When I was a kid, I went to a wild life preserve on a class field trip. It was one of those things where you work for a few weeks on classification of the animal kingdom and you finally get to the chapter on food chains and YES!!! You get a field trip to go see some animals.
That means no math. I was no good at math.
We piled into the vans allocated to us, I was lucky and got my friend Amy's mom (who on a completely different field trip got pulled over for speeding and then continued to unsuccessfully flirt with the officer, even as he handed her the ticket-- much to the entertainment of us girls in the back seat -- on the way to feeding the homeless at a soup kitchen.), and headed to the wildlife preserve. We were having a grand time rocking out to our favorite early 90s pop stars and eventually, we made it.
Some stuff happened then, I'm not sure what. I started staring at the stuffed displays in the visitor's center and started to imagine them coming to life and wreaking havoc all over my home city. This happened alot when I was 11. I didn't care about the safety procedures of the park the ranger was reciting to us, I didn't care about not littering - I wasn't going to, I didn't care about staying on the marked paths and trails - we were going around the park in a tram, I wasn't going to pay my awesome new yellow cd-man (now with anti-skip technology!) in the park. I sure as heck wasn't going to feed the animals. All I wanted was for the huge stuffed mountain lion in the corner to come to life and become my magical familiar, a hyper wild extension of myself, intent on taking over planet earth with its genetically altered death ray paws and robotic wings. In the middle of my musings, I was corralled by some parent or chaperone other and as we prepared to enter the park, the park ranger stopped us and told us that today was a starve day.
My mind reeled in a number of disturbing directions. Someone was going to get eaten! Of course, it wouldn't be me. I have a mountain lion familiar.
A starve day is when park officials don't feed the animals by hand to replicate how life would be in the wild. Sometimes mountain lions do not catch their prey. Monkeys need to search for new areas where fruit and bugs are abundant. There are days in the wild where animals don't get breakfast.
In fact, animals do not even have 3 solid meals a day. It's like they've never seen Leave It To Beaver.
And neither did our ancestors. 3 solid meals a day is a very very new idea. When cavemen went a-hunting, they didn't stop the hunt to return home for a sandwich and a nice, cold beer. And those hunts could last days. That's days of only chewing dried meat to keep the hunger at bay, and of course, any berries and things they'd find along the way.
So when I woke up yesterday and had $4 left in my bank account til payday, I decided a little intermittent fasting wouldn't go amiss. My ancestors did it for days, I could do it for a few hours. I could skip a meal or two. Historically, I knew that when I've subverted from the 3-square-meals-a-day paradigm, I feel naughty and edgy, like my inner 11 year old and Kevin, her flying genetically altered mountain lion, delightfully breaking one of the 10 Commandments. (I'm certain Moses never said, "Thou Shalt Eat 3 Solid Meals A Day.")
Anyway, I got to work, purchased a few strips of bacon and a shot of espresso for $3 and prepared to make my day happen. When I got hungry, I drank water, sipped mint tea, went for a very brisk-paced 1 mile walk on the waterfront at my lunch, which, surprisingly, I recovered from really really quickly (and it totally sated my hunger. New exercise motivation?). Except for the visions of greasy cheeseburgers and nachos and wine and milkshakes, it wasn't too bad.
Until I got home.
When I got home, I was so hungry, I was nauseous. I had to eat something. But I had no paleo food prepared. I didn't have the energy to cook. AHA!! I had a sweet potato sitting on the shelf. I punched some holes in it and stuck it in the microwave for ten minutes while I laid down and texted my gentleman. I slathered that sweet potato in coconut oil and tossed on a little salt and then
I ATE THE HELL OUT OF THAT SWEET POTATO.
It took a few minutes for the nausea to subside, but eventually, it did and by the time my gentleman called me for our phone date, I felt a little better. I was hungry for the rest of the evening, but it wasn't the desperation hunger I had felt before and totally manageable and I slept pretty well.
So, a few things learned from today's rather long winded, rambling post:
1. I, in fact, did NOT get eaten on the starve day at the wildlife refuge.
2. I will be much more prepared next time I do an intermittent fast.
3. Always have a sweet potato on hand.
4. I would have been a terrible cave person.
5. Kevin will be happening.
Friday, January 10, 2014
Wednesday, January 8, 2014
Whole30 days 2 and 3 - WIIIIIIIIIIIIINE
I had my first real Whole30 craving on day 2. It started out as a small little niggle, but today, day 3, it's a full on annoyance.
