My OWN Food Rules!

I absolutely hate being asked what diet I am on!!!  I mostly get annoyed by this question because I don't really have an easy answer.  

I'm not on any commercial diet.  I guess I would associate what I choose to eat as more Paleo based but I'm not 100% dedicated Paleo either.  But when I think of diet I instantly think deprivation.  I am NOT being deprived of anything.  I eat food and most days a lot of it.  I don't shy from stew for breakfast and steak before bed.  I eat to fuel my activity level and I eat real, unprocessed food.  I eat on a pretty predictable schedule and I rarely feel hungry (if I do its because I got distracted or busy or was not prepared with food on hand).  I sometimes have treats and sometimes I can't stop eating those treats (which I pay for physically and emotionally).  I drink alcohol when I want to and I still haven't given up Ketchup (and don't plan to).  I eat carbs (just not the breads and grains most people only associate carbs to be) and no I don't really eat a lot of fruit because I just don't care to. I don't shy away from healthy fats and absolutely hate chicken breasts now that I tried chicken thighs.  I took dairy out a long time ago and see no place for it in my life unless of course it is a decadent cheese cake or cream in my coffee. Overall, I function quite well on a low carb-high protein/fat intake and I have ample energy, low body fat, strong muscles, and a good digestive system.  So NO - I am not on any specific diet.

I used to try commercially marketed diets - whatever fad was out at the time.  I tried many of them for short periods of time, none for any real reason.  Mostly I just remember how unhealthy, unhappy, hungry, and miserable I was. I think in many ways I tried diets to deal with my body image insecurities at the time, but looking back on it now I really feel like I was just trying to figure out my beliefs about food and eating.  It has been a long road getting to where I am right now but the best thing I was ever challenged to do was write out my own food rules.  On occasion I may do a specific challenge, or a detox, or go completely sugar free, or be a little more restrictive to bring things back to normal after a longer bout of disregarding my own rules...but I am proud to say that I am no longer on any specific diet!

My Food Rules (written for myself by myself):

1.  Eat real food (organic when you can, minimally processed, know the ingredients)

2.  Eat 3 meals a day with the occasional snack as needed (workout days)

3.  Snacks are mini meals - not to be confused with treats!
4.  Eat meat, vegetables, and healthy fats with every meal / snack.
5.  Don't eat foods that you know make you feel unwell like gluten, dairy, refined sugars, and excessive sweets even if they were made with natural ingredients!  If you do - accept the consequences.  

6.  Limit nuts and fruit because you know you over eat them so practice portion control.

7.  Savor each cup of coffee - you know you love 1-2 in the morning and 1 in the afternoon but to drinking nothing but coffee all day is no longer allowed.  And stop ordering XL's - you never finish them!  Heavy cream is ok but enjoy good coffee black sometimes!

8.  Drink at least 1 liter of plain water each day - that's really only 2 large glasses!
9.  Drink more tea.  Especially green tea in replace of coffee and when you feel post-meal sweet cravings!
10.  Don't eat until you are stuffed!
11.  Take your vitamins!  Use only good quality, natural ones and supplement wisely.

12.  Allow yourself 3 treats per week - asking yourself if this "treat" is:
         -  Worth it?
         -  Is it just a treat or an excuse/coping mechanism?
         -  Do you really want it?
         -  Are you alone and hiding it or in a social setting?
         -  Will you regret this treat emotionally or physically?
13.  Experiment!  Enjoy new recipes, do your own baking, and try new foods!  Don't get bored!
14.  Eat foods that help heal and nourish your skin, fuel your activity level, and promote good overall health.
15.  Keep up with your food prep and baking!!

So no - you won't find my food rules in any book on a book shelf although there are several that are found within popular diet cultures right now.  From experience and education I have laid out my own rules influenced by a few factors:
-  My own opinion and morals based around food and nourishment
-  My trainer's guidance and encouragement
-  My goals and the demands of my physical activity
-  Popular resources primarily found within the Paleo community
-  My past relationship with food going all the way back to my childhood
-  What I have learnt about my own body and how it responds to certain foods

I love my food rules!   I don't really worry about breaking them because every single one of them is designed around my personal choices and preferences - designed for success.  If I do stray from my rules - it is almost always a conscious choice to do so or a result of a very very bad day.  It may also be that I'm at my mother-in-law's where there is no shortage of treats and baking to test the depths of my willpower.   And really - so what if I break them?! I'm only failing myself and from past experience I am not concerned about my ability to get back on track and carry on.  

And the last allowance I have set for myself is the ability to change my mind and re-define my rules as I evolve, as I set new goals, and as I gain new knowledge and experience.

Now to print them up and put them out where I can be reminded of them!

R

Put the mini eggs behind you and move on!

It was a bad weekend food wise (otherwise awesome family/event wise).  Yesterday I suffered the consequences.   Today is better but still not stellar.  Today will be Day 1 - faithful Day 1.  I've been on "Day 1" before...several times.  This won't be the last either.

For as clean as I eat - or claim to eat - I always have moments or days where I cannot get enough of anything sweet and otherwise forbidden. I am not so extreme that I will not enjoy a sweet indulgence or give myself the freedom to eat treats when the opportunity arises, but I have also become very comfortable at saying no as well.  This weekend was one of those weekends where I started out with great intentions...only to be derailed by ONE bite of something sweet.  It started on Friday with one bite of my favorite piece of baking that my mother-in-law makes.  It snowballed into handfulls of chocolate eggs and a basketful of regret.

