Absolute and utter exhaustion hit me like a ton of bricks on Day 27. I pretty much spent the majority of the work day like this.

I think our strategy going forward, should involve napping

Actually, that’s too cute-looking. In fact, it was more like this:

I look tired, you say?

Zombie-like exhaustion is the perfect way to describe it.

I dragged myself, from meeting to meeting, struggling to keep my swollen, tired eyes open and contributing nothing of value to the conversations, aside from the odd snarl to let people know I was still alive. How to not make friends and influence people!

In addition, I wanted to eat EVERYTHING around me. ALL of the food. I was ready to upend the entire jar of granola straight into my mouth, followed by a carton of FULL FAT milk, right there in the middle of the kitchen, not caring who saw me.

Needless to say, my body was definitely crying out for fuel just in an effort to keep itself awake and functioning.

I was never more thankful to see the back of a working day. And I was never more thankful for having a long commute home. I fell asleep as soon as I sat down on the bus!

(This actually isn’t unusual for me. I practically have a super-human ability to fall asleep anywhere and everywhere, in under 5 seconds flat. My friends Marie and Kate, who both suffer from sleep issues, hate me for it. I’m convinced they always try to wake me up on purpose when we’re on long-haul flights together. Don’t hate me cos I sleep well).

Whilst Day 27 was a tough one, it ended in the nicest possible way – with the offer of a home-cooked meal from Venessa. Venessa is the ‘house-mom’ and an amazing cook! In under 30 minutes she can whip up a feast fit for a herd of ravenous zombies. So, rather than cave into the exhaustion and order a take-out, which is what I think would have happened if left to my own devices, I sat down to freshly baked Irish soda bread, quinoa and roasted veg and homemade beans. I was never more happy or thankful.

I’ve been mulling over the reasons why I was so exhausted on this day.

It could have been the fact that I stayed up slightly later than usual watching TOWIE – a trashy reality TV show set in Essex in England. Totes amazeballs. Even Lysbet, a pure Cali girl, thinks it’s well funny.

But, now I know, for a fact, that it was all the fault of ‘that time of the month’ (these words should be said in an exaggerated stage voice, looking furtively over your shoulder to make sure nobody heard you).

I know this because:

1. ‘That time of the month’ happened the VERY NEXT DAY
2. It was exactly the same as last month. Utter exhaustion and pure chaos from a health eating perspective.

When I stopped to think about it, it all made sense – the granola obsession, bad skin, blah blah blah. I’ve basically been PMS-ing my way through the entire week.

I should obviously have copped on to this sooner – the whole thing happens like clockwork, obvs. But, funnily enough, I haven’t paid close enough attention until writing this blog.

The good thing is I can take action for the next time. The two things I always hear recommended for bad PMS are Omega 3s (EPA/DHA) and Evening Primrose oil.  I buy the Minami Nutrition brand of Omega 3s as I’ve heard from personal trainers it’s high quality. Omega 3s are also apparently great for fat loss!

Needless to say I will be stocking up for next month!

Food and exercise

I was too tired to take pictures of food today. But to sum up:

• Breakfast: oatmeal and flaxseed, bee pollen, apple and a little bit of peanut butter
• Exercise: 1 hour of PT
• Lunch: Salad with chicken, avocado, quinoa, grapes
• Snack: Granola – not the whole jar but a big bowl with some yogurt and berries
• Dinner: Roasted veg, quinoa, homemade beans, fresh bread, 2 squares of dark chocolate