I WANT A FREAKING GLASS OF WINE.
I knew it would happen. It was inevitable. I love wine. I have a glass or two per week. Not a ton, really. But I do enjoy a glass with dinner and friends. I like to sip it as my directing ideas come to me while I'm staging. I love the taste, the smell and the way it feels on my tongue.
I'm not regretting starting the Whole30 just because of wine, and I'm certainly not going to give in, but I was just sitting with my script and a thought popped into my head that I wish I had a glass of wine right now. Then I reminded myself that I'm not drinking wine for a while and then, because my brain is really a total child and will throw fits and things, all I wanted in the Whole Wide World was a glass of wine. The need grew stronger and stronger until all I could think about was wine.
And I know exactly why I feel this way, it's because I cannot have it. I'm rebellious like that.
Now, Last Year Jenny would have struggled and struggled til she had a glass of wine and then she'd figure the entire Whole30 was bust and just quit. Now Jenny, me, is stronger than that, but I am glad I removed the wine from the house a few days ago... just in case.
Other than that, things are going well. I feel pretty great (other than an occasional feeling of malaise when I get hungry) and I feel a difference in my body. I feel like my tummy rolls are slightly smaller than they were before. I began directing a new theater show, so I am busy and have things to think about besides food and wine, which is good. Distractions are good.
Wine.
Ugh.
I WANT A FREAKING GLASS OF WINE.
I knew it would happen. It was inevitable. I love wine. I have a glass or two per week. Not a ton, really. But I do enjoy a glass with dinner and friends. I like to sip it as my directing ideas come to me while I'm staging. I love the taste, the smell and the way it feels on my tongue.
I'm not regretting starting the Whole30 just because of wine, and I'm certainly not going to give in, but I was just sitting with my script and a thought popped into my head that I wish I had a glass of wine right now. Then I reminded myself that I'm not drinking wine for a while and then, because my brain is really a total child and will throw fits and things, all I wanted in the Whole Wide World was a glass of wine. The need grew stronger and stronger until all I could think about was wine.
And I know exactly why I feel this way, it's because I cannot have it. I'm rebellious like that.
Now, Last Year Jenny would have struggled and struggled til she had a glass of wine and then she'd figure the entire Whole30 was bust and just quit. Now Jenny, me, is stronger than that, but I am glad I removed the wine from the house a few days ago... just in case.
Other than that, things are going well. I feel pretty great (other than an occasional feeling of malaise when I get hungry) and I feel a difference in my body. I feel like my tummy rolls are slightly smaller than they were before. I began directing a new theater show, so I am busy and have things to think about besides food and wine, which is good. Distractions are good.
Wine.
Ugh.
Tuesday, January 7, 2014
One Meal At A Time, Sweet Potatoes and a Recipe Post!
Day 1 of My Whole30 went swimmingly well. As I mentioned in previous posts, I have been doing paleo off and on for about 3 years, and I re-started hardcore paleo December 20 as a jumpstart into the new year. So taking dairy and alcohol out of the equation was relatively easy. I didn't have any cravings, but I did have a temptation.
The wonderful co-workers (I mean that sincerely, my team at work is chockablock full of lovely people), decided to have a potluck of sorts, that had some healthy foods, giant grapes, celery, broccoli, peas in pods, tomatoes etc. But they also brought donuts and cookies, and brownies. I didn't even want to approach the table because I was afraid of the donuts.
Well, I was afraid needlessly, because I walked over, filled my plate full of vegetables (and no dip- huzzah!) and walked right back to my desk. My eyes didn't even see the donut box. I was prodigiously proud of myself. I ate my veggies with the steak I brought to work, and I felt sated and full. It was great. It hit me how far I'd come.
One Meal At A Time.
When I first started paleo in 2011, I was overwhelmed by the amount of information. I was bogged down by percentages, intermittent fasting, no this, forget that, micronutrients, BMR, how many carbs, grass fed this, whole that, full fat WHAT?!
Given naturally to anxiety (family trait), I was overwhelmed. I was confused. I freaked out. This was too hard. Nope nope nope NOPE. I went full on Jenny Shut Down Mode. My overwhelmed, weak self would give right in to temptation. Sure, the potluck would have veggies, but next to the veggies were donuts. I wanted those instead. No one would know. I'd re-start my paleo tomorrow. But then, tomorrow, it would be just the same.
