First things first: In reference to my last post, where I said I was enjoying little treats along the way and hopefully it wouldn't lead to a 2 week binder at the end of the year.
Hmmmm...I can't say it was a TOTAL binder, but there was definitely A LOT of treats. Too many, that's for sure. Now that I think of it, a LOT of them were the week BEFORE Christmas. We were running around a lot, like all the rest of you. Between get togethers and quite a few errands, there was just a lot of eating on the go and/or 'hey, I didn't eat breakfast...but my friend is delivering cookies to my house while I'm teaching yoga, so....' 😉 Funny enough, the week AFTER Christmas (where we usually eat out a lot) we ended up cooking home A LOT and it felt REALLLLLLLLLLY nice. There were definitely pockets of EXTRA-overindulging, but for the most part it was all held together well. Working out also played a huge part that, aside from teaching classes, I tried to fit in at least a 2 mile walk in MOST days. And forgave myself on the few days I just wasn't feelin it. Because that recliner...😉
The result?
Stepped on the scale this morning as a gauge and I weighed the EXACT same weight I did back in October, which has been my post-Lily lowest so far.
I'll take it.
I'll take it. I'll take it. I'll take it.
With that said, I thought I'd share a few thoughts on food/mental weight loss that I feel have crystallized for me in 2016.
Here goes:
~I like variety, but I REALLLLLLLLY don't like TOO much food at once.
Perfect example: We actually scaled back on Christmas Eve (where we do dips & appetizers), and yet there was STILL wayyyyyyyyy too much to sample and try. The result? You get full fast and then keep eating cause you want to try ALLTHETHINGS.
Well, the one thing I LOVE (neeeeeeeeeeed!) to have on Christmas Eve is a plate of fresh mozzarella, pepperoni, roasted red peppers, kalamata olives...you get the picture. I had some that night and it just blended in with ALL the rest of the things. Everything was delicious, don't get me wrong. But it just was A LOT. Come December 26th, we were looking for something for lunch and I decided to whip up another cheese tray to munch on...and I enjoyed it sooooooooooooooooo much more. Because I could just enjoy THAT ONE THING. Still enjoyed variety with all the things to pick on, but WITHOUT needing ANYTHING else and without everything just blending into a mess of JUST CONSUMPTION and no flavor. Good lesson for me.
~A few bites of dessert are REALLY more than enough and all you can taste.
I forget this one WAY too easily. But if you can't really taste it anymore, is it REALLY worth it??
~I ate full fat sour cream for the 1st time in YEARS, and guess what? I ate WAY less and I liked it soooooooo very much.
SOOOO very much. Cleaning up my diet and eating more real food has been an ongoing process since 2011. My most interesting 'fact' about that time was that, after 3 years of nothing happening, I managed to get pregnant the year I quit Splenda. May TOTALLLLLY have been a coincidence, but since then I've DEF kicked a lot of those habits. And last year I really started to eat less "less fat/calorie" products and just savor smaller portions. I don't HATE low-fat ice cream, but I don't think I've had/purchased it in ages (aside from one pint of a certain brand of 'protein ice cream', which may have unfortunately turned me off from even trying the highly touted Halo Top. My stomach turns just thinking about it🙍).
And MOST notably this year was the one I kicked my daily coffee creamer habit! I'll have a cup, maybe once or twice a month, with a creamer...but most of the time it's 1/2 & 1/2 and honey for me now, baby. All day, err day. That was a huggggggggggggge one, since I felt the creamer was the most unhealthy habit I had in my DAILY diet. (I still have the occasional diet soda, but it's usually ONLY when I'm out. Not a daily thing. I'll tackle that one another year😉)
I also try to buy more organic WHEN I can, without driving myself to the brink of insanity and/or the poorhouse😉 I mainly focus of the "dirty dozen" and try to filter in the rest where I can. (Shopping at Trader Joe's, Aldi's & Amazon Fresh has been our mainstays and an easy way to keep track of organic products for cheaper)
~86% of the time, I don't like Greek yogurt. Too much tang. Only on specific occasions.
There, I said it.
😉 And/or I've figured out a lot of what I do AND do NOT like last year and it's just not worth the calories (or a foods promise of a lack there of) to eat it if I just DON'T LIKE IT. So I'm not gonna. So there.
