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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I remember how GOOD being healthy and active FEELS!
I’m right there with you and committed to a week of healthy eating after a way too indulgent weekend, for me it was a few too many slices of strawberry bread and bowls of cereal. The best way for me to get back onto to the healthy train is start the next day with a big glass of water, plan out my meals for the day and move on. Take each day as it comes, learn from the past but move on.
I go to the supermarket and make sure to load up on fruits and veggies for the week. I try to stay away from sweets during the week unless I really want something sweet. I will have it in moderation. I definitely need to eat healthier this week. I ate not so healthy this weekend. Here’s to eating healthy! 🙂
I think the biggest thing I’ve taken from getting back into a healthy lifestyle with working out and eating is that if you do “slip up” or “indulge” in something less than healthy or skip working out, that you can just reverse the cycle right away. My boyfriend who is a personal trainer always says, even if you have an unhealthy meal, there is no reason your next meal after that has to be unhealthy too. And I think a lot of people forget this. Many of us think, well I ruined my diet (by diet I mean what you’ve eaten, not diet in the sense of restricting eating) today so I may as well continue eating poorly because all is already lost. But that is so not true, all you have to do is change your habit at the next meal or workout time! It helps to remember that!
I loved that book! It was eye opening for me. I sometimes have those weekends where I eat my way through the days–but getting back on track on Monday and recommitting is always nice! Good luck on your full healthy week. You will do great.
I do the same thing with cookies! I LOVE snickerdoodles and whenever I make them I have to hide them or give them away because I will eat all 24 within 2 or 3 days! I had to stop buying cookie dough so I wouldn’t over indulge (sad I know).
Getting back on the healthy eating train is hard for me, but when clothes that should fit well get a lil tight, it instantly gets me back to eating healthy.
LOVE this post.
I am a huge believer that sugar is addictive. On the days I go overboard are usually the days where I started with a rare indulgent treat that led to an entire day of eating that lacked any sort of intuition.
(Can we say anytime Christmas cookies are involved?!)
For me, tons of water really helps me to get back on track. Nothing feels healthier than true hydration! 🙂
I went to reserve “The End of Overeating” at my local library and once I saw the cover, remember I already read it… Wow, blonde moment, LOL. Obviously the book wasn’t effective enough since I was considering reading it again…
As to getting back on the healthy living train, I’m still trying to figure that out… I’m the same as you when it comes to junk food. Once I start, it’s hard to stop. I also have little self-control when it comes to buying it. I don’t have it at home since the hubs wouldn’t allow that. But I “stash” candy at work. I don’t know how to stop buying it though. =/
Love this post Julie. I too have a tendency (on the weekends especially!) to enjoy my treats, but over do it a little more than I’d like to. I don’t deprive myself during the week either so I wonder too what’s up with that? Sometimes I just have to tell myself that the cookies will be there tomorrow and that today I will be satisfied with just one cookie 🙂
To get back on the healthy living train I always like to start my day off with a good sweat session at the gym (preferably spinning!) and then a nice, healthy refreshing smoothie….and I finally indulged and bought the xantham gum….omg amazing!!!
Totally can relate to this! I look at the cookie, I say…ok I’ll have just one. Then before I know it I’m head first in the tupperware container! I sometimes tell myself, it’s ok, your active and workout almost everyday…but I KNOW that I need to treat my body better food-wise. Summer is a great time to be doing this! I just went to our farmers market (Dane County Farmers Market which is the largest producer-only farmers’ market in the country) and got lots of yummy stuff and went to the local Trader Joes too. If I stock my cabinets and fridge with healthy food and keep the junk outta there, I have no choice but to reach for the grapes instead of the doritos…which my parents had at there house on Sunday so I can’t be at fault for that…right? 😉 But I think just making the effort is already the best step you can take! Woo hoo to yummy nutritional food!
I had the exact same epiphany last night. My brother and I made a super indulgent dessert for Father’s Day and while it was fun to bake, I felt like total garbage afterwards. Not because I felt guilty for eating so many calories or unhealthy fats, but because there was SO MUCH SUGAR and it literally made me feel ill. I’ve been working hard to avoid too much sugar lately, and last night I realized that it’s been paying off. When I had something super sweet that before wouldn’t have bothered me, it made me sick! Obviously, my body doesn’t want all the crap. Even though it was no fun to feel like garbage, it felt GREAT to know that my body supports my healthy decisions!
I definitely get addicted to sweets if I indulge too much. I realize that when I stray away from them, I crave them less because I realize how much better I feel without them.
I’ve cut out sugar from my diet (especially added sugars from dressings, ketchups, etc) and feel so much better & more energized. If I want ice cream, sure, I’ll eat it but knowing how much better I feel without it makes me not want it so bad!
SO true! Eating great makes us feel GREAT!