Then Beautiful Yulia, who introduced me to paleo, said, "Why are you making this so complicated for yourself? Do yourself a favor and follow these three steps: #1 Cut out all grains, this includes wheat, corn and potatoes. #2 Eat animal proteins. #3 Eat fresh fruit and vegetables in large quantities. The rest of the details will work themselves out."
She also said, "Don't think of this as a huge big new thing. Just take it one meal at time. Slowly, you'll notice changes. Don't look at it in one month's time, or one year, forget what you'll be a year from now, or five years. Think about where you'll be at dinner this evening. What will you eat then? And then tomorrow, you can think about where you'll be at breakfast. One meal at a time."
She was totally right. After I went through my initial carb flu, I started feeling better. I didn't realize how bad I was really feeling until I started to feel better. One meal at a time was doable. It was small. I only had to think about the next meal. Yes, the changes went slowly, but there were changes. And I started noticing differences with every meal.
One night I noticed that I no longer thought about having a piece of bread with dinner. One breakfast, I realized my portions weren't as big as they used to be. One lunch, I felt like I didn't have to battle myself for control as I coveted my neighbor's meal. One snack, I felt like instead of having my inevitable afternoon pick me up, I wanted to go for a walk instead. One commercial for the Olive Garden didn't leave me sweating and quaking in my boots, aching to eat bowls and bowls of corporate mandated pasta.
I also noticed how different foods made me feel. After a while, I noticed that if I cut out peppers and tomatoes, my skin cleared. That is how I find out I have a nightshade allergy. I noticed that all the coconut oil I ate with made my hair, skin and nails all glowy. I got excited.
I began to experiment with foods and food combinations. I quickly discovered foods that I never considered before. Kale is nature's manna, coconut was sent to us from the gods and sweet potatoes are DELICIOUS.
Good segue-way, Jenny.
Thank you, Jenny.
Sweet potatoes. Oh thou holy sweet potato, the best potato of all potatoes. Huge provider of beta-carotene, an amazing source of vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamins B3, B5, B6, potassium and manganese. Killer of free radicals in the digestive system due to sporamins (anti-oxidants), restorer of overall health and a very low glycemic index starchy food, the sweet potato is an amazing way to get carbohydrates into your system without raising you insulin levels.
I never liked them as a food.
Shock and horror, I know. Mostly, they were reserved for Thanksgiving, simmering in sugary sauces and covered with marshmallows and apricots. My siblings and parents would dive into them, but to me, they were WAAAAY too sweet. (I have never been a sweet tooth person. When I crave, I crave bread and sour things)
BUT! Baked in the oven and served with a small pat of butter and a tiny bit of salt?
HOLY. YUM.
So in honor of my love for sweet potatoes, here is one of my favorite recipes:
Super Simple Sweet Potato Hash
(serves two)
Ingredients:
1 large sweet potato, grated (either white or red - haven't tried purple yet, but it's on the list)
Bacon - 4-6 slices depending on how much you love bacon
1 half sweet onion, diced
2 eggs
1 clove garlic, minced
Herbs
Directions:
Voila! A filthy delicious paleo breakfast. Stuff your face with all the yum. This is my favorite breakfast.
IF!!
Well that's it for me today. I'm sure it's enough. I do tend to write novels, but whatever. Tomorrow I'll post again. And spoiler alert:
Whole30 day 2 is going just as well, if not better than Whole30 day 1.
The wonderful co-workers (I mean that sincerely, my team at work is chockablock full of lovely people), decided to have a potluck of sorts, that had some healthy foods, giant grapes, celery, broccoli, peas in pods, tomatoes etc. But they also brought donuts and cookies, and brownies. I didn't even want to approach the table because I was afraid of the donuts.
Well, I was afraid needlessly, because I walked over, filled my plate full of vegetables (and no dip- huzzah!) and walked right back to my desk. My eyes didn't even see the donut box. I was prodigiously proud of myself. I ate my veggies with the steak I brought to work, and I felt sated and full. It was great. It hit me how far I'd come.
One Meal At A Time.
When I first started paleo in 2011, I was overwhelmed by the amount of information. I was bogged down by percentages, intermittent fasting, no this, forget that, micronutrients, BMR, how many carbs, grass fed this, whole that, full fat WHAT?!
