the Unexpected...Food

It has been almost 18 months since my last beer.  Now days, I eat pretty much whatever I want (aka Big Red Zero and Chunky Chips Ahoy) and work my ass off in the gym.  However, during my first few weeks of sobriety, I encountered something that I did not plan for...one of the unexpected aspects of sobering up.     

To abruptly deprive my body of the only thing that it knew, Mr. Barley and Ms. Hops, was quite an adjustment, mentally and physically.  Just like any other addict, in the first few days, I fought off the shakes, I felt sick, I slept hours on end, I drank gallons of water…but once I was back on my feet, the one thing I was not prepared for was learning how to eat again.  Beer was my most substantial source of nutrients (just the idea that beer, in massive amounts, is nutritious makes me laugh), but as I began the first week of my journey, I had no real interest in food.  No food, no calories, no energy…this was not a good thing.  So began the process of finding food that was enjoyable. Those I consumed in excess with beer, I no longer craved.  In fact, I recently had a Reese’s peanut butter cup again…trust me, I ate it…but really didn’t enjoy it like I used too.  I lost my appetite for a lot of different things, especially things that were salty.  

Once I figured out what to eat, along came the challenge of how much to eat.  At first, I would not eat enough to sustain me for even one full hour.  What I forgot to consider:  I had been consuming a minimum of 3000 calories a day in beer, plus whatever food I did eat, so now I always felt as if I was starving.  After six months of trial and error, I finally found my best eating schedule along with quantity and type of foods to get me through a full day (mind you I never said it was all healthy or good for me).  

My first few months, I found that eating a family sized breakfast was the way to go.  I would wake up starving in the mornings, and since I work fairly early, it would be the only way to get me through most of my shift.  I would follow that up with a sandwich for lunch and a decent sized dinner.  I eventually found that adding a protein shake to my morning routine helped immensely and my breakfast platter turned back into a plate.  My body has since adjusted to this new way of life, and I still eat a good breakfast and dinner.  But mid-day is more a series of snacks rather than a full lunch.  I now find myself eating something around 9 or 10am, 2pm, and 5pm...followed by dinner at 7-8pm.  I will refrain from telling you what I do eat because I don't want someone to try my "diet" and end up gaining fifty pounds.  What I will tell you is that it works for me! 

And yes, to all those diet gurus out there, I may be, according to your way of life, killing my body by eating processed foods.  BUT guess what...we breathe the same crappy air, most of us shop at the same grocery store or something similar, and with the crap that is shipped out of China, you probably don't know what your eating either.  So, I will happily enjoy my cookies, pop-tarts, and waffles...and still kick some ass in the gym! :))