I'll work it off

"Food sins" are unique, as I just recently realized. In a very tangible way, we can (or so we think) "undo" all of the terrible food choices we've made by promising ourselves that we'll work out extra hard the next day (or whenever we get around to it). I've been reading more about the folly of the "debtor's ethic" that we can maintain towards people or God, so this thought about food really struck a chord with me.

The thing is, we might be right. Maybe we will work it off. But did we solve the problem at all? What was that blimey problem, anyway? I just ate too much of the kids' Halloween candy, right? Wrong. The problem is ME.

The problem is that, in big and small ways, I have allowed my cravings to control me. This can apply anywhere in life, but here are some examples that pertain to food.

•  I'm not happy till I have my daily ________. 
•  I have a headache, so I HAVE to eat this.  
•  I work so early,  I've gotta make a drive-thru breakfast run. 
•  I'm celebrating my 2nd-niece-twice-removed cat's graduation party, I MUST partake in the cake!

This is where I want a new me, not just a new workout.

A new me comes with heart-felt, reflective, YANK OFF THE BANDAID change. It requires accountability, grit, and prayer. And swallowing my pride. Like, "yes, I really am that weak," and "Get those chips away from me before I cave!" Don't give any provision for the flesh. Starve the beast so that it will be too weak to kill you. It's kinda like keeping the Voldemort of our desires away from unicorns. For those of you who got that, I love you.

Peace.

It's in the INgredients...

Hello, my friends. I'll get right to the point, here: eating healthy (not letting the FOOD control YOU via cravings, lack of planning, etc) is about ingredients. Feel free to virtually slap me for being so obvious, but one of my "a-ha" moments lately has been to get more in touch with my chef side. What would eating look like for me if I saw everything as a piece of a puzzle and not a means to an end? No more just eating chicken post-workout for protein. It's an easy pick, but obviously no fun! I won't be able to make stellar recipes all the time, but why not try where I can?

This mindset will also help me with eating more vegetables... and not WASTING them! Instead of fretting over the fact that I don't eat enough mushrooms, buying mushrooms, and letting them rot in the fridge, I will get inspired each week to say, "Hey, I haven't had mushrooms in a while... let's find some recipes! I can even prepare food each week based on a theme, taking one extra step to try to use up all of the ingredients I buy.

Keep on keepin' on, ya'll!!

Gluten-free mac n cheese (mix) with broccoli and tomatoes (added) :)

Little sleep + temptations = run!!

So I'm just gonna be straight. Woke up after very little sleep due to thunderstorms and I guess my TMJ issues. I had a chocolate chip cookie. Haha, I know it's not the worst thing in the world but I could've had a piece of dark choco instead. Skip all the nasty oil and flour that went into the cookies!!

The point is though that I am NOT giving up, and I still aim to become the person who says no to treats, especially for certain periods of time (like the rest of this 21day fix!) in order to inspire others and to teach my body to crave different things. And to build up my saying no muscle, in general :)

Can't wait to workout with my friend Joy later today. And to eat rightly, with good foods. SO thankful I have healthy food available to me!

PS, I LOVE protein shakes for killing cravings. Msg me or comment for more info!

A little treat day and a hungry eventide

Ps, I'm pretty sure eventide is an oldie word for evening. ("Abide with me, fast falls the eventide").

Anyways, as you might have supposed from the title, I did allow myself to have a treat today of a chocolate eclair, though I turned down other lil cheats throughout the day such as Andes candies which are always available to me at work ;) I don't feel guilty about this, though I am excited about the thought of another, soon, go-round where I literally attempt to go 21 days with no treat-sies. But c'mon now. Free choco eclair from work? Yes please. One thing I did notice though is JUST HOW HARD IT IS, after saying yes to ONE treat, to not go "OH WHAT THE HAY?" to every.other. treat in sight. Give an inch, and take a mile. But I didn't, though almost!! (IE if that cookie had been broken I may NOT have been able to turn it down. SO glad that wasn't the case for me).

