First there was Die Hard, then Die Hard 2: Die Harder, Die Hard with a Vengeance, and Live Free or Die Hard. So what does John McClane have to do with diet and exercise? Bear with me for a moment. I love the first movie. It's a classic, hands down. Then, the subsequent movies tried to reclaim that greatness but didn't quite get there (at least in my opinion, and I never got around to seeing the last installment). It was clear what the sequels were trying to do and there was a flavor of it in each movie, but they just fell short.
Segway to my life....
I used to have HORRIBLE eating habits. I was oblivious to the concept of serving sizes or portions. Carbohydrates were a dominant staple in my diet, particularly simple carbs and refined sugars. My husband and I would often have a bag of frozen cheese ravioli for dinner, accompanied by an entire loaf of Italian bread. Veggies? Nah. Lean meats? Sure, as long as they were accompanied by bread, cheese, sour cream, or other condiments/dressings/etc. Consider that to be the original Die Hard.
Now each return to my "dirty" eating is like a sequel to this original pattern. Elements of my old preferences and habits definitely come to the surface - I'm still vulnerable to the "John McClane" appeal. However, it just doesn't have the same energy as the original. Nowadays, continued "dirty" eating leaves me feeling horrible where before I felt normal despite eating all that junk.
I probably shouldn't be amazed by how easy it is for me to slip into the past behaviors associated with poor eating. I hold out hope that the food will comfort me or help me feel better, but it never really does. I have definite associations with particular foods and I'm more likely to turn to them when I'm feeling vulnerable/weak. What do I turn to? Macaroni and cheese is an old favorite and I easily polish off an entire box on my own for dinner. Bread, in its many forms, is another comfort food. Given that cereal is often not around in the house, I indulge with different cereals both for breakfast and for snacks (Honey Bunches of Oats and Cocoa Krispies are two popular cereals with me). Then there's the chocolate, chips, and other goodies I'll graze on.
Noticing a trend here? I'm definitely a carb-lover. Given my past eating habits, it's really not surprising that my weight crept up to 190 pounds. When these habits resurface, I can't be surprised to see the number on the scale begin to work its way up again. It's not the same as the first go-round, but it's definitely got the same flavor to it and has me headed in that direction.
My goal is to interrupt the sequel before it begins to rival the original. My husband asked if I'd have trouble returning to clean eating after all the indulging over the last few weeks. Generally, I'm able to do it without great difficulty. Once I put my mind to it, I just do it. I stop buying the "dirty" foods, I throw out the foods already in the house, and I make sure to stock up the house with good choices.
The one thing I'm looking at doing differently with this round of clean eating is to have "mandatory cheats" each week to help ward off the burn-out irritability I was starting to feel. This week, I'll be treating myself to a Cadbury's Creme Egg - I bought a 4-pack of them and didn't have any before going back to my eating efforts. I LOVE this Easter treat and didn't have any last year. I'm not going to go overboard with them, but am comfortable with having one a week as part of whatever cheat meal may be going on.
Yippie-Ki-Yay!
Food Log:
- Meal 1
- 2 egg whites
- 40g oatmeal
- Meal 2
- Apple
- Light cheese
- Meal 3
- 3oz chicken
- 1oz almonds
- Meal4
- 3oz chicken
- Green beans
- 2 tablespoons salad dressing
- 40g oatmeal
- 1 tablespoon peanut butter
Exercise:
- Elliptical for 60 minutes
- Level 1
- ~550 calories (went by reading on machine because HRM needs a new battery)4.25 miles
Today's Weigh-In: 152.1 / 151.1
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