Monday, July 12, 2010

Missteps and being Woefully Unprepared on Day 1

It set in around 7:15, after I had started up my computer at work, opened my email, looked at my calendar. Behind me, on my desktop, was my French Press and coffee cup, the latter standing out from its surroundings as it is bright yellow with brown "WMU" logos all over it. My friends, I cannot drink coffee.

See, it started then because having a three egg (and nothing else) breakfast is still pretty nice. Especially when your eggs are as delectable as those raised on the Suburban Farm. I did have a foreshadowing pang, however, when I went for the strawberry jam and realized that I couldn’t have it.

Then, to start things off as well as possible, I left my lunch at home. So, on the very first day where I was to eat only from my garden, I had to run out at eleven to get my lunch. But since I was home anyway, I used my small pasta serving then to have spaghetti. I thought this was a good idea as I was to play my first playoff softball game later that evening.

And what a game it was! Without any sort of physical exercise or practice, I found that all you have to do to play like a Spartan is to eat like a Spartan. The fire in my belly had me turn out two hits in the first two innings. Then the lighting came and the game was delayed until later in the week.

But, playing sports, even at this lofted corporate beer-league level, does take something out of a person. Especially if that person is used to eating like a normal, middle-class American. Water doesn’t quench a thirst the same way Gatorade does (props to U of Miami on figuring that one out).

The other thing I can say I learned today is that modern life is based around and intertwined with our culture of convenience. When I forgot my lunch, I could have just gone to the cafeteria, but that’s breaking my rules. If I lived further from work, I’d have been in real trouble. As it was, it took me 45 minutes to go from desk, to home, eat, and back to my desk… and I live less than two miles from the gate!

Day 1 is going to close out with eggplant, collard greens cooked with a jalapeño, and a nice, big glass of water. Tomorrow, I buy a cow. And plant a coffee tree.

A synopsis of today's menu:

Nature’s Promise Whole Wheat Linguine: 210 calories / 1.5g fat / 7g protein

My homemade tomato sauce: guessing…

1 medium tomato: 28 C / no fat / 1.5g protein / 250mg Potassium

1 tbsp green pepper: 3 C / no fat / no protein

1 slice-equivalent of an onion: 4 C / nothing else in there, either.

Collard Greens: 49 C / 0.7g fat / 4g protein / 220mg Potassium / 30mg Sodium

3 eggs: 222 C / 15g fat / 19g protein / a lot of cholesterol. But mine are free range…

Eggplant: 35 C / no fat / 0.8g protein / 121mg Potassium

Bread (crumbs for the eggplant): 120 C / 0.5g fat / 4g protein / 150mg Sodium

Probably 20 glasses of water.

…reasonable

[numbers courtesy of the internet]

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