No Dirt November 2021
After last year’s inaugural No-Dirt November, I thought I was never going to do it again. But I can’t resist a challenge (even while marathon training).
What does this even mean?
Great question! So Seth and I have created our own food groups. Here is a graphic to explain:
How did it go?
I knew it was going to be hard. Last year, I learned how much I rely on sugary or junky foods when I am not feeling good emotionally. There were many days where I was craving chocolate or cookies - and not having those kinds of comfort foods made it much harder to manage my mental health.
One change from last year was that I decided not to worry about portion control. I also realized that if I ate a ton of pasta the night before, my runs felt good the next day.
There were only two questionable times:
A trip to New York City where we had to dine at restaurants. We did our best to pick foods that were in the “Better” category.
Thanksgiving! Back in October, I ordered some of the sides from South Mountain Creamery - though I would argue that the dishes they provided were squarely in the “Better” category.
What did you eat?
My non-dinner meals and snacks included apples, bananas, oranges, grapes, berries, peanut butter, cashews, almonds, walnuts, dried figs, dried mango, cottage cheese, regular cheese, brie cheese, greek yogurt, skyr, crackers, cheerios and protein bars and drinking carbonated water, protein shakes and milk (2% and whole). I also would treat myself to Starbucks Egg White & Roasted Red Pepper Sous Vide Egg Bites (which are definitely BUTTER).
Below is a gallery of every No-Dirt Dinner I had (except in NYC where I forgot to take pictures so I just included the restaurant name). Click on the picture and scroll through the pop-up to see the list of ingredients involved. I do realize almost everything I eat is covered in cheese.
What did you learn?
Eating healthy doesn’t mean you’ll lose weight!
I already knew that but I thought I would eat less since the foods are higher in protein and more nutritious. But no, I like all foods way too much. Plus the running has really increased my appetite. I think I may be at the heaviest I’ve ever been - although I carry the weight quite differently (better) than when I was younger.I am psychologically dependent on dirt.
On stressful days, I found myself longing for some chocolate or candy or popcorn or chips. Or chips dipped in chocolate pudding. Or pizza. Or burgers. Or fries. Or take out in general. I really loved all the food I made but some days I wanted something ready made and easy and comforting.
I don’t want to do this again
I’ll probably forget how hard this was or think that I’m more resilient or something this time next year. But this was really hard and I’m probably going to binge eat dirt in Dirt-cember. I really don’t think I achieved anything this month other than testing my ‘discipline’ and making my life a little worse.
What do you think? Is No-dirt November worth the trouble? Let me know in the comments below!