I just wrote a post about eating binges and why they happen and what we can do to control it, check it out if you care to! 🙂
I would say the best way to get on track again is to do the small things that add up….hittin’ the gym, eating the dessert when YOU want, but then drinking tons of water and eating veggies too. It is all a special, wonderful balance of yumminess!!
I started my day off with a big, healthy Green Monster. I don’t know why, eating healthy in the morning (plus a morning workout) has me thinking twice about gorging on cookies the rest of the day. It really sets the tone.
I also find that I tend to eat unhealthy foods when I don’t workout. Having some sweat time (and knowing how much work I put into it) reminds me to eat nutritious food. They two go hand in hand.
Like you Julie, I LOVE healthy foods, and I can’t stand veggie withdrawal! Usually, it just takes eating one bad (as in a highly refined or unhealthy meal) to make me get back on track with healthier habits. Get this girl some greens, and she’s happy!
I’m reading that book too, and as a dietitian, not too much of it is new information; he puts it all in perspective and ties in all of the body’s different system in a way that made me look at it in a new light. I too overindulged this weekend, but I think everyone should read that book!
Oh girl, story of my life!! I’m a snack monster, always will be!
I find that having a fridge fully stocked with produce makes me crave healthy food. Also, planning my meals and desserts for the week instead of picking at things works!
Your weekend sounds like my weekend. Weekends tend to be when I struggle most with eating healthy because I am not on a schedule like I am during the work week. I always try to remember that if at the moment I am not craving a cookie, don’t eat it. I’d much rather have that cookie when I feel like the world is going to end if I don’t have one.
To get back into healthy living, I first think about where all my snacks will end up sitting on my body, and realize, I look a lot better as chiquita banana than I do as cookie monster. If that doesn’t work, I’ve found that reading your blog really helps. Although, one downfall from it is that as I’m reading, I’ll feel like I’m living vicariously through you! Then it just feels like I’ve done my interval running and had my salads, so I deserve all the cookies I can stuff in my tummy! : )
I do exactly what you have done–realize that you can get back on track right away. Just b/c you eat bad for breakfast (for example) doesn’t mean the whole day has to be a write-off. Good luck! 🙂
What do I do to get back on track? I read blogs written by fun, smart and healthy gals 🙂 Thanks!
My dad was diagnosed with prostate cancer this year and is currently going through recovery from surgery a month ago – and let me tell you, my mom and I drank our body weight in wine and ate our body weight times a thousand in cheese and chocolate this year. I definitely fell off the wagon and started to really feel it. I started making small changes (eat fruit with breakfast, get an extra hour of sleep, walk another 10 minutes) and it all added up. I feel more energized and better able to deal with what the future holds. But you better believe I still drink my weight in wine! 🙂
I bought that book for my Kindle but havent gotten around to reading it yet. I definitely want to!
I put on weight during marathon training bc I was starving all the time so now I have my favorite jeans hanging up front and center as a reminder to eat better!
For me, making sure to stay hydrated is huge bc I sometimes mistake thirst for hunger and eat when I dont need to. I also try to eat a salad a day!
I was actually wondering if you were going to review/talk about the end of overeating, since I remember you mentioning it was your reading for the plane when you went to Chicago.
This post is at an appropriate time for me because I decided I really need a break from sugar and booze. Booze aren’t a problem so much, other than making me eat too much, but between guests visiting the last two weekends and life stress, I’ve been consuming way too many sweets myself. I find it easier to completely cut out sweets for a bit and then let them in on special occasions, though, as one can easily turn into ten! I will still have “treats,” but they’ll be yogurt and fruit or something sweetened with stevia instead of a chocolate brownie, you know?
Sometimes you need a week to undo everything bad from the week before… I usually feel like I need a week like this after a long vacation!
I feel like I constantly have this ‘back on track’ talk with myself about once a month. I kind of fall off the healthy train and then have to commit myself to get back on it. A lot of times I’m eating pretty well, but then one bad choice in the middle of the day or at late at night is what leads me to the next bad choice.
It’s true what you said…One cookie and I’ll want another one and another one.
I feel like if I start the day off with a healthy and well-rounded breakfast I tend to be able to make better choices throughout the day. It’s alright to indulge every once in a while..I just have to know the limit.
This post relates to me SO well. Especially after this past weekend! I am seriously so healthy all week long. I get my workouts in every day. I eat my set meals and snacks every day and go to bed and wake up feeling great. As soon as Friday hits (sometimes even Thursday if a happy hour comes up) I go into weekend mode, eating whatever I want, drinking whatever I want and feeling complete regret come Sunday night. I feel like I have to start ALL over again Monday morning and it is just this endless cycle. I had read on your blog earlier about The End of Overeating and purchased it last week because it interested me. I started reading it Sunday night because I was feeling so down on myself for the weekend. SO funny though that this post relates exactly to how I am feeling right now AND that I actually started that book last night. What a coincedence! Hopefully this cycle will end because I am just like you in th sense that I love the feeling I get from healthy food and exercise!
