A Lesson in Balance

This past week was much more successful than the prior week.  I totally beat myself up over that and in retrospect it wasn't a huge deal.  People slip up.  We're human and no one is perfect 100% of the time.  (That could be the coffee talking after being woken up at 7:00am by a whining toddler who wasn't sure whether or not he was ready to get up.  Fun times.)

The reality is, that's life and I'm not hardcore enough to try and achieve perfectionism.  Am I wholeheartedly after a goal?  Obviously.  But I read a blog update from Girls Gone Strong (Do You Really Want That Cheat Day?) earlier this week.  After reading this my answer was still a resounding yes but I had a paradigm shift on cheat meals.  I haven't been as strict as the writer was when it came to the day although I like to keep the meal on a Saturday since that's usually when we can be relieved of our parental obligations for a few hours.  I allowed myself flexibility from day one.  Or I would try and order something in a smaller portion if I didn't want that to be the cheat meal.  The 80-20 approach she adopted sounds like a perfect approach and was actually how this week went for me.  I had some days that ended up not slowing down until nearly 8:00 at night and I just couldn't be arsed to cook for 30 minutes and then try to eat and get a toddler in bed by 9:00.  (He has recently been moved to a toddler bed and we've struggled with his routine a bit so I'm trying to get back on track.  It's been rough on my sleeping pattern as well.)

So, how did the 80-20 rule fair for me this week?  Well, week before last when I completely fell off the wagon and bumped my cranium roughly 13 times in a sundry of places, I had quickly found I had depressingly packed on the three pounds of water weight I lost the first week of my new eating plan.  The great thing about water weight is it's easy to lose.  That's why there was a three pound loss the first week.

But I approached Monday with extreme trepidation.  I had previously reintroduced my taste buds to the deliciously addictive flavors of Taco Bell.  Do not be fooled.  Taco Bell is a gateway drug.  One bite takes you down a dark and twisted path of deception.  Before you know it the light you see at the end of the tunnel is the glow from McDonald's arches with their pink slime and mechanically separated chicken waving at you like a friendly yet nosy neighbor acting as if they care but really aren't concerned with your well being.

That's not saying I didn't have Taco Bell this week. (I physically cringed when I imagined the large amount of audible groans that could have just happened.) But it fit with my calorie budget for the day and was a salad.  That's not saying all salads are good for you nor created equal.  I'm just saying I had a small amount of healthy in the sea of unhealthy.  I allowed myself to eat mexican food at lunch for a friend's lunch.  I had a salad at lunch one day where the meat was peppered turkey lunchmeat but it was better than fast food.  The 80-20 rule did me well.  The water weight is nearly gone.  I dropped 2.4 pounds in just a few days with the majority of my meals falling within my set guidelines.

There's no magic supplement, drink or set of exercises involved.  Just good old fashioned healthy eating and my typical exercise routine.  I'm a firm believer that abs are made in the kitchen (or some creative thinking from your local dining options)(and my abs are still hidden somewhere deep inside but I've only just started with this whole new approach).  You can't out traina bad diet but you don't have to be so strict that you feel like you are completely depriving yourself of the things you love.  Just remember that companies only continue to operate if you buy their product.  Just because it's labeled "natural" and "healthy" doesn't mean they have your best interest in mind.  Stick to buying and preparing foods purchased from the perimeter of your grocery store.  Fresh vegetables, fresh meat and a small amount of dairy.  Things already prepared for you have been formulated in a lab to create maximum addiction so the more you buy, the more you eat, the more you get addicted and the more money those companies make from your addiction.  This includes those foods that are manufactured as meal replacements shakes and bars.  They are typically loaded with sugar which is one of the most addictive substances you can consume.  In fact, brain scans show it's just as addictive as cocaine.

So let's recap: Shop in the fresh sections of your store, limit sugar (including artificial sweeteners), make your own food instead of relying on a company to make it for you.  Don't forget that it's ok to occasionally indulge (the 80-20 rule in the linked blog seen earlier in this post explains this approach) and never underestimate the value of lifting heavy weights and doing high intensity interval cardio.

I live in a household where I am the only person concerned with leaning up and getting in shape but if I can survive so can you.