Given naturally to anxiety (family trait), I was overwhelmed. I was confused. I freaked out. This was too hard. Nope nope nope NOPE. I went full on Jenny Shut Down Mode. My overwhelmed, weak self would give right in to temptation. Sure, the potluck would have veggies, but next to the veggies were donuts. I wanted those instead. No one would know. I'd re-start my paleo tomorrow. But then, tomorrow, it would be just the same.
Then Beautiful Yulia, who introduced me to paleo, said, "Why are you making this so complicated for yourself? Do yourself a favor and follow these three steps: #1 Cut out all grains, this includes wheat, corn and potatoes. #2 Eat animal proteins. #3 Eat fresh fruit and vegetables in large quantities. The rest of the details will work themselves out."
She also said, "Don't think of this as a huge big new thing. Just take it one meal at time. Slowly, you'll notice changes. Don't look at it in one month's time, or one year, forget what you'll be a year from now, or five years. Think about where you'll be at dinner this evening. What will you eat then? And then tomorrow, you can think about where you'll be at breakfast. One meal at a time."
She was totally right. After I went through my initial carb flu, I started feeling better. I didn't realize how bad I was really feeling until I started to feel better. One meal at a time was doable. It was small. I only had to think about the next meal. Yes, the changes went slowly, but there were changes. And I started noticing differences with every meal.
One night I noticed that I no longer thought about having a piece of bread with dinner. One breakfast, I realized my portions weren't as big as they used to be. One lunch, I felt like I didn't have to battle myself for control as I coveted my neighbor's meal. One snack, I felt like instead of having my inevitable afternoon pick me up, I wanted to go for a walk instead. One commercial for the Olive Garden didn't leave me sweating and quaking in my boots, aching to eat bowls and bowls of corporate mandated pasta.
I also noticed how different foods made me feel. After a while, I noticed that if I cut out peppers and tomatoes, my skin cleared. That is how I find out I have a nightshade allergy. I noticed that all the coconut oil I ate with made my hair, skin and nails all glowy. I got excited.
I began to experiment with foods and food combinations. I quickly discovered foods that I never considered before. Kale is nature's manna, coconut was sent to us from the gods and sweet potatoes are DELICIOUS.
Good segue-way, Jenny.
Thank you, Jenny.
Sweet potatoes. Oh thou holy sweet potato, the best potato of all potatoes. Huge provider of beta-carotene, an amazing source of vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamins B3, B5, B6, potassium and manganese. Killer of free radicals in the digestive system due to sporamins (anti-oxidants), restorer of overall health and a very low glycemic index starchy food, the sweet potato is an amazing way to get carbohydrates into your system without raising you insulin levels.
I never liked them as a food.
Shock and horror, I know. Mostly, they were reserved for Thanksgiving, simmering in sugary sauces and covered with marshmallows and apricots. My siblings and parents would dive into them, but to me, they were WAAAAY too sweet. (I have never been a sweet tooth person. When I crave, I crave bread and sour things)
BUT! Baked in the oven and served with a small pat of butter and a tiny bit of salt?
HOLY. YUM.
So in honor of my love for sweet potatoes, here is one of my favorite recipes:
Super Simple Sweet Potato Hash
(serves two)
Ingredients:
1 large sweet potato, grated (either white or red - haven't tried purple yet, but it's on the list)
Bacon - 4-6 slices depending on how much you love bacon
1 half sweet onion, diced
2 eggs
1 clove garlic, minced
Herbs
Directions:
- In a large pan or griddle, fry up your bacon til it's crispy - crumble-able. Remove the bacon to dry but leave the grease.
- Add the shredded sweet potato, and some herbs, I like to use rosemary and black pepper.
- With your cooking tool, turn over the whole mix, making sure everything is properly covered in bacon grease.
- When the potatoes start to get a little mushy, crack eggs over it and stir in til scrambled in the hash.
- Crumble bacon and add back in.
Voila! A filthy delicious paleo breakfast. Stuff your face with all the yum. This is my favorite breakfast.
IF!!
- If you do not eat bacon (Travesty! Where is my guillotine?), you can use any type of meat. You can also use any type of oil, if not bacon, ghee or coconut oil would be the better choices. Bacon fat is simply convenient and an animal fat, which you need anyway. Also, by cooking bacon- it's already in the pan!
- If you add ham, do yourself a favor and add in green peppers.
