Things have been … interesting since the end of Detox Week 2009 on Christmas Eve. Though I did quickly ruin my streak with liquor and baked goods that night (hello! It was CHRISTMAS EVE.), I actually maintained a fairly low-key consumption rate, and discovered I did, indeed, lose about five pounds over the course of the 10-day experiment.

Unfortunately, since then, things have been a bit hectic, between the holidays, a three-day getaway to Santa Barbara, and deadlines on so many projects, my head is spinning. I was also waylaid by an unexpected stomach flu of some sort upon return to Las Vegas on Sunday, which had me puking up most of two days’ worth of food all night and rendering any further eating less than desirable for the following day.

Now that I’m relatively back to normal, I’ve noticed a few things about my body that I assume to be a result of Detox Week, and hopefully not just because my stomach was doing acrobatics earlier this week. For one, my appetite is greatly decreased. I don’t seem to get annoyingly hungry all the time like I used to. While it’s good for one’s metabolism to eat something small every few hours, it seems like my body has adapted to going longer stretches without much sustenance, for better or worse.

And when I do eat, it seems that I now have an upper limit. It used to be I’d finish whatever I was eating and still be hungry. Now I get halfway through a sandwich and just give up. (Note: I have not tested this with Capriotti’s yet.) Again, I’m not sure if this is a result of the changes I self-created or my stomach’s rebuttal after being sick, but it’s something notable.

I also lost most of my craving for carbonated beverages. Not that I am or have ever been much of a cola drinker (though I had a nasty energy drink addiction years ago that led me to giving up caffeine altogether), but I do typically enjoy a Sprite Zero or Diet Hansen’s about once a day. Or at least, I did until Detox Week, during which time I drank only water and the occasional juice. Since then, I’ve stuck to mostly water. There aren’t tremendous health benefits since I was drinking clear, calorie-free, caffeine-free, sugar-free sodas anyway, but again, it’s just interesting that I’m kind of “eh” about it.

Of course, I’ve been under a lot of pressure lately, and did have that mini-flu-or-whatever, so all this could be circumstantial and within a month’s time, I’ll be back to having a bottomless pit for a digestive system.

But if not, I’m not sure what to do with all this. I feel … off. I have to admit: Something about my diet, my body, everything feels not quite right. I don’t know how to explain it. Not sure if it’s because I haven’t been able to get back to my regular workout regimen yet due to all the above-listed factors. Not sure if it’s the season, the weather, the stress load … I don’t know.

Oh, but one thing I do know: Don’t make oatmeal in the microwave. YUCK.