My friend Kaella and I have recently started going to the gym in the morning, and that helps to set me up for a day of healthy eating. I give myself one cheat day a week (Sundays…because I eat at my Mom’s house and she has so many treats there!), and try to do a workout that day too to remind myself to keep it in moderation.
About a year or so ago I switched my healthy eating goal from eating healthy foods to be a certain size, to eating healthy foods for the HEALTH of it and benefiting my body.
I’m so glad I did because now at 7 months pregnant, it keeps me focused on putting the good stuff in my body for the sake of my baby and me, because goodness knows it isn’t to stay a certain weight or look a certain way. Today, for example, I feel like a whale, but at least I’m a whale that is stuffed full of spinach, tomatoes, eggs, hummus, etc 🙂
Great post, J. I’ve been “off the wagon” for a few weeks now (due to stress, business, and general summer fun) and I am really starting to see and feel the consequences. I need a kick in the pants, and it’s nice to see somebody else going along for the ride! I think I’ll try to match your full week of healthy, and then keep it going 🙂
As far as what the kick in the pants might be, it’s usually catching up on blogs, writing my goals down, and making a trip to the grocery store to make sure I’m stocked up on health essentials so I’m less tempted (I’m still always tempted!) to go out to eat!
You are so right. I am not much anymore into sweets but I still munch on salty things. Last week i started to make kale chips in my new dehydrator. Kale, the epitome of healthy food, right? And I crave it once it is doused in salty stuff like spicy sour cream and dried. It’s not about the kale, it is all the salt I am getting. Just as bad as not being able to put down the potato chips!
Working out really hard makes me want to eat healthier for some reason…. but I always try to make my desserts with something healthy in it. But I totes agree with never depriving yourself, nothing is worse than feeling like you “can’t” have something! just makes you want it more 🙂 Good Luck this week!
Julie, have you read The China Study yet? I absolutely loved it.
This past weekend we over-indulged as well. (Visiting family will do that to ya!) On our way home I said to my hubby, “Alright. Back to eating clean.” So, I’m with ya on a full week of healthy!
no! what’s the premise?
It was a comprehensive study completed over many years that linked nutrition with certain conditions (diabetes, heart disease, cancer) and discussed how the American diet is to blame for so many of these. I’m a huge nerd that loves percentages and learning new facts and this book was filled to the brim with them! It was eye-opening and menu changing for me, personally.
Here’s a link to the book on Amazon so you can check it out more!
http://www.amazon.com/China-Study-Comprehensive-Nutrition-Implications/dp/1932100660/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1308603666&sr=8-1
HI PSYCHIC JULIE!!! haa
I literally had a very stressful weekend- waiting for my nephew to come into the world, 2 work disasters and some wedding drama *43 days away!* and decided to just eat cupcakes, hot dogs and cookies till I could hardly move…. Work up today and decided that’s it!! Made a full week of healthy lunches and portioned out any treats I would reach into the freezer for so even IF I did indulge – the portion is all ready for me.
Told my fitness instructor to expect me in class Tues and Thursday and made plans to go a a long bike ride tonight – so I have no excuses
I find that if I commit to workouts and plan out my meals and portion sizes I can get through the week and also save myself so much time
I know exactly how you feel! I almost THANK that sluggish feeling I get the day after, because if it wasn’t for that feeling, I would probably snack and eat unhealthy more often. Good luck on your healthy week! I’ll be following suit!
I have the same problem with sweets. I don’t believe in deprivation but find myself going back to the cookie jar over and over again, especially on weekends. For me, the best (and hardest) thing for me to do is avoid sweet altogether. It’s hard but I end up making better decisions in general. Of course, this doesn’t happen that often because I love sweets so much!
Whenever I feel off from a weekend or few days of too many indulgences, I make sure to start my day off with a healthy breakfast. It’s just so much easier to start the day on the right foot than switching over from french fries and cookies halfway through the day to veggies.
This is CRAZY!! I was literally just talking with my boyfriend about this on our drive back from an indulgent weekend in Chicago yesterday. I don’t know if it’s the routine of the week or what but I just find it sooo much harder to resist that ice cream on the weekend, even when I know I will feel like crap afterwards.
I’m with you on this one!! One FULL week of healthy…followed by two, three, four… 😉
Great post! So many good points in here. I definitely tend to stray off that healthy living train and when I stray, I go big or go home. 1 lb bag of pretzels? No problem. A pint of ice cream? Gone in 60 minutes. It’s just not healthy! When I stray off track, I hop on with baby steps, slowly incorporating more and more veggies and fruits into my diet. If I can’t eliminate my binging urge, I try to binge on fruits and veggies. Eventually, this process helps me to return back to my normal healthy self 🙂
I think it’s important to make sure meals are substantial enough (include enough protein, healthy fats & whole grain carbs) otherwise you end up starving 2 hrs later and eat random snacks. A lot of women try to eat too health (i.e. a salad with not enough protein or fat) and then are starving 2 hrs later which leads to a bunch of random snacks.