Well that's it for me today. I'm sure it's enough. I do tend to write novels, but whatever. Tomorrow I'll post again. And spoiler alert:
Whole30 day 2 is going just as well, if not better than Whole30 day 1.
Sunday, January 5, 2014
Paleo Day 17 - Blue Bikes, Bleu Cheese and Boys
These are a few of my favorite things.
Kinda.
My parents are awesome and celebrated my birthday on January 2 by giving me that which I desired most: a bike. It it's a blue Schwinn with a plush seat (for my own plush seat) and a shortened frame (for my shortened frame). I cannot begin to tell you how happy I am to have this bike. Ever since I broke my leg last year, my usual work outs of yoga and running and other work outs of the high impact variety have been made obsolete. The extent of my break and subsequent hardware installed make it hard for me to just go out and beat the pavement. Since then, I've been looking for a low impact way to get my heart rate up.
And I'm just not ready for people to see me in a swimsuit yet.
So after pondering what to name my new blue bike (I name things, I'm a namer), I took him out today. I stayed on my city's approved bike lanes and headed toward my Favoritest Park in the Whole Wide World, Golden Gardens, which is about 3 miles from my home and a very easy ride. The day was sunny, rare for Seattle, but cold, but it was gorgeous and you could see the Olympics in the distance of the water. I was very excited for my first ever bike ride for 6 basic miles.
I made it 1 mile and the bike and I turned back.
Honestly, I did not take into account my very real anxiety and the attitude of drivers towards cyclists. I was honked at and almost got hit a few times. Some jerk stared at me and blue bike like we were the plague coming to eat his children. He looked terrified. I'm just a girl on a blue bike, how offensive can I be? What is this thing that happens when fat people get judged both for not working out AND for actively working out? Shouldn't someone be all, "Hey that's a fat girl on a bike. Good for her. She's working at it." not "FAT GIRL ON A BIKE! EWWWWW! AVERT YOUR EYES CHILDREN!"?
Seriously. It's rude. Grow a soul you judgmental douche.
Maybe I should just tell him that my time machine is broken and I can't just go back in time to 13 year old Jenny and say, "Eat your greens, give up wheat, go out and get healthy so some jack ass won't stare at you when you ride your bike in the future. Also, give up on side ponytails, they aren't working for you."
Hey, I just figured out what to name by bike: TARDIS.
TARDIS and I aren't beaten, we are just resolved. Next time, TARDIS and I are going to drive to a designated bike trail like Elliot Bay or Seward Park. There, we shall at least be among other bikes, avoid cars altogether and I'll work on overcoming the ineffable fat shaming.
In other news, bleu cheese on my salad makes me so happy. There is something about the delightfully strong, tart taste against something sweet like cranberries, and mixed with creamy yummy-ness of avocados to make my chicken salad just filthy. Filthy good. FILTHY AMAZING.
I am starting my Whole30/Sugar Detox tomorrow and will be giving up the dairy, the sugar and the alcohol. But that's okay. By doing so combined already with my paleo ways, I'm going to accelerate this weight loss I'm going through.
My goal is to be svelte. Ohs yes. And it's only 30 days. I can do it. I've done it in the past. I'll do it again. You can't stop me.
My main plan is to drop a significant amount of weight before I go see my gentleman friend in April. He likes me just as I am, which is incredibly sweet and makes me feel all googly inside, but I feel that I should be healthier for him as well as myself. What's the point of liking someone when there is a possibility that they won't be around due to their own habits? You wouldn't tell your friend to like a drug addict. They have no future, they only care about the fix, they are a spiral of negativity and no true friend would support such a relationship.
Now, I'm not likening not eating paleo to drug addiction, but I will concede that for me, I have some serious habits to kick. I also want to be around for him. I want to be happy and healthy and live a long time. It won't happen overnight, but hanging out with TARDIS and working towards paleo health are a great way to get these things done. Also the vitamin d from the sunshine helps, too.
Feeling hopeful.
And I'm just not ready for people to see me in a swimsuit yet.
So after pondering what to name my new blue bike (I name things, I'm a namer), I took him out today. I stayed on my city's approved bike lanes and headed toward my Favoritest Park in the Whole Wide World, Golden Gardens, which is about 3 miles from my home and a very easy ride. The day was sunny, rare for Seattle, but cold, but it was gorgeous and you could see the Olympics in the distance of the water. I was very excited for my first ever bike ride for 6 basic miles.
