Day 5 - The Morning After

Well the day didn’t start out too hot, as I woke up at 6 am with cramps in the lower abdomen. The only trouble is I don’t know whether to blame the poop tea or the Schlitz beer. The neighbor that gave me a sample of the poop tea, swore by it’s effective and comfortable cleansing ability. Perhaps it just doesn’t agree with me, or perhaps it’s all about piling a Schlitz beer on top of four Guinness’s, or some combination of both. Regardless, I don’t give up that easy, and I have one sample poop tea bag left. I’m gonna give it another shot, as the promise of a morning ritual that includes a comfortable cleansing sounds too good to pass up. Plus, the tea actually tasted really good.

On the muscular and skeletal side of things, if my gooness wasn’t motivation enough, I hurt my back this morning bending over to kiss my kids goodbye. Granted, I’ve been struggling with a back problem on and off for a decade, but it flares up from time to time when it doesn’t agree with a certain move I put on it. This could include putting on a sandal, sock, or shoe, dancing funny, walking down the stairs and missing a step, throwing awkward, jogging, playing golf in a riding cart and getting out of a car. I’ve seen a chiropractor for this and he’s really got only one thing to say to me...”you have to lose your gut and get in shape.” Well, I’ve tried a few times and it just doesn’t stick, that’s why I gave it up. But, all things considered, this is a good reminder that I need to succeed on this 30 day plan.

Today, I think I made good eating choices. However, it’s 8:40 at night and I’m starving. I haven’t felt really hungry on this plan yet until now. Hopefully, the poop tea will help me out here. Eating lunch and dinner today, I felt full even though I didn’t eat that much. Almost like my stomach capacity isn’t what it used to be. I find it hard to believe since it’s only day 5.

It’s important to note that this plan isn’t about fasting either, it’s about making better choices. Choices based on the fact that your daily log has shown you how pathetic you are, you want to change, you need to change, and now you have a framework for living that change and sticking to it, thereby disciplining yourself. Coach John Wooden said something like, “discipline yourself and others won’t have to.” Well that’s exactly what this is about. Slowly, daily, small incremental improvement, until it becomes habit forming and you can’t stop yourself. Just like brushing your teeth, you have to do it, you can’t not do it at least once a day. As you start to accumulate these small daily wins, your outlook will change from hopeless to hopeful. Some people seem born disciplined, and guys like me just don’t get it. I’m curious if self-discipline can be learned. After day 5, I certainly feel less pathetic, despite my morning cramping and my bad back. Day 5 log is as follows:

Day 5

• 199!
• 1 venti (large) coffee from Starbucks
• 1 cup of coffee from work (yuk)
• 6 20oz bottles of water (taking some advice to heart I guess)
• 1 6-8” hot roast beef sub with melted provolone cheese and gardinara
• 1 small Solo cup of au jus on the side
• 6 sprigs of cooked broccoli
• 3 slices of pork tenderloin
• 1 small serving of buttered noodles drizzled with Romano cheese (stolen from kids)
• 1 cup of poop tea
• 
  
• 16 pushups
• 16 leg lifts
• cut and raked lawn*

*cutting the lawn is a regular activity but raking isn’t. I lowered the deck a notch and raked up all the excess. Not because I needed something to do, but it was a good excuse nonetheless.