Elimination Diet – Day #4 (lord help me!)

So happy to be back in my hotel room – safe & sound.  I BARELY made it through the day.

It started at the crack of dawn, when I walked into the meeting room and was welcomed by a platter of muffins, banana cake (yum!), bagels and croissants.  There was a fruit platter next to it with the fruits I should avoid.   I busted out of the room, fearful of what I would do if I stuck around too long.  I managed to find one of Microsoft’s many cafes and grabbed an omelette (sans cheese).    The egg batter came out of a carton but I think it’s still the better choice vs a carrot muffin.  

I must say the Microsoft Campus is amazing, and it truly resembles any large University “campus” (buildings span approx 3 square miles, I think).   They also have an area called The Commons which is teeming with various restaurants and shops.  Food ranging from Thai, to Indian, to Vegetarian, to (my fave) Sushi.  Then there’s the banks, clothing shops, hair salon, etc.  It’s unbelievable.  Anyway, I digress.

Then lunch was provided.  I filled my plate up with salad then had to choose between pork and a vegetarian stir fry with tofu (likely made with GMO soy, but can’t be picky).  Also got a glimpse of the dessert squares and painfully pretended I saw nothing.  After a few bites of my tofu, I gave myself my first X in this 3 week diet.  The sauce must have been dairy-based because it had a creamy taste.   I picked at it trying to avoid the sauce, but not all that successfully.

Then came the most painful point in the day.  Mid-afternoon, when you need a little pick-me-up.  More accurately, some good ol’ sugar!   At break, there was another platter of cookies (even worse, the soft ones) and brownies.   They were accompanied by a bowl of whole fruit.    I reached for a golden delicious apple and walked back to my seat wanting to cry.   The guy in front of me was eating (and thoroughly enjoying) an m&m cookie.   I couldn’t take my eyes off of the damn thing and was a little worried that I might lose control and jump over the table to snag a bite.  Then the two people next to me brought over plates of pretzels and more cookies.  At which point I had an internal debate with myself – “eat a cookie” – “no, don’t touch it” – “you know you want one”.  I persevered.

At 6pm I was off to the Microsoft bar, called Spitfire.  There were “heavy apps” being served.  It came down to eating the bruschetta off the top of bread, avocado (without the chips) and thankfully a few veggie/chicken skewers.   I also nibbled on a partially fried corn tortilla stuffed with chicken. Had to dig for one that wasn’t smothered in cheese.  And worst of all, I refused the glass of rich red wine for water with lemon (exciting).  

And here I am, at the end of a looong day.  From this experience, I can truly sympathize with those that are actually gluten or lactose intolerant.  I lived in their shoes today and it wasn’t fun.