Two weeks ago, I started my first round of 21 Day Fix. I had motivation, enthusiasm, all my “before” stats and photos. I had the food. I had the plan. I was ready!
By Tuesday night, otherwise known as “Metho Day,” I was done. I went down for nearly a week and stayed there as my children generously shared their stomach bug with me (so thoughtful, they are!) One side effect of methotrexate: a weakened immune system. I considered this a very reasonable excuse for discontinuing the Fix for a few days.
I had prepared for this program just as I prepared for any other and therein lay my problem. I hadn’t begun any other program while taking methotrexate. It’s different and I have to adjust. I must learn to go with the proverbial flow, not necessarily an easy feat for this Type A gal. (Remember that little anxiety issue?)
I began again this week. First day went swimmingly. Second day began much the same. Though I was fatigued and had some minor joint pain during Upper Fix, I made it through and felt pretty great after. I replenished with Shakeology and a Fix-approved lunch. With my goals attained (workout, good food in my belly), I took my weekly dose of methotrexate, donned Hubby’s pj pants, and queued Buffy on Netflix. I felt ready.
I wasn’t.
See, here’s the thing about methotrexate: the side effects can be killer for about 24 hours, give or take. Nausea. Fatigue (more than usual). The spins. Sore throat. So my rule of thumb regarding nutrition during this time strays from 21 Day Fix nutrition: I eat whatever remotely appeals to me, because getting anything in my stomach feels like a major accomplishment. So every week, I end up eating a pint of Stephen Colbert’s Americone Dream from Ben & Jerry’s over the course of those 24 hours. It cools my throat; it needs no preparation; it’s easy to shove back into the freezer when I’ve hit my limit. 
And let’s be honest here, it tastes phenomenal. In my medicated haze, I lust after the creamy vanilla, the crunchy waffle cone pieces, the smooth caramel. The chocolate. Oh yesssssss. The chocolate.
Where was I? Right. My nutrition.
Is it remotely good for me? Absolutely not. Do I continue to eat it? Absolutely.
Still, the dairy. The gluten. The mass quantities of sugar. I know it has to stop. At the very least, the frequency needs to be taken down a few notches.
So Hubby had a brilliant idea: sorbet. No dairy. No gluten. It’s my next step. Kind of like a nicotine patch, but for ice cream. The step after my Haagen-Dazs lemon sorbet: make my own all-fruit sorbet from organic frozen fruit. I just need a better blender. Recommendations are welcome.
Did I mention my birthday is less than a week away?
Am I still following the Fix? You betcha. But it doesn’t mean I don’t have RA. It doesn’t mean I don’t struggle with medicinal side effects. It merely means I am focusing on my nutrition again, rebuilding my physical strength and endurance, and reaching for my goals. I slipped up. I instituted a plan. I am moving on. With RA. With methotrexate. With my body as it is.
I like the ease of the 21 Day Fix, the simplicity of the container system, the 30-minute workouts. While I indulged, it’s not difficult to jump right back in. Planning a menu in advance and prepping my food will make it even simpler, and that’s on the agenda for next week. However, for this week, I am going meal-by-meal and (other than the Americone Dream episode) finding it surprisingly easy. Bonus: it’s easy to keep on the Paleo path with this nutrition plan. Extra bonus: homemade sorbet will fit right in with my purple containers.
Look for extended bragging over the next three weeks.
Filed under: 21 Day Fix, excuses, exercise, fitness, food, nutrition, rheumatoid arthritis, spoonies Tagged: accurate knowledge, autoimmune disease, diet, exercise, health, nutrition, paleo, rheumatoid arthritis, training
