Meal One
2 scrambled eggs
1/2 cup sauteed asparagus
1/4 cup sauteed mushrooms
1/4 cup salsa homemade
1/2 slice Ezekiel bread w/ butter and jam
Meal Two
2 oz grilled burger homemade
1/2 slice baby swiss cheese
1/2 slice Ezekiel bread
1/2 teaspoon mayo expeller pressed
1 teaspoon mustard
1/2 cup sauteed mushrooms
1/4 cucumber sliced
1 teaspoon raw honey w/1 teaspoon raw pumpkin seeds
Meal Three
2 oz grilled chicken homemade
1/4 cup sweet potato
1 cup steamed broccoli w/butter and salt
1/4 cucumber sliced
Meal Four
This meal was a snack at a friend's house
1/4 cup lentil stew
2 table spoons cream cheese
1 cup of coffee w/ 1/2 cup milk and 2 teaspoons raw honey
Meal Five
1 boiled egg
1/2 Kashi granola bar
Here I am a week later, Friday. Friday is the day I want to lay down my guard and just relax as the weekend approaches. I don't really want to think about portions and rules. I really want to have fun and refrain from thinking any negative thoughts. But, today, I am not going to do what I WANT. Instead, I am going to do what is necessary to achieve the results I want right now, but takes weeks or months to obtain. If every day gets me that much closer to those results, why am I going to let some mere feelings get in my way? And that is all that eating right boils down to: feelings. It feels good to eat whatever I want, whenever I want. But, it only feels good during the moment the food or drink is on my tongue. It is such a fleeting sensation; it never seems to satisfy for more than an hour or so. On the other hand, eating right feels good too. It may not have the ecstatic measure of pleasure, but it is a lasting pleasure. I feel good when I eat vegetables, lean protein, and healthy fats in small portions every three to four hours. I feel good in my head, I feel good in my stomach, my bowels work normally, I don't feel tired or cranky throughout the day, and I don't have real highs or real lows. I feel stable. I also feel very strong during my cardio and weight training workouts. The short and long of it is, that it feels good to eat whatever I want, but only for a few minutes; it feels good to eat what I should, and I feel good for hours and hours and even days and months when I stick to the program long term.
I do want to clarify for anyone reading this who may not know a little of my history. The results I am experiencing now come after a month of weaning myself off of sugar, processed sugar, bread, pasta, rice, french fries, greasy food, large portions, etc. That month of weaning entailed much of what I would have considered pain and suffering while going through it. But, now I look back and realize I was chemically dependent on the foods mentioned in the previous sentence. If I couldn't get my "dose" of whatever I craved on any given day, I whined, complained and rebelled until I got my way. Then I blamed everyone else for my misery and fat body. When that didn't work, I made excuse after excuse to justify my actions and accept my fat body, mood swings, and lack of energy. You've heard my excuses: I have kids, the kids are sick, I am too busy, my husband doesn't do this or that, I don't have a car, I don't have the money, I don't have time, I am too tired, I am not good at it, I am too weak, I can't do that, I'll never be able to do that, that's not me, I hate sweating, I hate the cold, I hate this exercise, I hate vegetables, I can't cook, I can't, I won't, I want what I want....
Somewhere along the way, I got really sick. It was when I returned from a Crossfit Cert in Dallas (March). I mean really sick. I had a 105 degree temp., and I thought I was going to die. Then, when the pain wouldn't go away for another three days, I actually prayed to God to let me die. As the fever finally decreased, I got really mad. I got angry with myself and my body. I did not like that my body was broken down and it wouldn't recover. I mean I was sick for three weeks. My kids and husband were sick too and got better after 14 days. I thought: I am 36 years old. This is the only body I've got. I am either going to continue to feed it foods that will accelerate my aging process and inability to fight disease, or I am going to feed it foods that will slow down aging and help fight against disease. I decided excuses were only a disguise for actual and methodical failure. I would not make excuses anymore. I would make decisions. I decided to make a menu. I decided to follow the menu. I decided to decline my cravings. I decided to cry when I felt like crying instead of eating a brownie, to sleep when I felt cranky instead of eating a pizza, to fight against my habit of eating whatever I felt like eating.
That month of getting off the "crack" (what some crossfitters call processed sugars & grains) was very difficult. I failed at times. But, I kept going. The longer I refrained from the empty carbohydrates, the easier it became to say no. And my mood swings got smaller and smaller. I finally stopped crying through my wods! It was hell, I won't lie to you. But, I am so grateful to be on this side. Now when I have a margarita or an ice cream cone, I know what chemical reaction I am causing in my body. I am not numb to the toxicity of sugar and other processed foods. I know what I am choosing to do if I eat things like that. And when I begin the zone meals again, I recover quickly. I love to exercise, I love to feel this good all day long. You should try it. If you want some help with zoning feel free to email me or leave a comment.