One thing that makes me a smidge uncomfortable is eating later at night, around 9. Suppose I haven't had my calories for the day, and I'm still hungry? This is where I need to keep closer track of my EXACT container use (a 21 day fix thing), so I can know if I have any wiggle room left. Anywho, here's the deal-io for the day:

bfast: 2 eggs with garlic, scallions, and red pepper. Coffee (yes with 1/2 and 1/2, I haven't given up on that YET), and 1/2 latte. I was soooo tired!

snack 1: 1/2 banana, cashew milk SO GOOD, 25 calories and like 1 gram fat!, small slice of bakery bread with cheese

lunch: rice and black beans

dinner: 1 wholegrain waffle, almond butter, strawberries on top :)))

snack 2: fig bar, organic (220 calories)

bedtime snack: veggies and basalmic, 1 triscuit cracker with cream cheese

June 5- a NO cheats day!! #itsamiracle

Wow... all I can say is that it IS possible to go al day without cheating. And it feels good :)

Yesterday (June 5) I did Cardio fix, which is my least favorite of all, but while doing it I realized maybe I don't hate it as much as I thought. Every time I get stronger... :D I look forward to improving my stamina for doing mountain climbers!!

I am behind the ball with blogging, and since it is so late I may not remember everything I ate... Pretty standard day though with a:

-breakfast of Heart2Heart cereal w/ banana and a wholegrain waffle with almond butter,

-lunch of chick peas and assorted veggies with spices and basalmic,

-dinner of a choco protein shake.

#woot.

Good day, bad day... in the blink of an eye

Well it really doesn't take much to fall and to fall hard. Today I was doing quite well until I decided to follow the crowd at work and try a piece of the cannolis we were making. After that I found myself eating things I hardly ever do... just because. I didn't even always like the taste of them. It was as if at that moment, I had lost all of my resolve or I suppose the right brain chemicals telling me what my body actually wanted in terms of fuel. Snap. I forgot how dangerous this road is! Thankfully this has not happened on days 1-3 of my 21 day fix... and since I'm "tired of starting over," it's time to "stop giving up."

PS, isn't it so hard when somebody bakes you cookies? Or when there is stuff in your house that will get thrown out unless you eat it? Oh yeah, that's where I fall!! BUT tomorrow, partially due to writing this post, I am committed not just to taking the random stuff in my fridge to eat on lunch at work. Tomorrow I'm going hard. NO EXCUSES!! :))

bfast- berries, banana, and almond milk; 1 multograin waffle with almond butter

snack 1- egg, cheese, and brocoli

lunch: my usual veggie salad :)

snack 2: pasta and parmesan (MAJOR cheat I am terrible!)

dinner: protein shake and 1/3 oat and honey bar (again I ate it "just because," darn sugar craving is more like it!)

cheats: 2 cookies made by a lady at church... I could have turned them down had I STAYED AWAY from sugar earlier in the day! (bites of things at work)

All for Jesus. Here's to tomorrow, and right now :)

Don't have an "Oh, what the...." kind of day!

We all know the feeling. "If I'm gonna feel crappy, why not just throw it all away for a spell and eat _____ (like an everything bagel) for dinner?" That's how I felt today when trying to plan ahead for what I would have for dinner. But I stopped myself, thank the Lord. Even though I had 3 yellows today, I had a WHOLE WHEAT pita instead of a white bagel, with yummyyy veggies, sauce, and cheese on top. Much better choice, yeah?!

Exercise: Shout out to my girl JOY VAN DETTE for being my workout buddy! Lower fix, we killed it LOL (post workout: 1/3 protein shake)

bfast: Panera egg, ham, and cheese (340 cal)

snack 1: organic fig bar (110 cal), small apple

lunch: my usual cukes, tomatoes, basalmic vinegar, salt, and onion powder

snack 2: 1.3 tbsp plain wegmans hummus and a few baby carrots; treat of a 90 calorie rice crispie treat (did I mention I have a cold? No excuses, I know... tomorrow I'm gonna try to take Allison's advice and do a detox from treats/cheats!)

dinner: yummy homemade pizza as described above! (parm cheese, spinach, yellow pepper, homemade mushroom sauce), a few cashews

bedtime snack: strawberries and bananas

cheat: 1/2 of the best chocolate cookie in my life!