homemade honey mustard.
I had to work late again last night so once I got home, I was finally hungry. It was just a matter of making dinner that sounded like the biggest task in the world. Not only could I not decide what sounded good, I also didn’t want to be spending the next 45 minutes in the kitchen, so I needed to choose wisely. We still had lettuce cups leftover from the Thai lettuce cups, so I started off with that idea in mind. Then, I began sautéing carrots, zucchini, spinach, and mushrooms which I spiced up with basil, oregano, salt and pepper. Once they were thoroughly cooked, I placed a heaping spoonful of veggies on top of three lettuce cups and topped them with pulled chicken.
I thought I would leave it at that, but the meal was tasting pretty bland to me (I feel like this has been a common theme lately), so I topped the remaining two lettuce cups with a small dollop of peanut butter.
I am starting to think I could add peanut butter to anything and I would enjoy it: a sock, a shoe….anything. 😉 This minor addition to the meal improved the dish a little, but this still wasn’t my most favorite ever. But, it wasn’t so bad either. I am just really missing my sauces, especially soy sauce in this case. I am a saucy gal. Dinner tasted very fresh and healthy, I just don’t think it was really what I was in the mood for.
For dessert, I controlled myself and had only two of the cinnamon cookies. I also made up a batch of honey almond butter and had a few samples of that, you know, to make sure it tasted okay.
Today is my Friday of work because I have tomorrow off. I am really looking forward to it. I feel like after vacation, the week back is always so exhausting and really wears you out.
Back to the SCD. I will be updating you soon on my decision to possibly deviate slightly from the plan. It is important to remember that each person and each case is different, and each individual heals differently and at varying rates. I know this may not seem like a good idea to those of you reading this who have been following the diet for quite some time, but it may be what I need to do in order to maintain my sanity, control my stress level, and enjoy my summer fully. If anything I would continue to eat grain-free, but I may look into buying some store-bought dressings and sauces. I would scan the ingredient labels carefully and try to stick to ones that were the closest to “legal.” I am trying to remain as stress-free as possible, but this diet is really starting to exhaust me, and I think these minor changes would help me to not feel so overwhelmed, and would help me to heal.
I don’t want to discourage anyone out there who is following this diet exactly as it is supposed to be followed. I strongly admire those of you who have been following this for years or even months. Your dedication is truly something that should be recognized. I will continue the SCD and continue to support all of you who are following the SCD.
I am off for the day! I’m keeping my head up, and I hope you all are too. The sun is shining, and I just finished my morning cup o’ Jo. Have a great day.
Good luck with whatever you decide, but please know that it does get A LOT easier, especially as you’re able to introduce more foods (but don’t rush it, that’s key). I felt exactly the same way in the beginning, but I didn’t give up. My health, well-being and healing was far too important to me (not to say that it’s not to you, I can tell very much that it is). My best advice is to enjoy the process and know that it won’t always be this difficult. Meanwhile, focus on making larger quantities of meals so you have ample leftovers, tuck things away in the freezer (soups, muffins, stews, etc.), take advantage of a Crock Pot (they’re very affordable if you don’t have one), and know that you’re doing the right thing for your body at this point in time and in the long haul. Things like jarred no-sugar added marinara sauce, tomato paste, unsweetened applesauce, coconut butter, pre-made SCD legal broth, frozen veggies, Thai Kitchen brand red curry paste, canned SCD legal coconut milk, and salsa are some great staples from the grocery store to have on hand. I hope this is helpful and please let me know if I can help in any other way!
Thank you! I am doing my best to stick to it and will definitely be continuing it. I just get overwhelmed by it sometimes. Thank you for being so positive! Have a great weekend!!
Of course! It’s completely understandable to feel that way too and in all reality, there’s nothing wrong with feeling that way. You are allowed, you’re only human! Have a great weekend as well and again, let me know if I can help in any way, shape or form 🙂
So, I just came to the realization that I got the wrong kind of DCCC during the intro part of the SCD. We bought farmer’s cheese but after looking at photos and youtube videos, we realized we definitely had the wrong stuff. Now I want to go find the actual right cheese. I just know it’s not easy to find.
It is tricky to find and took some searching for me. I’m fortunate now to get it at my neighborhood Whole Foods and it’s even from a local dairy (Sunshine is the brand). The only ingredients in your DCCC should be grade A cultured milk, so be sure to check for it. I’ve also bought a brand of Russian farmer’s cheese from Whole Foods, which seems more like DCCC that’s been blended in a food processor. It’s really thick and even spreadable – a bit richer too, but good. What did you buy that you thought was DCCC?
Well, I got it at whole foods also. I asked the cheese ladies for DCCC also known sometimes as Baker’s Cheese or Farmer’s Cheese, and they showed me to the only thing they could think of which was a block of Farmer’s Cheese. It was a dry cheese but it had more or a hard cheese texture—definitely not soft or ricotta-like. It had a terrible after taste so I actually didn’t end up eating it, but the hubs loved it. I read that Cub Foods in my area sometimes carries it, and if they don’t have it in store, they can order it for you. I am going to do my detective work with that today because now I really want to try it!
Haha, yeah that definitely doesn’t sound like the DCCC I know! It literally looks like a bunch of tiny, individual loose curds (AKA cottage cheese minus the liquid). The stuff I told you about labeled Russian farmer’s cheese looked a little bit different though. Good luck on your search! At least you know they’ll order it for you if you can’t find it. Once you do get it though, I don’t recommend eating it by itself … it’s pretty dry and tasteless!
I found the cheese!!
Yay!!
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