Knowing When To Quit

I started the 21 DSD off last week strong.  Even with a husband who was working an insane amount of overtime, leaving me to solo-parent 20 hours out of the day, I ate very cleanly.  I did not crave sugar and didn't even have the urge to hit the Starbuck's drive-thru despite very little sleep.

Yet there was a big downside to the detox - my milk supply.  I am breast feeding our little guy.  It's something that is very important to me. I will not compromise nursing him in favor of any diet.   By Thursday I knew something wasn't right.  He wanted to nurse all-day-long.  It wasn't a growth spurt style nursing marathon, it was a "hey I'm not getting enough here" protest.

I looked at my water log, and knew I was having plenty.  Then I looked at my food log, and therein lies the problem. Breastfeeding alone burns 500 extra calories a day.  Add in the minimal exercise I get from walking to the park or around the zoo, and the extra calories burned from carrying a newborn in one-arm while chasing a toddler, and occasionally also carrying a 30lb toddler on the opposite hip, and I need A LOT of calories in a day.   The way my life is right now, I need food that I can eat AND prepare with one hand.  Anything requiring two hands, or holding the potential of dropping and burning the newborn in my arms is out.  No dairy and no gluten makes this hard enough.  Add in no-fruit and it becomes almost impossible to get enough calories.

I tried making up for my deficit by eating my weight in almonds.  But that is neither fun, nor probably very healthy in its own right.  The 21 DSD advises nursing moms add in some sweet potato with every meal, which I was doing but still ending up without enough calories. I'm sure some of the hardcore Paleo enthusiasts would advise I just up my intake of grass-fed, nitrate free, free-range bacon and hard-boiled eggs, but frankly I don't think that's very healthy.

So I've decided to forgo the 21 DSD for now. I think it's a great program, and hope to complete it at some point once my milk supply is more establish, and Little Dude doesn't rely on me for all of his nutrition.   We will still be Paleo since I can't have dairy.  But there will be no official program we're on.  For now I'm just going to focus on eating things that fit the Paleo guidelines and are easy to eat with one arm.  Hopefully this will solve the caloric-intake issue.  Especially as I begin to run again in T-3 days!