If you had to rate your level of commitment to healthy eating, on a scale of 1 to 100, what would it be?
Sure, we all say we want to eat better... but what are we willing to do? Let's look at an example from my life that occurred this past weekend. My husband, kids, and I traveled to my in-laws for the weekend. Usually when we go, I loosen the nutrition reigns and don't stress about it. For the most part my husband and I stay on course, always work out at a local gym, and will allow ourselves some old favorites like pizza and some snack foods in the car.
On this particular trip, I ate "clean" with the exception of pizza on Saturday night. The ride home on Sunday, however, proved to be a recipe for disaster. In a word, Sunday was a carb-fest. And the problem with the occasional carb-fest is that it sparks that "need" for more sugar and carbohydrates. The cycle ensues: eat crappy carbs, get the high, crash, eat more crappy carbs, get the high.... You get the idea.
By the time we arrived home I was literally sick to my stomach! In the old days I would have vegged on the couch the rest of the evening and not planned my families' nutrition for the week ahead.
This time, instead, I snapped myself back to reality and got moving. I made the grocery list and headed out. I chose not to do the little $40 run to get us through Monday; rather, I bit the bullet and bought all the groceries for the week, making sure we were stocked with loads of protein, fruits and veggies.
The next morning, my work was still not complete. As I got the kids ready for school and preschool and myself ready for work, I fixed a few things for that evening and the following day. Roasted chicken went in the oven, and I cooked turkey burgers for my husband to take to work for lunch. As for me, I opted to fast. When my carb-fest ended Sunday evening at seven o'clock, I decided to give my digestive system a rest. I didn't eat again until Monday night dinner. By that evening I felt much better. All was right in my world again. Ahhh!
The lesson here lies in the fact that I was faced with a choice. We all have to make choices frequently, don't we? I could have taken the easy, lazy way out and not planned for the week ahead. Not only would my body and mind have suffered--so would my wallet. I would have set myself and my family up to be less than optimized for the week. Lacking quality, nutritious foods in the pantry and fridge, we would have needed to eat out. Instead, since my family's nutrition ranks so highly on my importance scale, I chose to take the better path and our kitchen is stocked with nutritious foods to keep our brains and bodies thriving.
What do you do when you fall off the nutrition wagon? Do you continue down that unhealthy path--or do you shake yourself out of it and get right back on track? As Barry Sears, author of The Zone says," You are only one meal away from getting back into the zone."
So back to my question: at what number would you rank your nutrition? On a 1 - 100 scale, post your commitment-level ranking in a comment. I'd love to hear from you!
hard to give a specific number, but it's definitely better than it was a year ago. And hopefully not as high as it will be a year from now! Am down 18 pounds, and continue to make baby steps. I, too, find traveling hard as far as eating like I know I should. I feel so much better, and don't have to make as many 'rest stops' when I pay attention to what I eat. Thanks for all the tools you are teaching me, Lisa!
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