One of the reasons I don’t advocate one certain diet is because I feel it’s too restrictive. Following one way of eating, whether it’s Keto, Paleo, or Vegan often isn’t very sustainable. Sustainable to your life, that is.
I know, I KNOW vegetarianism is the best idea for the environment. But if I previously enjoyed locally caught fish, how is going completely vegetarian better for me? Same with Paleo or Keto. If I find the best breakfast for me which gives me energy and leaves me satisfied is a bowl of organic oats, why shouldn’t I have that instead of eggs and bacon?
And I feel everyone should cut loose once in a while. While I can’t for the life of me figure out why I couldn’t wait two more days when this challenge was over, today was the day I cut loose.
Yes, I still followed the locavore menu. But I wasn’t following Paleo, or another diet, so it left a lot to interpretation. It was definitely a sweets day. Maybe it was all the sugar in my food. I had granola with my yogurt and it had some sugar added. And I chose to use sugar in my bread pudding instead of honey. It was a lazy choice, on my part.
Sugar does something weird to me. It makes me crave more sugar, and more snacking. Satisfying the craving with more sugar does nothing for me except feed the cycle of wanting more sugar.
It’s days like today, where I fall off the bandwagon, that I learn the most about myself and my fitness. I can have sugar, but just like everything else, it needs to be in moderation. And preferably in a more natural form, like agave nectar or honey.
I also slacked off on doing a workout. I only have 3-4 workouts a week programmed in my guide, but I do know it’s better for me to do at least something every day.
And maybe I needed an off day. A day where I do minimal work, slack off a little, rest and be lazy. I mean, my cat does it everyday, and he looks amazing!
Today:
Breakfast: Yogurt with granola
Lunch: Pasta
Dinner: Grilled Polenta with local jam glaze and sweet potatoes with pomegranate
Snacks: Bread Pudding, sweetened almond butter
No Workout
Mood: Despite having such an off day, which usually leaves me feeling somewhat a little guilty, I enjoyed my day. I went to a writing class at the library this morning and it inspired me. I am leaning towards a whole new name for this program, and I’m looking into changing one of my stories I want to submit to Chicken Soup for the Soul into a poem (poetry is HARD). Epiphanies like that don’t happen too often, so I’ll take that as a win.
Also, I got a nap. Yeah, naps tend to waste the day, but sometimes they are exactly what the doctor ordered, and for an off day, I’ll take it. Naps restore energy in different ways. I feel with winter on the horizon and flu season upon us, getting restorative naps is vital to staying healthy.
Challenges: Ha! I don’t usually let myself have many off days because it’s hard for me to get back on my program after one. I definitely don’t SCHEDULE off days. For me, it doesn’t tend to work.
Next week is going to be an off week for us- two Thanksgiving get-togethers and my birthday. But I am going all the way back in starting from week 1 and adding a 5th week to my program right after. It’ll be a true test to see how well my program helps combat temptations from holiday parties, get-togethers, and all the FOOD everywhere.
I definitely have a weird relationship with food. I hope my program helps put things in perspective not just for me, but for hundreds of others as well.