And seriously, unless you're trying to detox a bit to get yourself back on track (we all need a little extra discipline SOME TIMES!) or trying out new ways to sample new foods, DON'T eat anything you hate! Ya hate quinoa? Don't do it! Hate brussel sprouts, but like broccoli? Eat the broccoli. Everything is worth trying at least once or twice, but life's too short for FORCING yourself to eat things you just DO NOT like. It's never worth it. There are plenty of ways to make 'healthier' ingredients in a way you can enjoy them (and/or swaps for the ones you REALLY don't like). Ya just gotta crack your own code to eating healthy AND happy😉
(and if you're curious-the only 14% of the time I find Greek yogurt appealing is in those 2% cups mixed with fruit or honey, mixed in dips, salad dressings or mixed with a bit of lemon on tacos. You can sleep now that you know that info😉)
~Eating what I want when I'm hungry and stopping when I'm full just KILLS all that under consuming that leads to binging. If you're hungry, EAT. And more importantly, if you're not: DON'T.
I've struggled with binges for YEARS. As in: I would do realllllllly good and eat super healthy for days & weeks at a time, but always succumb to days/weeks where I just went on a tear and ate like my life depended on it. And what I've really noticed this past year is that the times I'm NOT binging is when I'm FULL & SATISFIED. As in, not having the teeniest, tinest meals in the name of weight loss, only to go off the rails and plow through food either that same day or coupled after weeks of teeny, tiny meals. Keeping myself full and HAPPY with my meals is KEY. Over the spring/summer, it was about me having a bigger breakfast to carry me through the day. Right now, I'm enjoying the smaller meals, but snacking OFTEN and ANY time I'm hungry. Whatever can keep me satiated and HAPPY keeps my head so much clearer and less prone to that dreaded moment of OVERdoing.
And I've written about this a lot here, but make sure you're ALLOWING yourself to have what you're REALLY craving. Denying yourself only leads to that binging, and let's just skip that and leave it in the past this year, K?
~I'm NEVER happy when I'm stuffed. EVERRRRRRRRR.
As soon as I crack the code of eating till I'm JUST FULL (which is an ONGOING process, to say the least), I'll have found my Narnia.
~The scale doesn't matter AT ALL. Even if the scale # is good, you KNOW when you still feel gross from eating garbage and vice versa.
All that said and yet I'm still sooooooooo conflicted about the scale. I banished it for most of this year, but still feel like it's a tool when you're REALLY trying to be diligent and loose weight. This is still a tough one....but 2 things I know for sure: 1-I feel less obsessive without it & 2-I do indeed know when I feel good vs. gross. Trust thy gut.
~I didn't beat myself up this year if I occasionally overate or didn't feel my best.
For the most part, I just moved on and started fresh at the next meal. And all that lack of mental boxing lead to making PEACEFUL healthier choices MORE often. I'll take it.
~I like chocolate in the afternoons and have it almost daily. Because it makes me happy. End of story.
Preferably milk. And I know you're gonna tell me that dark is better. I know, I get it. Some days I have it, but most days it's milk all the way. Know your happy place💖
STILL NEED TO WORK ON:
~My brain switching over to 'less healthy' things once Friday-Sunday rolls around.
It's almost automatic and I can't STAND it.
~we're blessed to have a LOT of times to indulge and MAYBE I don't neeeeeeed to participate in EVERY one. Especially if it's not exactly what I want in the moment.
On two occasions in recent memory we went out to eat and I GENUINELY wanted a salad. But I did not get the salad because 'we were out, so it's time to indulge.' And guess what?? I felt gross after. Funny how I'll eat kale when I'm home, 'being good' and really want pasta, but I'll RARELY everrrrr get a salad if I'm 'supposed' to be eating a burger while we're out.
Maybe in 2017, I'll learn🙏
(I'll mention again) ~Stop eating when I'm JUST full.
So yep...that's where 2016 has brought me and I'm excited to see what's next. On the weight front, I can firmly say I'm 20+ pounds lighter than I was last year and I'll take that. ....still about 7 pounds from my pre-Lily weight & about 18ish pounds (give or take) from my happiest weight, where I feel my best...but we're getting there. Slow & steady. At least I can say I'm getting there while feeling happy & satisfied vs. deprived & miserable. I'll take what I can get😉
Me thinks I'll have lots more to share with you on the meditation front soon as well. Plus I think I may be bringin back my 'weekly food wrap-ups.' I always enjoyed doing them...as long as I don't feel too consumed/obsessed with food. But a gal still likes to talk about it occasionally😉
Have you guys learned any big lessons in 2016? If so, share with me!
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As always...thanks for reading!
