I think I need to get more sleep.  However, I'm not sure how, short of tacking more hours on the day.  I'm just so tired.  I think I'd be a lot less grumpy about the diet if I felt more well-rested.  I do realize that I don't need more caffeine - I need more sleep, but caffeine is way easier to come by.  I am still drinking green tea, but all things considered, my normal caffeine intake is always pretty low since if I drink too much, I get squirrelier than usual.  

Right now if I had a choice between a 3-hour nap and a sushi buffet, I'd go for the nap.  

I'm experiencing this weird "hungry/not-hungry" thing.  I think it's that I'm finally experiencing the difference between psychological hunger and physiological hunger.  Now that my only food options are things that frankly usually aren't as tasty my normal nommings, I realize that I actually am full more often than I would've normally realized.  But I'm still ... hungry.  And that part of me that's insisting that it's hungry really does think that a plate of tuna tataki would set everything right with the world. Ah, hormones - those little stinkers. :P (Wait - lack of sleep increases production of ghrelin?!? Oh ...)

I miss the flavors of things that I'm accustomed to eating.  I'm really looking forward to dinner at Chipotle tonight, because at least that tastes like the usual stuff (minus the extra tang of sour cream and cheese).  I wish I would stop thinking about that tasty salmon wrap at Harper's, though.

Alright, I'm going to stop whining and try to think about what I'm going to do about the sleep thing.

Every time I think about what a pain in the butt this diet is, I remind myself that I did manage to stop smoking cold turkey, and this is a comparative cakewalk.

(cake! *groan* ;) )

Oh! And I've managed to drop 4 pounds so far. 

OK, so it is really hard to find gluten-free stuff.  There is wheat flour in Zatarain's Red Beans and Rice, it's also in the Japanese Vermont Curry.  Our theory is that it's a thickening agent to keep the sauces from becoming runny.  *sigh* 

Also, J is totally right about needing a mid-afternoon snack ... that became abundantly clear after eating my sensible lunch of dolmates, refried beans, and Spanish rice.  Around 4, I was ready to chew through my arm.  Luckily I found a nut bar stashed in my office.  So it had a minute amount of cane juice ... the road to madness is paved with perfection. :P 

We did go to Earth Fare last night, and I have the makings of my own trail mix to get me through tomorrow's mid-afternoon snack attack.  Because none of the pre-made trail mixes were free of some sort of sugar or honey.  Oh! Oats!  G thinks oats contain gluten ... let's find out.  Oh.  People aren't really sure, but it's safest for people who have to avoid gluten to skip the oats. *sigh*  Some of that granola I saw yesterday looked tasty ...

And I lost 2 pounds.  G says there's a perfectly reasonable explanation for that. *rolls eyes* :P  He also asked me if I'd established a baseline for my weight, and the answer is "No." 

Today G and I are starting the diet that's commonly known as "Oprah's 21 Day Cleanse."  (I think it's more accurately called "The Quantum Wellness Diet." 

Per the diet, we're supposed to avoid:

• Caffeine
• Sugar
• Alcohol
• Gluten
• Animal Products

Also, I didn't know this when we decided to try the cleanse, but my total cholesterol is high!  (My LDL is a bit north of normal, and so is my HDL - but in the case of the latter, it's good to be higher than normal.)  So now I'm even more motivated to get animal-based products out of my diet.  ... temporarily.  After the cleanse diet is over, the fish is going right back into my diet.  I should probably make long-term plans to eat less cheese than I have been.  (I'm sure my acupuncturist will approve. :P )

I predict that I'm really going to miss cheese and red wine.  :(

I'm also a little worried about "stealth gluten" - I've got to remember to really read labels carefully.

And speaking of beverages, I'm not ceasing to drink my morning green tea.  The cleanse says no caffeine, and it is true that there is caffeine in green tea, but I'm not trying to get some sort of certificate for completing this cleanse thing, and I think the dietary benefits of green tea far outweigh the detrimental effects of a small amount of caffeine.  And it's tasty. Hmmph.

I'm not terribly concerned about weight loss.  I could stand to drop a few pounds, sure.  I happily predict that I will lose some weight. :)  But that's not the motivating factor for me - cleaning out my system is my motivation.

For lunch, we're going to Boba House.  After work, we're going to stop by Chipotle and have the usual naked burritos without the cheese or sour cream, and off to Earth Fare to procure provisions.  Luckily, both of us really like beans and rice. :)