Went Off the Rails This Weekend

Boy, thank god my stomach still lets me know when I have had enough food because I went off the rails this weekend. I ate everything and anything I wanted. I drank everything I wanted too. Not a good place. The scale was up 2 lbs this morning. I will be back on track by the end of the week but its just amazing to me that after almost 2 years of eating right and behaving like 95% of the time how easy it was to jump the tracks and head down the hill.

Just be careful and never assume you can operate on auto pilot because you can't. You must always be mindful and no matter what happens if you fall off that bike, no matter how scraped up you are that you get right back on it and keep going.

Yes -- I wish I waited 2 years before I had my first crash.  I have noticed it is so much easier to get back on track now than it was before. 

Good luck with the next few days!

Yes I agree. I have had my moments during this process but knowing the down side and having the education I have gained over the past 2 years makes it much easier to get back on track. And in terms of how bad it could have been it wasn't that bad in the grand scheme of things. I for the most part ate how I normally would I just ate more often and had a few things that not only were not on my plan are things I flat out could not even justify eating like an ice cream sandwich. I drank a lot over the holiday weekend.

I do have a challenge that starts today thought, my wife and I are in a competition. If she can go from her current size 16 to a size 12 before I get below 10% body fat (I am guessing that I am about 18 right now) she gets a boob job and I have to wait on an TT or LBL. So not only is it game on there is a very good prize at the finish line.

Nice prizes!  

Sounds like you win, no matter what

I agree. I have been struggling with this more than normal as of late.  Back at it today.  I for now just need to focus on making one good choice at a time.  It is crazy how easy it is to put down boatloads of crap food!  I can feel the water weight on me too, and not a good feeling!  Ankles are swollen, joints are aching from the sugar... and it shocks me that despite feeling like crap and the clear association with the sugar intake I still crave it.  One thing that is different this time though is I am paying close attention to how the sugar triggers inflamation in my joints.  I had never made the connection before reading a post a bit ago on it.  Looked up sugar and how it relates to arthritis and finally made the connection.  Sheesh. For arthritic folks they talked about getting protein from primarily plant sources- even for me that is tough, and I am not a big meat eater.  But I am going to try! 

This will not be a very popular response but I can give you a very easy way to transition away from sugary crap and that is with different carbs. Your body likes the cheap energy it just doesn't realize that because it is so refined that it ends up storing most of it as fat. The way to give your body what it is looking for and still be satisfied is to start replacing those sugary things with other foods that are maybe just as high in carbohydrates but are slow digesting complex carbohydrates like whole grains and more natural less refined ingredients. So when I went through a hell of a craving a couple of weeks ago, I picked up some Belvita breakfast cookies. Don't go crazy here they are still cookies they still contain sugar but they are also very high in whole grains and slow digesting carbohydrates. Whenever I had my cravings for something sweet I would eat those and they are very satisfying. I was able to stop eating those much easier than if I had caved in and ate ice cream. The whole grains fill you up so when you eat one you feel satisfied and don't end up eating a whole box. But it has to be part of a transition plan. You should end up with organic brown rice cakes and those should only be eaten after a workout with some protein.

The bottom line is that crap food is crap food no matter how you slice it. Try to cut it out and find replacements that are healthier, less processed, and fewer ingredients. I listened to a great podcast over the weekend that was talking about protein bars and you would not believe how many ingredients, calories, and sugars are in some of the most popular brands. I am happy to say that my favorite, Quest Bars, were commended for the few ingredients, natural options, and lower calories than some of the more popular brands.

You say you are not a meat eater, are there certain meats you are more willing to eat than others like turkey, chicken or fish over say beef? What about some fresh made organic sausages. Once concern I always have about plant based eaters is the bioavailability of the proteins they consume. Soy also for women is not a great option for protein source so if that is where you are getting it from you should try to cut it to 2 to 3 times a week or less. The reason is that soy triggers and estrogen response and if you are prone to certain female cancers they can actually help to increase your chances to developing them.

What about meats that are maybe not so obvious. Like do you think you could tolerate eating say ground beef in chili or say a taco bake where it was sort of hidden by other veggies, etc.?

I eat meat, they simply are not my favorite.  I am going to consiously add in more lentils and beans as protein sources.  I was aware of the soy triggering estrogen and cancer- I have dealt with cancer for a few years and started limiting soy a while back.  I really wish tofu was not a soy product!  I also recognize that I do a little better hitting the whole grain options versus the pure processed sugar crap carbs... but I will still over due it on the whole grain alternatives during the first few days of coming off of a crappy few days.  I am not a low cab person at all, not even during the majority of my weight loss phase.  I absolutely advocate for whole grains and in general quality carbs.. just manage how much is consumed at once.  (30 net carbs a meal, 15 net carbs a snack).  Fortunately, protein bars are not triggery for me so that has been a go to option for a long time.  I can't stand Quest barts though.  I usually go with Pure Protein or most of the time Detour low sugar. Fresh fruit and veggies do well even coming off of a bad few days, and they are an integral part of getting back to plan... protein and green leafy veggies in particular. 

Please be aware of gluten in wholegrain - vs Arthritis.  Many people report their arthritis improved when they get off gluten and limit grains.  

Just wanted to add that I find healthy fats a great help during a detox from sugar. Avocado, olive oil, grass fed butter (Kerrygold, e.g.), nuts (can be a trigger for me, though), coconut oil (great flavor!), chia seeds, hemp seeds, etc....