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Last time I posted, I whimpered (you could probably hear me) about my difficulty in finding horseradish or wasabi that didn’t have soy or sugar added to it. Well, sometimes the old brain doesn’t work as well as it should. It finally dawned on me I could order powdered wasabi and either make my own or add it to something like my Whole30 compliant mayo. Duh. It’s now on order, should arrive Monday.

In addition, I finally got a hold of compliant ketchup. It’s put out by Primal Kitchen and I have to say, it’s pretty darn good. In fact, I like it better than normal ketchup (aside from the price). It’s REALLY expensive on Amazon, but locally I found it at Safeway for about four bucks less. Actually tastes more like tomatoes than normal ketchup. I can get my eggs down again.

My last grand find was coconut aminos. They’re a substitute for soy sauce. Slightly sweet if you taste it right out of the bottle, but it’s subtle. When mixed in with the other ingredients for a Chinese dish, it’s impossible for the average palate to notice. Since there are people who do taste testing for a living, I’m sure someone will scoff at my unsophisticated taste buds. Scoff away!

The fourth book continues to get written. I finished up Chapter 7 today, and celebrated by watching the last episode of the third season of Stranger Things. Of course, my favorite character bit it (well, maybe – there was some foreshadowing at the very end that might hint at a miraculous reappearance in season four). I am pretty much anathema to any character I grow attached to. My old anime group can attest to that.

Lastly, I am attempting to learn new techniques to use in my digital artwork. I’ve had some interaction with other cover artists of late and find myself feeling sorely inadequate. I suppose most anyone involved in creative endeavors finds themselves constantly wishing they were better. I know I try to improve my writing skills with each book. I shouldn’t beat myself up so much about not being the Great Spiny’s gift to the art world. But I do. And so, I’m trying to learn new stuff. In order to keep myself sane, I’m setting aside two days a week to work on art. I refuse to let myself feel guilty on those days, despite my lack of words on page. Mostly.

Today, I still have several hours left in the day for writing, though. Maybe I can get a good lead into Chapter 8. Wish me luck.

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With my sleep issues cleared up, thanks to my dedicated use of my precious CPAP machine, I am moving on to other things to help improve my overall health and general enjoyment of life. I’ve pretty much always had weight issues. Even as a kid, despite being involved in both nordic and alpine racing, I had to constantly exercise or I’d blimp out. I ran two miles every day. I did circuit training. I played soccer (terribly, I might add)—you get the idea. As an adult I continued to run every day until a doctor realized I’d been on prednisone for eleven years and took me off it. Turned out I had massive knee issues the drug was masking. So ended my running days.

Fast forward to today and I spend most of my time in front of a computer. I’m either doing accounting at my day job, or at home I’m writing, gaming, or creating book covers. Talk about sedentary! I was taking time out to walk a couple of miles a day, but I somehow managed to acquire a groin injury. I’m in rehab for that and hope to start walking again soon-ish.

But walking is not enough. I need to stop stuffing crap down my gullet. Some friends have had very good luck with the Whole30 diet. It’s an elimination diet. You completely avoid all dairy, all sugar, and all bread-like things. You have to read labels since even things that say “all natural”, “organic”, etc., can contain honey, sugar and soy, all of which are no-no’s. No corn either or grains of any sort. No legumes (except for snow peas and green beans). But you can have pretty much all the meat and fruit you want. Eggs and nuts (no peanuts – they’re a legume) are fine.

Fortunately, Costco has a ton of stuff, even cold cuts, which are considered compliant. I’ve never eaten so much fruit in my life. I’m on day sixteen and I’ve lost 6.5 pounds (shhh, don’t tell anyone, you’re not supposed to weigh for the thirty days).

The good: I’m never super hungry and if I do get peckish I can snack on almonds or cashews. I don’t feel weak like I have on severe calorie restriction diets. I’m a big fan of meat and berries, so I have plenty to keep me full. I discovered yellow watermelon. Awesome stuff! Guacamole is fine on the diet. Mayo made from avocado oil is allowed too. Also, most of the books, including recipes can be snagged if you have Kindle Unlimited. There are a lot of recipes to be found just searching on the internet also. The slow cooker and the InstaPot are your friends. Oh, and they recently started allowing you to have baking potatoes. You just cannot fry them or cover them in sour cream. Clarified butter is pretty much the only dairy item they allow.

The bad: I’ve gotten to the point where I can hardly look at an egg. Almost everything I would add to jazz them up are forbidden. Most condiments have either soy or sugar in them. Even salsa requires a label read. I looked at one today which had cornstarch in it for thickening purposes. I have yet to find horseradish or liquid smoke that doesn’t have something non-compliant in it. I would kill for some wasabi. Most people find ketchup gross on scrambled eggs, but I was raised that way—however,I cannot find ketchup without sugar (or honey) in it.

Overall, I’d say this diet is a keeper. I have twelve more days to go before I can add something back into my diet. Odds are I will continue to avoid corn, soy and sugar. What I’m hoping to do is add cheese back in and maybe a hamburger bun now and then. Probably have to stay away from peanuts too, including peanut butter. I think with just those two adds I can stay true to the spirit of the diet, especially if I don’t allow the bread and cheese into my meals more than a couple times a week. We’ll see. I’ll let you know the final results at the end of the thirty days.

Now, I have to get back to writing. Cheers!

Photo by Edu Lauton on Unsplash

Apparently, a lot of people who get CPAP machines do not use them. When I picked mine up and went through the how-to’s with the tech, she emphasized the importance of using the machine at least four hours a night, a minimum of twenty-one nights a month. The machine calls the doctor’s office each day (or at least the company that makes the machine and they in turn provide the doctor with the info) and lets them know if I used it, how long I used it, how many times I stopped breathing during the night, and whether I have a good seal on the mask. In addition, I have an account where I can log in and get the same info. They’re serious about this stuff. And the insurance company is too. If I don’t use it enough they won’t pay for it. So, I don’t think I’m going out on a limb here when I say, I don’t think a lot of people follow through, otherwise they wouldn’t go to so much trouble.

Considering how much better I feel, I can’t imagine not using it. The difference is astounding. Even sleeping upright didn’t make me feel this good. The awful sense of being hung over all the time is gone. I’m not falling asleep on the couch, behind the wheel (scary!), or at my computer. Even my cat has adapted and puts up with the hissing air and the crazy tubes.

My CPAP machine has become my precious!

Since I’ve started feeling better I’ve gotten a lot more writing done. I’ve finished a short story that I plan on posting as a freebie. My intention is to start a dreaded mailing list, and using that as an incentive to sign up. I’ve also gotten a couple more chapters done on Book IV – title still pending – and have faith I’ll be able to get it done much faster than the last one. NanoWriMo is coming up pretty soon (November), so if I need a kick in the pants, that should help.

Cheers, everyone!