Two Days Complete

Here in the early days of this challenge, I'm a little concerned about psycho-somatic effects. After all, I want to know what the genuine effects of wheat exclusion are, not just fool myself into thinking I feel what a book told me I would feel.

Wheat Belly suggests, among other things, that those forgoing wheat will feel less hungry between meals and that they will sleep better at night. Over the last two days I've felt those effects: I feel like I tossed and turned substantially less while sleeping, and during both nights so far I didn't wake up to pee until I really needed to pee. Maybe that's a sign that I was sleeping more deeply?

The "less hungry" thing also seems to be true; after yesterday's 10am meal of BBQ chicken, cubed cheddar and potato chips, I did not feel particularly hungry most of the day. I ate a bar of premium chocolate (no fillers) at around 8pm and wasn't hungry throughout the rest of the evening, although my mind kept turning to thoughts of snacks. I definitely have a pattern in my life of eating when I don't need to, so I tried to carefully evaluate whether I was hungry or simply bored.

One effect that I can't yet properly account for is my mood. This morning I woke up to find I had missed a lunch invitation from my dad because I didn't hear a text message come in. I immediately felt very angry and sad about it and lashed out at Chelly. My emotional reaction was definitely out-of-proportion to the situation and while I'd love to blame "wheat withdrawal" and be done with it, the truth is that I'm historically quite capable of being an ass so I think all I can do is monitor the situation as the days go by.

Today is my day to get ready for the week by doing a bit of cooking in advance. I got some steaks and some chicken breasts and I plan to cook them very simply and eat them throughout the week with some rice, cheese, nuts and apples. I'm making the decision to prepare meals in advance not because it's a healthier option, although I'm sure it is. I'm doing it mostly because the idea of going to a restaurant or fast-food joint and limiting myself to wheat-free items isn't very attractive: I don't want to be stared at while I eat a bun-less hamburger with a knife and fork, and I hope to minimize the number of times I have to ask some minimum-wage waitress to tell me where their caesar dressing comes from or if they dredge their fries before cooking.

So far I don't think I miss wheat. I already miss the simplicity of eating without considering ingredients, but I'm very lazy and so that was to be expected. So I'm still very much interested in and engaged in this challenge. Let's see what the first full week brings.