The body does not lie

Yesterday I enjoyed two lovely meals out. 

Lunch was decadent given how my eating habits have changed since the new year.  Creme fraiche swirled into my butternut squash soup (which most likely already contained dairy), risotto with a generous shaving of Parmesan on top and a hunk of braised beef short rib nestled in its center (and whatever dairy was already stirred into it for maximum creaminess) and my key lime pie dessert ('nuff said).

I couldn't finish my risotto or pie.  Which is totally 'new' me.  In part it's because by eating almost exclusively at home, I have not been eating as much food in a sitting than I have in the past (it's easy to eat more than you need to when you are portioned something by someone else rather than serving yourself).  In part it's because I haven't been eating much meat or dairy and so these dishes were just too darn rich for my blood, in three short weeks.

By the time the meal was over, I felt like I was in a drugged state.  My mind and body did not feel like my own.  I was fuzzy...cottony...and would have been happy to lie down and sleep it off.

Except, I didn't.  I walked out into the fresh air instead.  Which was good.

Except, I wouldn't have slept it off with a nap.  Because despite walking quite a bit more that afternoon, much more than I usually do, and eating a relatively light dinner (bibimbap and kimchee, well and okay, I did have the frozen yogurt from Pinkberry...)  I felt lethargic this morning and was bloated and puffy all over.

I practiced Qigong this morning which cleared up some of the cobwebs.

But, I had some homemade cheese pizza for lunch (once I consume some cheese, it sets off a chemical reaction in me and it becomes much easier for me to say "yes" without even thinking about it).

I went to a cat house this afternoon and then another one tonight.  During dinner my nose started getting stuffy and then runny and I could feel fluid begin to rattle around my throat and chest.  My cat allergies were zooming right back (symptoms tend to ease up if I lay off the dairy).

It's not all about the food.  I am finally making a true shift in my understanding of my body vis-a-vis food.  But, my sensitivity, these reactions with such quick turnaround, tell me that my mind and body are more attuned to each other and that I am open to hear this discomfort, this cacophony of experience.  And I get it.  I'm off balance. 

I haven't been getting enough sleep.

I'm dealing with balancing life with an addition to our family...it's all good, but it still requires shifting and adjusting.

I'm surfing some new waves of awareness and energy.  Again, all good, but it's keeping me on my toes.

I don't have enough time to do everything I want to or need to.

It is a good time to boost the Qigong practice.  Change of season is coming to an end and we're entering Liver season.  For all intents and purposes, my season.  I have a chance here to dig a little deeper and feel really good as I surge through the season.

44 here I come!