Thursday, September 16, 2010

Labels are for Merchandise, Not People

So tomorrow is my Day 30 of the Whole 30.  I was going to go 90, but after last night's epiphany, I realized that I don't have to take this to the extreme.  The challenge was for 30 days and I finally, admittedly on the third attempt, successfully completed it.

I am quite proud of myself.

Now, I know it ends tomorrow and some people might say, "Well aren't you speaking too soon?  What if you go out tomorrow and eat an entire ice cream store or bakery?"

Does this include the employees? Because if so, I could reason that is is partially paleo. 

Kidding. 

But seriously, it would be.  That is a pretty decent amount of protein.

In all honesty, I don't want to put a label on myself as to what type of eater I am, be it Paleo or Zone or Sugar Britches...I. Just. Want. To. Eat. Clean. Food. 

If I feel like I want to indulge, I am going to and I am going to do it without regret or guilt.  I will be cognizant of my choices and savor them when I so choose.  Because of this experience with the Whole30, I feel strong enough to do that now.

The Whole30 has helped me to change my attitude about food because during the Whole30 I realized how I approached it.  I put myself at an unfair advantage and gave power to the food.  How stupid is that? 

I have taken the control back and now I am working on mixing in flexibility.  I am striving for that balance. 

Gray.

I really have no issues with the way I have been eating this past month.  The only things I may decide to change are to eat less red meat and more fish, up the veggie and salad load, and maybe add in some oatmeal. 

I don't really miss grains necessarily, but I kind of feel in my heart of hearts that strict paleo is not the best choice for my performance.  I have felt sluggish in my WODs and my times have been suffering.  I haven't gained much strength or any endurance; I never got the "kick" I mentioned waiting for in an earlier post. 

But the best thing about completing this program is the I CAN RECOGNIZE THAT. 

I really did learn a lot about my attitude towards food in the past month.  I thought I knew before, but now I have a deeper understanding of my perception and emotional attachment/attribution towards it.  Once it clicked, I felt free.

It was pretty liberating. 

Therefore, I don't want to pigeon hole myself into categorical eating.  I don't want a label.  I don't want to be on any plan or diet. 

I am going to just eat clean, add things in slowly, one at at a time and seriously evaluate how my bod reacts. 

If it is poop, then I won't eat it anymore.  If it makes me feel good or doesn't adversely affect me in any noticeable way, then I see no reason that I shouldn't allow myself to eat it if I want to. 

I like this new gray-titude.  It is pretty sweet.  But not made with sugar.


Foodie for today:

M1:  Papaya ( I was in a hurry so I had some before the office and had the rest of my bfast there)

M2:  Apple, Baked Chicken leftovers, Small can Black Olives

M3:  Salmon, butternut squash, and a steamed combination of purple cabbage and zucchini

M4:  Raw Almonds, Boiled Plantain

M5:  Baked Chicken Breast (leftovers), Strawberry and coconut milk smoothie

M5:  Sweet Potato, Apple,  3/4 Boiled Plantain with coconut milk and cinnamon

I had a lot of fruit today. 

I did go to the gro sto and picked up a couple items:  2 containers of baby spring mix (perfect container size for a salad and it is portable, so double score), cucumber, celery, purple cabbage, and bananas.

Looking forward to finishing up my 30 days tomorrow.  I can't wait to TESTIFY!

10 comments:

  1. How do you fix your butternut squash? I'm working out 3 times today (don't ask, I'm crazy), and I've got some but I can't decide how to fix it. Love your blog, too. I'm an extremist as well, so I feel your pain. Day 7 really killed me because I was letting the food control me not the other way around AND I was taking strict Whole30 to an unhealthy level. :)

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  2. Yeah, it happens to the best of us. Letting go actually helped me take back control and helped me realize what I have been doing for almost all of my life. Funny how that works. But you know, you are on the right path...you are recognizing, and that is the key to change and moving forward. You can change pretty much anything you want to about who you are (to an extent of course) but if you want something bad enough, you will make it happen, good or bad for you, sometimes unfortunately. But you CAN make good choices, sometimes you just have to stop and THINK before you do what comes seemingly natural but is really out of impulse and old behavioral patterns.

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  3. Meghan...I posted the butternut squash on my recipes page....click the NOM NOM NOM button and it will take you there. It is under vegetable and fruits. Hope you like it!

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  4. Ahhh, sweet- I kept looking for where I found it before, and voila! Thanks Kara! Yours is the one I was searching for and I'm going to make it tonight for my weekend (should have checked for your response earlier so I could have made it after my Zumba class. I went to spinning class this morning and lifted in between. That's what happens when you get bored!! :)
    Thanks again!

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  5. Haha, sounds like a pretty fun Friday actually. It is better than being in front of a computer all day long! Let me know how it turns out! Have a great weekend!

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  6. Kara, I have no idea where you live but if it is anywhere near where I am then I would drive several hours to just hug you because I love this recipe and I love butternut squash! I've never had it before and I'm so happy you responded back to me about it! YAY!!!

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  7. HAHA, I am so happy! YAY! Score! It makes me happy that you found something new to enjoy that is both so nutritious and simple to make. And just for the record, I am a current NC resident. Let me know if there is anything else you are interested in trying; bets are that I have a recipe in my head for it.

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  8. Virginia here! You just might be within driving distance for a hug! :) I've got lots of things that I want to try, but I usually just throw something together- whatever I feel like- and it comes out delicious (I'm not bragging, swear). How about spaghetti squash?

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  9. Spaghetti Squash is pretty much the same way. There are 2 options....

    1. In the baking dish, put about 1/2 inch of water and place the squash flesh side down and tent with foil. Cook at 400 for about 45-60.

    OR

    Do it just like the Butternut Squash and cook it with the fleshy part up without water.

    Let it cool a little and the take a fork and scrape out the "spaghetti" strings into a bowl. Voila!

    You could try it both ways and see what you prefer. Personally, I like to cook it without water.

    And I know what you mean...I am a mad scientist and the kitchen is my laboratory when it comes to cooking. I just think of things to put together and they usually come out great. I am bad about making stuff and having no idea what I put in it or how I did it so I will not be able to replicate it....that is one reason why I started taking pictures and putting them here.

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  10. My facebook is updated regularly with pictures of my food because I'm so darn proud of what I create. :) You should search for me and check all the yummy pictures out!

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