I made it 1 mile and the bike and I turned back.
Honestly, I did not take into account my very real anxiety and the attitude of drivers towards cyclists. I was honked at and almost got hit a few times. Some jerk stared at me and blue bike like we were the plague coming to eat his children. He looked terrified. I'm just a girl on a blue bike, how offensive can I be? What is this thing that happens when fat people get judged both for not working out AND for actively working out? Shouldn't someone be all, "Hey that's a fat girl on a bike. Good for her. She's working at it." not "FAT GIRL ON A BIKE! EWWWWW! AVERT YOUR EYES CHILDREN!"?
Seriously. It's rude. Grow a soul you judgmental douche.
Maybe I should just tell him that my time machine is broken and I can't just go back in time to 13 year old Jenny and say, "Eat your greens, give up wheat, go out and get healthy so some jack ass won't stare at you when you ride your bike in the future. Also, give up on side ponytails, they aren't working for you."
Hey, I just figured out what to name by bike: TARDIS.
TARDIS and I aren't beaten, we are just resolved. Next time, TARDIS and I are going to drive to a designated bike trail like Elliot Bay or Seward Park. There, we shall at least be among other bikes, avoid cars altogether and I'll work on overcoming the ineffable fat shaming.
In other news, bleu cheese on my salad makes me so happy. There is something about the delightfully strong, tart taste against something sweet like cranberries, and mixed with creamy yummy-ness of avocados to make my chicken salad just filthy. Filthy good. FILTHY AMAZING.
I am starting my Whole30/Sugar Detox tomorrow and will be giving up the dairy, the sugar and the alcohol. But that's okay. By doing so combined already with my paleo ways, I'm going to accelerate this weight loss I'm going through.
My goal is to be svelte. Ohs yes. And it's only 30 days. I can do it. I've done it in the past. I'll do it again. You can't stop me.
My main plan is to drop a significant amount of weight before I go see my gentleman friend in April. He likes me just as I am, which is incredibly sweet and makes me feel all googly inside, but I feel that I should be healthier for him as well as myself. What's the point of liking someone when there is a possibility that they won't be around due to their own habits? You wouldn't tell your friend to like a drug addict. They have no future, they only care about the fix, they are a spiral of negativity and no true friend would support such a relationship.
Now, I'm not likening not eating paleo to drug addiction, but I will concede that for me, I have some serious habits to kick. I also want to be around for him. I want to be happy and healthy and live a long time. It won't happen overnight, but hanging out with TARDIS and working towards paleo health are a great way to get these things done. Also the vitamin d from the sunshine helps, too.
Feeling hopeful.
Tuesday, December 31, 2013
The Pre-Change Day Binge and Why It Sucks
You've been cheating, haven't you? Yeah. You knew that Russian tea cake was not paleo, you could have passed it by. But you didn't. It just looked so lonely sitting there on its own. You ate the heck out of that gingerbread man your nephew made you, you partook of the egg nog, the rum balls, the candy canes, the cranberry bliss bars, the peppermint bark, the salted caramel mochas, and OH, THE FUDGE!
The late winter holidays are a rampant playground of sugar, treats, and 'acceptable' cheating days. It's the day your resident paleo shills (be they family, friend, or a health nut runner person who thinks that carbo loading before sunrise is the way to be-- and will not take any other form of healthy eating under consideration no matter what the costs) take a moment to remind you what you're missing by doing that crazy diet of yours. They hold gooey eclairs under your nose, reminding you of traditions and how hard they worked to buy these treats just so you can enjoy the insulin spike
Miraculously, I avoided it this year. I purposefully dove head first back into paleo on December 20, just so I wouldn't fall into the trap of "Oh, but it's the holidays! One day isn't going to make a difference!"
The problem is, I'm exactly the kind of girl to whom that one cheat, that slice of pizza, that spice cake, that milkshake, that handful of chips really DOES make a difference. I am weak. I am the first person to give in to food temptations. I know this to be a fault of mine. I know that once I cheat with that cupcake, the entire rest of the day (possibly even the rest of the WEEK) is completely ruined.