I mostly indulged in solitude, sneaking another bite before someone sees.  I don't know why I worry about the solitude - it's not like anyone in my house would pull the baking from my hand or frown at me eating mini eggs. I would almost swear that the people I am around feel a sense of relief when they see me eating foods I otherwise protest against.   When I'm "caught" I feel weak and I know that even if I was confronted on it I would get extremely defensive.  Therefore, it is much easier to indulge in solitude.

I'd rather not go too far into the psychological part of it all.  It is what it is and it is also easier to avoid going real deep.  I value healthy food, I crave good foods, and I try to stick to my habits as much as possible.  Sometimes one bite leads to a full out binge...sugar is crack.  And good gracious it tastes good.  It is not my intention to binge, but I sometimes end up doing it anyway - knowing full well the consequences of it.  What I probably should be focusing on during one of these future binges is a) what state of mind am I in at the time and what triggered the weakness (is one bite really that powerful?) and b) how to quickly suppress the binge before it consumes the rest of the day or weekend - putting to use some strategies I need to define first.

So what are the consequences I suffer from eating like crap?

First I think you need to understand what a normal day is for me.  I generally eat pretty clean, following a more Paleo-like diet. I basically eat meat (and a lot of it), veggies with every meal, a healthy portion of avocado/olive oil/or coconut every day, and nuts on occasion.  I don't eat grains with the exception of brown rice and quinoa on occasion.  I don't eat dairy any more since after taking it out I find no need to put it back in - however I do have heavy cream in my coffee.  Yes I eat carbs! - mostly in the form of starchy vegetables and the occasional piece of fruit.  I eat to fuel my workouts and help my muscles grow (with success so far!).  When I need a treat or something sweet I will have dark chocolate, coconut baked goods, or some berries.  I drink coffee - and I love it but I probably drink too much of it.  So what I do eat is pretty standard for a lot of people - I don't see any red flags in the choices I have made to comprise my daily 'diet'.

So the problem lies in being outside of these habitual choices.  I don't buy the argument that because I restrict things it makes me susceptible to devouring chocolate like it is crack!  I have cravings just like anyone else, and I have learnt strategies to deal with it and substitutes for what would otherwise be unhealthy choices.   My biggest problem is avoiding the temptations....and that is hard to do when I am outside of my own controlled environment.  When an endless source of chocolate treats and baking is put out on display, free to graze upon as one wishes...my willpower can only hold out for so long. For all the good intentions I have going in - I only have so much energy to continue the fight.  The choices I make and the chocolate baked goods and mini eggs I shoved in my mouth are all on me.  No one made me.  The problem I have with myself is how weak I am to not just stop it at one taste.  I need to figure out the mental strategies to allow myself one indulgence and the strength to stop it at that.  Part of me needs to be reminded of the consequences to decide the worth of eating something (a decadent cheesecake is worth it - mini eggs are not).  But the other part of me needs to have a reason that goes deeper then feeling bad...and that is something I haven't figured out yet or am unwilling to acknowledge (probably worthy of a whole new blog post).

After two nights and a few more isolated occasions of shitty eating - think baked goods, mini eggs, yogurt covered raisins, jujubes and homemade dunkaroo dip (so freaking good!), too many cranberry cocktails, and mom's homemade buns - I was a physical mess.   I was swollen (and actually still am), bloated, and felt like I was a human pin cushion.  My "fat" areas hurt the most - basically my entire back and arms felt like there were millions of needles stuck in me.  I was dehydrated (mostly because of a night of drinking) and was exhausted from lack of good sleep.  My hip joints are still aching and my skin has broken out again.   My guts have been working double time to flush all this crap out (no pun intended) and my body was cringing at eating anything else.  None of these consequences are desirable.  And it will be days before it goes away.  Thing is....I knew this was gonna happen all along and knowing that still wasn't enough to stop me.

So another family holiday has come and gone.  In a week or so it will all be back to normal.  The challenge is doing better next time.  How?  That's not something I have a solid answer to and it comes back to finding the deeper reason.  Probably defining my strategies would help too.  I think a good place to start is to redefine my goals and look a little deeper within myself to acknowledge my real intentions. This is not an easy thing to do, I have struggled with it before, and perhaps this just confirms I need to spend some time on this again....

In the meantime, some simple things I need to do to put this past weekend behind me...

Goals - this week I need to re-evaluate my short term and long term goals.  I feel as though I have forgotten them, neglected working towards them, and feel a general sense of being lost right now.  I have a feeling that my lack of solid goals right now also contributed to my weakness on the weekend.

Refuel - grocery shopping and making food for the week always makes me feel better.  The leftover treats and such will have to be frozen or tossed.  I just need to get back to eating based on my own food rules.

Relationships - I need to revisit some of my favorite websites, reconnect with some of my favorite online fitness communities, and reestablish communication with my friends who have similar goals as me and book a visit with my trainer. These sources are truly what keeps me focused....but I feel as though I have lost touch lately so it is time to reconnect.

Gym - heals everything.

At the end of the day, whatever I am doing and all the hiccups I have had in isolation are still not terrible.  I put a lot of pressure on myself to be better - to eat healthy, to advocate for healthy choices, and to do better regardless of temptation.  I am just not always good at following my own advice.  I would just like to say after the next major family holiday weekend that I came out of the weekend feeling great and with no regrets.  It's up to me to make that happen.

So that all being said - I'm going to finish this glass of water and get ready to go to the gym.  It is there that this all gets put behind me and I come out feeling like myself again.