Quick Post!

Things are pretty par for the course, but I wanted to check in and let everyone know that I am well. I’ve been a little tired lately, but I am chalking that up to the shorter days as my sleep getting thrown off by a company party.

I’ve been feeling crafty lately, so I’ve been having fun creating! I’m trying to be more ‘go with the flow’ when it comes to my moods, and it has helped considerably when it comes to my outbursts. I’ve also been giving into my introverted tendencies, and having some alone time before the chaos of the holidays is giving me great joy!

Thanks for reading everyone! See you next week!

Results of Thanksgiving planning!

How well did my plan end up working? Let’s review the pro’s and con’s:

Pros:

• By preparing food ahead of time, and eating lunch a couple of hours before thanksgiving dinner, I was able to minimize the damage done on Thanksgiving during the thanksgiving meal! I just had some turkey, green beans, and some sweet potato and I was full!
• I had a few days off to relax and rest for a long weekend!
• I saw my mom’s family (whom I strongly dislike and who stress me out) this year, which means next year I get to spend Thanksgiving with my dad’s family, which I genuinely love!
• The holiday season is beginning, so I’m feeling generous and very happy!
• Overall SO MUCH BETTER THAN LAST YEAR!

Cons:

• I hate my mother’s family, and they stressed me out so thoroughly that I ordered pizza thanksgiving night
• So much traveling = so much sitting
• So much resting = so much sitting
• Everybody and their brother wanted to see me, which meant a lot of eating out. Despite my best efforts, I did eat carbs (french fries *gasp!*) a couple of times for dinner, which left me feeling hung over the next morning. Seriously. Hung over.
• Due simply to the richness of the food and me not managing my blood sugar well, I’ve gotten myself a little out of whack. I’ve been craving desserts a little too much, so I need to get myself back on track.

I think my plan worked, but unfortunately, there were some elements out of my control, like my wonderful boyfriend snoring and doing aerobics in his sleep because he had a single beer. After a few days, I think I’ve finally been able to catch up on sleep, which was another issue. There was pretty much a 4 day period where it was impossible to share a bed with my boyfriend. We figured out the issue (when he drinks a beer before bed), but I had to do some serious catching up on sleep. I also am pretty sure that I would have been a lot less stressed out and stress eating if I had actually been able to sleep those nights.

I hope your holidays were great! Thanks for reading, and stay healthy!

Holidays Round Two

So, this is the second year that I have been entering the holidays while being on a gluten free diet, and, so far, it is SO much easier than last year. Here’s why:

• I’ve learned what foods make me sick, so it is easier to avoid them because I know that they will make me sick
• I’ve gotten really good at cooking ahead of time, so I can go into the holiday meals with food already prepared. Trust me, it is nearly impossible to eat right when the only gluten free option for breakfast is potato chips. Lesson learned!
• My family has been more exposed to the fact that I eat differently than they do, and are more accepting. They often will go out of their way to make food that I can eat, or at least they aren’t offended when I bring my own food.
• The past couple of weeks, I’ve been eliminating cravings and leveling out my blood sugar to help resist foods that look and taste good, but ultimately make me sick.
• I’ve been getting better at eliminating toxins from my body and detoxing to get myself back to health post holiday meal!
• Healthy foods just TASTE better 🙂 It’s easier to get pumped about meals that are high in fiber and veggies and protein because I know they will taste great and make me feel great!

The biggest change is my mindset. Last year, the holidays were about the food traditions – cookies, banana nut bread, stuffing, etc. All things that I couldn’t eat. It was really hard. But this year, when I see those things, they look and smell good, but I know that they will make me really sick. That helps considerably when it comes to avoiding them! I can now actually bake my boyfriend two trays full of cookies and not be tempted by them. That is power!!

My biggest strategy this year:

1. Eat a large breakfast on Thanksgiving
2. Eat a good sized lunch with protein and fat to sustain me until the meal around 3 or 4.
3. Bring my own carb and veggie sides, but enjoy the protein and whatever sides I can eat with everyone else!
   1. If I eat a few hours before the meal, it should be much easier to no overdo it
4. In the evening around dinnertime, have a small snack of nuts to sustain me through until the morning.

Knowing my greatest weakness is the greatest key to overcoming it. Whenever I am faced with a situation in which everyone else is eating, but I can’t eat, I start to panic. Hunger sets in and I find myself eating things I wouldn’t normally eat (like potato chips) because I feel like if I don’t eat, then I will surely starve to death. I also feel left out while everyone else around me is making ‘yummy’ noises and eating food that looks and smells delicious.

Therefore, to combat this weakness, the solution is simple: bring my own food. Every time I attend a holiday gathering, I will bring at least one meal’s worth of food. That way, I will always have something healthy and delicious to munch on and enjoy while surrounded by family.

I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday, and thanks for reading!