Lunch today was leftovers from last night’s dinner.
I topped a bowl of roasted kale with haddock veracruz. I made the haddock last night following a recipe that I received on a card at Publix. Publix Apron’s recipes have proven successful in the past (remember the salmon with a raspberry glaze?), so I figured this one would be a keeper as well.
Unfortunately this recipe was only okay. The olives saved it, but it’s not one I’d make again. After eating it two times, I’m officially over it.
And now it’s time for me to write my heart out and work through some thoughts.
A Full Week of Healthy
Over the weekend, vegetables eluded me. Whole grains (other than boatloads of homemade granola) laughed at me.
Snacks ruled me.
I felt like I went from one snack to the next, munching my way through the whole weekend. I’d still sit down to meals because it was time for that meal, not because I was particularly hungry.
I awoke this morning feeling a bit lethargic, but committed. This week is going to be one full week of healthy. Not Monday through Thursday healthy… Monday through Sunday healthy.
Yes, desserts will be consumed. But reasonable desserts. Snacks will be enjoyed, but reasonable snacks… that have an end.
I absolutely love healthy food. I love the taste, texture and smell of fresh fruits and vegetables. I love the flavor of healthy fats and the way whole grains fill me up without zapping my energy.
Why, then, do I eat cookie after cookie (no, not just one… like seven) when I know I’m going to feel like garbage afterward? I know it’s not an issue of deprivation because I let myself eat treats and always eat when I’m hungry. So what’s the deal?
As you may remember, I started reading the book The End of Overeating about a month ago. I haven’t finished it yet, but one thing that really stuck out to me from the pages I have read is that study after study revealed that consuming sugar, salt and fat makes us crave sugar, salt and fat. Eating one cookie makes us crave another.
You guys know that I’m a big believer in indulging. Eat the dang dessert if you want it! I will never restrict myself or tell myself I can’t have something because that just backfires and I’ll find myself swimming in a tub of cookie dough in no time.
What I will tell myself as I head into my “week of healthy” is that I can have my treats, but make them reasonable and stop before eating one treat turns into eight treats, ruining my appetite for dinner and otherwise healthy foods.
You guys know I am a big advocate for enjoying what you want to eat, but my mom’s breast cancer diagnosis also flipped a switch in my head, inspiring me to make healthier decisions when it comes to food. I want to eat foods that benefit my body and supply me with nutrients and vitamins. It’s easy to veer off course every now and then, but the great news is that you can always hop back on the healthy living train.
Question of the Afternoon
- If you find yourself struggling with healthy eating, what do you do to hop back on the healthy living train?
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That happens to me all the time. I eat really healthy for a little bit and then I slowly start consuming more and more unhealthy foods until a weekend gets the best of me and I eat more junk food than healthy food and I, too, have to re-evaluate. I start to feel fatigue and gross and not energized, light and healthy and that’s my cue to get back on the bandwagon and eat the veg! I also think about how I never want to be unhealthy and have fitness and diet confront me, so I confront it first.
You are totally right! I hate when I get in the habit of overindulging, since I know I feel bad afterwards! Would love a review of the book when you are finished.
also, totally random comment but have to say thank you for having your links open in new windows. It might seem silly, but I really appreciate it when bloggers do that 🙂
What a great challenge! When I have a few days off, I make a healthy dinner menu and make sure my kitchen is stocked with lots of healthy foods!
I just plan to eat my lunch before I feel ravenous, that way I can focus on the healthy meal I planned on preparing. Otherwise, I end up snacking throughout the day!
Also, check out Kate over at ahealthypassion.com, she was having similar feelings and tomorrow starts a healthy eating detox! She’s very knowledgeable and I trust her fully with things of this nature (i.e. detoxes, nutritional information, facts etc..). Her detox isn’t about weight-loss or anything, rather to realign her cravings!
I try and plan out my meals.. and my meals always are healthy. It is snacking that gets me… just like you. As soon as I start snacking.. I can’t stop. I just keep eating..and eating.. even though I know I am full. Most of the time I start snacking before I am even hungry.. so i will do something else.. like drink a glass of water… make a phone call.. read.. and see if I am still hungry.. if I still really do want t hat snack.
I will also brush my teeth when I know I should be done. Nothing tastes as good when it is mixed with fresh minty toothpaste.
That is a GREAT book. Another good one is Progress not Perfection by Kate Larsen. FABULOUS. Do not beat yourself up about it. I swear it makes it worse. Think positively. Instead of thinking about what you should not eat, think about what you should and WHY. Health, You rock girlie. Keep it up.
I just try to eat more conciously and ask myself do I really want this snack before I continue to munch, munch, and munch some more. Some days I am more sucessful than others!
I work as a dietitian on a healthy living program for diabetics and breast cancer survivors and one thing we focus on is small manageable changes to their current routine. Although it is sometimes hard to practice what I preach!
I just try and make it right from the next morning – go for a run, eat oatmeal for breakfast and take a walk at lunch. Then have dessert that night, of course 🙂
Totally agree! My mom’s cancer diagnosis and subsequent complications have inspired me to eat healthier and stay active. I want to enjoy my health and take advantage of my body’s capabilities as much as I can.
