Me & MSG

 Sometimes, I seem to be the best at finding new & creative ways to poison myself?!? The only successful way I got myself below 200 lbs (& stayed there!) 15 yrs ago was through a modified low-carb diet &  I’ve been trying to “clean up my act” ever since… I’ve cycled through Paleo, primal, & semi-carnivore - these days I’m trying to adhere to “whole foods”, although I admit I fall off the wagon quite frequently… I’ve been stuck around this 190-lb threshold for about 3 yrs now - I know nothing significant will change unless I make (more) significant changes in diet & exercise patterns. But damn, it’s hard to sacrifice the immediate rewards of chips & salsa when I survey even the relatively recent census of  “Memento Mori”: dear Charles (it still hits me like a physical blow when I realize I can no longer call him for a quick laugh/venting session), neighbor Terri (with whom I only got to ride on one precious occasion as I drive by & see her good horse “outstanding in the field”), Frenemy Mine’s husband (his daughter just posted a plaintive “six months gone” IG post), & the most recent loss, my ex-husband’s beloved Vietnamese stepmother, Grandma Phu. (I will try to sketch some more “convoluted family history” later; as much for Zach’s sake as my own clarity) Granted, she was 88 yrs old so it wasn’t as if this was a complete shock, but I’m disappointed that we didn’t get back for another visit. Her daughter just sent me a thick packet of old photos - I’ll try to figure out how to post a few of them…

So I had picked up a few comfort foods at Costco last week - for dinner Tuesday night I heated up the Zuppa Toscana sausage & potato soup. It is advertised as gluten-free, so I don’t know if it was just the excess sodium, MSG or something else but I got up Wednesday morning & not only had I bloated up by 4 lbs, every joint in my body hurt! I fasted for most of the day, drank lots of water & the magical diuresis occurred as well as a little, ahem, diarrhea! (sorry for the TMI) - & luckily this morning I’m back down to baseline. I’m going to take my friend to the Korean sauna for a little more “detox”.