Recently ( within the last month or so ) I've struggled to keep on my Clean
Eating path. At times, it's been hard. There have been times when I've felt
like a complete hypocrite - writing a blog encouraging Clean Eating when I
myself have been Clean Eating "not so much." But the siren song of
processed, easy foods can be difficult to resist. Excuses aside ( busy mom,
full time work, website Moderator, multiple websites of my own... ) I must
confess that my consumption has been "Clean-ish" more than Clean
recently.
I've definitely done better.
I've been asking myself "What am I doing differently
now than I was doing then? Why was I able to successfully stay Clean for over a
year with very little effort, yet I'm struggling now?" Stress? Anxiety?
Apathy? I've struggled
again to pinpoint my problem. But time and again, I'm sitting alone, late at
night ( my husband goes to bed much earlier than I do these days ) - and the
kitchen beckons.
A few days ago, I came across the "One does not
simply..." meme picture above, and I realized this is an issue I've
struggled with, again and again. This is not the first time this has happened -
but I absolutely need to remember this cardinal rule of Clean Eating: Eat at
least 6 times a day.
I haven't been eating enough, and I haven't been eating
early enough.
It's difficult for me to eat a decent amount before lunch
time - it's always been difficult. My natural tendency is to eat lightly in the
morning, heavier in the evening. This has GOT to change.
I ate a banana at 9 am this morning, and just forced
myself to eat a bowl of hot multigrain cereal ( I like BetterOats brand ). I'll
eat lunch soon ( salmon, a cheese stick, an orange, and some edamame ) , and will also force myself back into the
routine of eating a mid afternoon mini-meal.
This is why I've been unable to resist snack foods,
filching slices of pizza, eating more carbs than I know I should - I'm not
eating enough during the day to support my blood sugar and metabolism through
the evening. I get home from work and my blood sugar is low. I'm making up for low
food intake during the day by eating heavily at night. Then the cycle repeats
itself because I'm not hungry the next morning.
"You know you ate too much the night before if you don’t
wake up hungry in the morning."
Clean Eating bumps in the road happen. The best you can
do is stop the cycle by examining the whys and hows, and come up with a plan to
counteract what you are doing incorrectly. Review the core tenants of Clean
Eating: Avoiding processed foods, proper hydration, eating 6 times a day, eating
low sodium/organic/minimally processed. See where you are succeeding, and where
you could be doing better. When I stuck closely to the essence of CE, I was
happier and healthier than I've ever been. I want and need to get back there,
especially since I know there are Girl Scout cookies in the kitchen...
Thin Mints: "They will not get me where I want to
be. They will not get me where I want to be."