I try to remind myself of how good I feel when I eat healthy. Eating all the sweets might be good in the moemnt (and oh it is!) but afterwards I always have a stomach ache. By remembering how light and energized I feel when I make smart choices, it’s easier for me to make them.
I will be taking this challenge with you. I felt like I was reading about myself! I am so sick of feeling like swollen crap every single Sunday night. I also hate feeling like I’m “starting over” every Monday morning.
great post! i have the same problem with cookies, its just so mindless and by the end i feel like a slug, ill have to pick up that book sometime!
Just came across this post and wanted to say that i think a commitment to a week of healthy is a fantastic idea. I try to eat healthy 7 days a week but that rarely happens! When i feel myself sliding off track i usually make a run to the grocery store to have healthy fresh ingredients on hand. Helps me get right back on track.
Oh gosh…I have found myself in the same boat lately…the more I eat, the more I crave. It’s a bad cycle. I try to remember that tomorrow’s a new day, and starting with a healthy breakfast is the best thing that I can do for myself. Starting my day with a handful of chocolate chips (which I seem to do too often), is not :).
mmm that looks bomb!
For healthy eating, I go straight for whole foods. Their produce might be more expensive but I swoon over how awesome it looks. Its too hard NOT to want to eat it!
Wonderful post Julie! It’s always great to be reminded that even awsome healthy living bloggers have snack-filled days just like the rest of us 😉
I really aim to do my best every day and NOT beat myself up for indulging too much, but it’s hard. You want to live healthy and take care of yourself. As an oncology nurse I am grateful for my good health everyday and need to learn to forgive myself for “slipping up”
Thanks for your honesty and I wish you all the best luck in your healthy week!
Eating my favorite healthy foods always helps with getting things started again! And like you, that defo does not mean staying away from desserts! I’ll still chocolate nightly but just a couple of squares! I find that one ‘good’ day is enough to keep me motivated!
For me, eating healthy goes hand in hand with exercise. The more I work out–or put into my workout–the more inclined I am to want to fuel my body with the good stuff!
If I’m slacking at the gym, my diet usually suffers too.
So to get “back on track” I’ll eat light for a couple of days and then eats my favorite whole grains, fruits and veggies.
This really resonates with me – My mum is in hospital right now 🙁 And I can’t help but think of history repeating itself – she is starting to have the same things my grandmother did…
I could see myself in her when I went for a checkup and was told I had high blood pressure. I have always eaten healthily, but I really needed to take my weight down. Now I’m within 10 lb of my goal weight, blood pressure normal. I’m hoping to avoid most of what’s caught my mum by tackling “our” risk factors, but I just really want her to be healthy and well. I don’t want to follow her; when she comes out I will encourage her to follow me instead 😉
I agree with some other commenters that breakfast is EVERYTHING for me. For whatever reason, if I have a green smoothie or a healthy bowl of oats, I’m way more likely to follow through with a healthy day than if I start out “in the negative” with loads of sugar and empty calories.
It’s also way easier for me to keep my eats clean when I’m consistenty active…the thought process behind that has really shifted for me in the past few months, though. Back when I worked out for weight loss, it used to be a “if I’m going to work out, I at least want my hard work to pay off, so I better not eat junk” thing. VERY external and guilt-driven. Now that I exercise more for fun/stress management/general health, it’s more the knowledge that eating healthy food will fuel my workouts that much better. Still a process, but it’s a shift that happened naturally and I couldn’t be happier about it!
I struggle with this same thing. One cookie quickly turns into five. I try to make the healthier choices (hence my blog name, hehe), but sometimes you have to choose the cookie. My mother also had some health problems that really made me realize how important a healthy lifestyle is. When I start to slip, I think about that.
This happens to me all the time. Usually what I do is head to the gym or bake up a batch of a healthier version of my favorite treats. I know that when something is “healthy” it reminds me that moderation is the healthiest.
Something that a friend told me that really helped me understand overeating a lot better was that sugar and fat are more calorie dense than any other type of food. When we eat them, our bodies naturally crave more as a survival tactic. It’s a little primative, but our bodies are just trying to store as much calories (or energy) as possible since it doesn’t know when our next meal might come. Having somewhat of a scientific explanation really helped me understand that I do have control over how I much I choose to eat.
You know, I have to say that it’s really refreshing to see this post. Sometimes, people seem like they have everything figured out and never struggle…it’s nice to see that even when you think people are like that, they do still have a hard time sometimes. So thank you for being human! haha. 🙂
I struggle with overeating sometimes as well. I found the book ‘Overcoming Overeating’ to be AMAZINGLY helpful. I highly recommend it to anyone who either overeats or compulsively eats.
Also, from an evolutionary perspective, humans normally crave salt, fat, and sugar, because it used to help our species distinguish what was good to eat in the environment (i.e. our craving for sweetness helped us find fresh fruit). It helped us figure out which foods in the wilderness were non-toxic and which foods could aid in essential bodily processes (i.e. salt is an essential compound for many bodily functions). The problem comes into play when there are processed foods. We crave sugar, and instead of eating fruit, we eat ICE CREAM 🙂
Sorry for the extremely nerdy response, but that’s how I am haha