Breaking the diet = food coma

I wrote the main text of yesterday’s blog right after my morning workout and the unfortunate nuts incident.

Today, I want to take a moment and mention what happened with my so-called “lunch” later that night. My meals got all kind of screwed up yesterday, with bizarre effects.

Let me explain:

I made an unplanned trip to Vancouver in the afternoon to clean a new manufactured home we set up in one of the parks we manage.

I spent six hours there working my ass off, and the last hour or so was hastened by an insane hunger that overwhelmed me. I finished up and jumped into my Jeep to head home, but decided that a 30-minute drive was too long to wait to have my third meal of the day, otherwise known as “lunch.”

So I drove to a teriyaki place that’s always been a favorite of mine — one of the many places on my eating out circuit from the pre-Just Lose It! days.

There are few things in life I like more than teriyaki chicken. Fortunately, grilled chicken with teriyaki sauce is not off limits in my new diet that follows the Glycemic Index. It’s a meal I’ve already feasted on several times.

The teriyaki sauce they served me at this restaurant, however, was more like syrup. I could taste the sugar in it and, of course, the portion of chicken they served me was way too much. The dish also came with two scoops of white rice, and I told myself “Just a little bit, Troy. Just a nibble.”

But I was starving. I’m on a diet where I’m supposed to eat 5-6 times a day, no more than three hours apart. And here I was at 6 p.m. having “lunch” six hours after my second snack/meal.

I devoured it. Couldn’t stop myself. It was soooo good. All that chicken covered in thick teriyaki sauce. Both scoops of starchy white rice. Mmmm. I felt guilty, but it felt so right.

Everything was fine until I started heading home. The food started to settle about 10 minutes after I left the restaurant. I felt so incredibly full.

And bloated.

And sleepy.

I got so drowsy driving home that I stopped at a Starbucks. By now it was after 7 p.m., and I was loading up on caffeine. Under normal circumstances, evening coffee is something I never do.

When I got home, I started doing chores around my house that kept me standing on my feet. I didn’t want to sit down, because I thought I’d conk out. But eventually I made it to the couch and TV, and within minutes I was out. It was only 8 p.m.

It didn’t feel like sleep as much as it felt like passing the fuck out.

I’m not a scientist, and I’m not an expert on this like my nutritionist-trainer, but what I believe happened was my blood-sugar level got out of whack. The diet she’s teaching me is supposed to keep it even all day long. That, combined with weight-training and cardio, is supposed to make my body burn everything it takes in.

The insanely large portion of chicken teriyaki syrup with white rice put me into what I think people call a “food coma.” Like I said, this did not feel like sleep. It felt like I was passed out. The coffee had no chance.

I was in my food coma for more than an hour. When I woke up, it was after 9 p.m. and I felt like shit.

And it was past time for my fourth meal.

Food Journal:
Breakfast: Scrambled eggs in wheat tortilla, glass of milk
Snack: Two whole wheat mini-bagels with peanutbutter. Small apple.
Lunch: Protein shake, celery sticks.
Dinner:  Grilled chicken, brown rice, salad. (3 hours after lunch)
Snack: Hard-boiled egg. Greek yogurt