Especially when you work out almost every day.
I do exactly what you’re doing – set a short term goal! 1 week of extra healthy eating is exactly what you can do to make up for an awful splurge. Overeating is SUCH a fault of mine… there are certain foods I just can’t stock in my fridge because they’d be devoured instantly. Also, even if there is a bigger size that might be a better ‘deal’ I will get the single sized portion if I know it’s one of those foods I just cannot say no to!
Great post! I do the exact same thing with eating more sweets than I should and I don’t know why I do it! I don’t deprive myself of sweets either, so it’s dumb that I do what I do.
This past week I focused on eating bigger meals so that I wouldn’t be SO hungry in between meals and end up making my snacks more calories than my actual meals! It helped quite a bit. Even though I was getting the “correct” ratios of carbs:protein:fats in my meals, I simply wasn’t eating enough calories.
I started reading The End of Overeating about a month ago too! I didn’t realize you did as well. I’m only about half way through, but it’s fantastic!
Totally with you on this one. I don’t deprive myself either so I always wonder why I find myself in a near binge on snacks or desserts.
Sometimes I go on a “no sweets” cleanse for a week and feel better, but I don’t want to have to live in an all or nothing world!
Make a commitment like this one with a friend. When two (or more!) people are held accountable, it makes going through the changes a lot easier. Two weeks ago my sister and I decided to do a week of “low sugar” to balance out a week of HEAVY HEAVY sugar (haha we can’t help it) 😉
The odds of success are better with someone by your side!
This is such a good post for a Monday. I totally fall off the healthy living train on weekends and by Monday I feel like crap. I need to stop indulging for two days straight and instead maybe spread out my treats throughout the week and enjoy them in a little more moderation.
I am going to work out tonight. There, it’s in writing. I HAVE to do it now 😉
Great topic! I have struggled with over-induldging (especially those sweet treats!) for years. I have very little self-control around a batch of treats… I can go out and get just one cookie, but if there are multiple cookies laying around I will want them all.
I recently decided to cut sugar out of my normal diet, but the idea of never eating a scoop of ice cream or a piece of cake again is too much to bear! So, I limit myself to one really indulgent treat a week. I do keep a little organic, extra dark chocolate on hand just in case I really get a sweet craving (the higher the cacao content, the lower the sugar, generally speaking).
But I have found that by only really having one really great treat a week, I not only reduce the amount of over-induldging I have a tendency to do on a daily basis, but I also really appreciate the induldgence when I have it.
Hey Julie,
I’ve found myelf consuming a jar of pb wayyyy faster than I should have, or picking my way through the bag chocolate chips and spoiling my appitite too. It’s the worst feeling ever because I didn’t enjoy it like I would have if I “sat down” and just had as you said a reasonable amount. My strategy for hoppin’ back on the health train would be to take some time and pre-package healthy snacks and meals in containers and place them the front of my fridge. After that I’ll try to avoid placing empahsis on food for a few days…make plans with friends, my boyfriend, or read more! And finally, I don’t beat myself up about it, it’s over, done with, I’ll do better the next time around! 🙂
amen!
I’m struggling with the opposite right now; I have to keep forcing myself to eat, eat, eat! I’m officially sick of sweets. And food in general, to be quite honest!
However, if you ever do want to swim in a tub of cookie dough, I suggest making Chocolate-Covered Katie’s “Blondie Batter Dip” with white beans instead of chickpeas… and add a couple tablespoons of dark cocoa powder. Its quite heavenly and 100% healthy! (if you can handle the fiber involved in eating a whole can of beans, that is…)
If I’m feeling “blah” about my eating (or excessive drinking — which is kinda how I feel right now) I try to eat as clean as possible. Lots of protein, veggies, and fruit! I also try to avoid alcohol for a week or so – it’s hard for me to turn down a glass of wine, but it does help “reset” me!
My strategy is to go back to a food journal for a few days or a week. It forces me to truly be concious of what I`m eating, even if it`s after the fact. There`s something about writing it down that makes me a bit more accountable to myself – especially if I throw the calorie count in there too! I`m too lazy to keep a food journal all the time, but it definitely helps me get back on track!
i think food journals can be a very positive thing for many people. i remember when i had to keep one for a week for a class project for a personal fitness class i took in college. it’s definitely eye-opening.
That is such a great idea! I know I wouldn’t have lost so much weight if it weren’t for a food journal OPENING my eyes to what I was truly eating and how much of it.