Now that the holidays are officially over and the new year is no longer so new, reality is setting in. It’s time to admit that I’ve fallen a bit off track and need to regain some balance. I can see exactly where I went wrong. To reward myself for a strong gym attendance over the holiday season, I let my nutrition slip. I convinced myself that since I was logging so much time at the gym, it was okay to been a little bit more lax with what I ate. And now I am beginning to see the results — the negative results.
I’m tempted to make a few dramatic changes to get myself back on track. If I could cut alcohol, red meat, and cheese for a month, I’d be exactly where I need to be. It seems like a foolproof method. But I know myself. This would be the equivalent to a grapefruit diet for me: too extreme and unsustainable. Denying myself things I really enjoy is not the solution to success. I absolutely can try to buy less alcohol, red meat, and cheese when grocery shopping to limit my intake. Cut back, yes. But cut out, no.
I also considered trying the Isagenix program that Chicago Athletic Clubs recently introduced. Several of my fellow boot campers and our instructor are currently doing the Isagenix 30-Day Cleansing and Fat Burning System and are seeing awesome results. I sampled some of the IsaLean shakes and was pretty impressed. Previously I’ve shied away from such programs because I didn’t want to follow such a regimented schedule and “scientific” method of eating. But I think I might be willing to give it a shot because I am learning about more of the benefits from others following the program, such as sleeping better, reduced cravings, and having more energy.
Even without the Isagenix program, there’s a lot of work I can do to get back to the healthy “me” of a few months ago. First, I need to stop convincing myself that since I exercise so much, it’s okay for me to eat so much junk. What I’m really doing is undoing my hard work. My two-a-day workouts (I’m able to squeeze in a couple each week) aren’t an excuse to eat twice as much pizza. Most of the time I am probably eating more calories than I burned in those double workouts.
And then, I simply need to return to the same eating habits that have already proven themselves successful for me: fewer processed foods, more vegetables, less mindless snacking. No more of this just-a-few-chicken-nuggets-never-hurt-anyone rationale. And no more beating myself up because I should I have known better these past few months. Because that won’t accomplish anything. I broke some rules and I lost some of my discipline, but I will just have to try to do better.
Here’s to healthy eating from here on out!
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Betsy Mikel | betsymikel.com