My mother and father, who are awesome, agreed to make Christmas dinner gluten free (we also recently found out that my amazing 3 year old niece is also gluten intolerant, so really, the convincing didn't take much), and from that platform, I was able to create a lovely little paleo smorgasbord of delicious yum that felt like I was able to participate in a festive Christmas dinner. I piled my plate high with salad, ham, sweet potatoes, fresh green beans, peas and carrots. My plate looked almost exactly the same as everyone else's. I skipped the mashed potatoes and gravy... even though I was really very tempted (my mother's home made mashed potatoes are filthy and she made the gravy with tapioca flour - but I'm focused on losing weight, so I didn't want to go down that road).
It reminded me how far I had come from conventional weight loss change days, like January 1. Most people I know sit and meta cheat binge starting at Thanksgiving and go all the way through December 31. Especailly December 31. They eat terribly, overindulge in the booze, go to bed super late. They treat their bodies just cruelly. They allow themselves to be okay about the insidious weight gain because "the Diet starts in the New Year! This is it! This is my year!"
I'm not surprised when most of these people make it to about January 10 with their new diet goals because they have spent the last month putting terrible things in their bodies and for some reason, their new diet doesn't change those habits over night. They never realized how addicted they were to those foods, they hate themselves for the weight gain, so they eat very little (calories in, calories out, am I right?) and go to the gym incessantly hate-training. Doing their best to chronic cardio their way out of the misery they easily wandered into.
They started the My Year Of Me feeling terrible. They sat there and deliberately set themselves up for failure.
I wasn't going to let that be me this year. Dieting is hard. And I'm the worst at it. That's why I restarted paleo early. I got through some tough times a few weeks ago, but I've almost made it to January, and I can start the new year feeling amazing instead of feeling like I'm lacking.
Could it be that I did it right this year???
I'll try not to be smug.
The late winter holidays are a rampant playground of sugar, treats, and 'acceptable' cheating days. It's the day your resident paleo shills (be they family, friend, or a health nut runner person who thinks that carbo loading before sunrise is the way to be-- and will not take any other form of healthy eating under consideration no matter what the costs) take a moment to remind you what you're missing by doing that crazy diet of yours. They hold gooey eclairs under your nose, reminding you of traditions and how hard they worked to buy these treats just so you can enjoy the insulin spike
Miraculously, I avoided it this year. I purposefully dove head first back into paleo on December 20, just so I wouldn't fall into the trap of "Oh, but it's the holidays! One day isn't going to make a difference!"
The problem is, I'm exactly the kind of girl to whom that one cheat, that slice of pizza, that spice cake, that milkshake, that handful of chips really DOES make a difference. I am weak. I am the first person to give in to food temptations. I know this to be a fault of mine. I know that once I cheat with that cupcake, the entire rest of the day (possibly even the rest of the WEEK) is completely ruined.
My mother and father, who are awesome, agreed to make Christmas dinner gluten free (we also recently found out that my amazing 3 year old niece is also gluten intolerant, so really, the convincing didn't take much), and from that platform, I was able to create a lovely little paleo smorgasbord of delicious yum that felt like I was able to participate in a festive Christmas dinner. I piled my plate high with salad, ham, sweet potatoes, fresh green beans, peas and carrots. My plate looked almost exactly the same as everyone else's. I skipped the mashed potatoes and gravy... even though I was really very tempted (my mother's home made mashed potatoes are filthy and she made the gravy with tapioca flour - but I'm focused on losing weight, so I didn't want to go down that road).
It reminded me how far I had come from conventional weight loss change days, like January 1. Most people I know sit and meta cheat binge starting at Thanksgiving and go all the way through December 31. Especailly December 31. They eat terribly, overindulge in the booze, go to bed super late. They treat their bodies just cruelly. They allow themselves to be okay about the insidious weight gain because "the Diet starts in the New Year! This is it! This is my year!"
I'm not surprised when most of these people make it to about January 10 with their new diet goals because they have spent the last month putting terrible things in their bodies and for some reason, their new diet doesn't change those habits over night. They never realized how addicted they were to those foods, they hate themselves for the weight gain, so they eat very little (calories in, calories out, am I right?) and go to the gym incessantly hate-training. Doing their best to chronic cardio their way out of the misery they easily wandered into.
They started the My Year Of Me feeling terrible. They sat there and deliberately set themselves up for failure.
I wasn't going to let that be me this year. Dieting is hard. And I'm the worst at it. That's why I restarted paleo early. I got through some tough times a few weeks ago, but I've almost made it to January, and I can start the new year feeling amazing instead of feeling like I'm lacking.
Could it be that I did it right this year???
I'll try not to be smug.
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