Food is Fuel, NOT Therapy

Raise your hand if the January BLIZZARD of 2018 made you cheat... well, you don't have to raise your hand sitting there by yourself... but you could just give me a silent nod. Like, yes... I was there with you in spirit, sister.
I was fully prepared to have ONE cheat day of snacking glory and then dive right back into healthy eating. Boy, was I wrong. First of all ,we were not snowed in for merely ONE day... and second of all, I'm just not that strong yet. I can't reign it back in after cheating allllllll day. Maybe after I'm down about 20 pounds and and things don't seem worth it anymore... but right now nope - not I. So this week was a big fat failure. Throughout the weekend I've walked around with my head hanging down - defeated. Then BAM! Facebook decided to be awesome and share a memory from 4 years ago... a memory in which I posted about my weight loss achievement of losing 70.2 pounds (and yes, when you are like me you count those point-whatever ounces). I caved in a little more. Self-doubt crept in, anxiety took hold and I felt the edges around my mental state start to fray. As we've discussed before - I'm an addict, I'm an emotional eater. It's a never-ending disastrous circle - I overeat when I feel bad about myself and I feel bad about myself when I overeat. I 100% feel better when I eat well. I have more energy, my body isn't sluggish and uncomfortable, I am happier and I have a general sense of empowerment. So why isn't it easier? Why can't I crave the foods that make my body feel good instead of my mind? *shrugging* who knows... what I wouldn't give for it to just be that simple. To flip that invisible switch inside my head and begin to love healthy food MORE than un-healthy food... to crave a big steaming bowl of brussel sprouts when I'm feeling low or say hey! congratulations, friend - let's go celebrate over a huge plate of steamed spinach and baked chicken! Yum!! If only, right? This is my battle, my biggest fight - it rages inside of me every single day. I've done it before - I've literally lost 77 pounds because I decided to. I went for it - I battled daily, motivated by pure willpower and encouragement from others. I did it. So now I look myself in the mirror and ask why I'm here AGAIN. Why have I allowed myself to get so far away from where I once was? Do I have it in me to go again? I tell myself I have to. I don't have a choice. This is for my body, my heart, my head and for the ones I love, my family - they deserve a happy and healthy me. So this is me... once again stepping up to the plate.

"You may have to fight a battle more than once to win it"

Lucky you... this is a two-fer....
Snacking is essential. And even though I'm eating healthier I still have to snack throughout the day to keep me from getting overly hungry. I find that when I don't snack in between meals I have the urge to binge eat or make a quick and typically unhealthy meal choice. I've written about this before - you remember... make sure and always keep a protein bar in your purse, stay prepared... blah-blah-blah. As redundant as it may be it's important and that's why I feel the need to keep sharing it with you because every single time I'm not prepared I lose it. My willpower and determined mindset fly straight out the window. Bye, girl, bye. And I don't. give. a. crap. Because I'm hangry. Yes, that is real. I want food and I want it now and I want it good. Don't be that unprepared mindless fatty. Just don't.
I can do good ALLLLLLLLLLLLL day - trust me, ask my co-teacher... I will yell at her to back away if she comes at me with anything even resembling a carb, #notworthit. But the very minute I sit down on the couch after dinner I want to snack. I have legit snack attacks. Especially if I haven't eaten enough throughout the day. Sometimes I skip breakfast because I truly have a tough time getting something down in the mornings - blah. Sometimes I skip lunch because I get so busy... I mean who has time for that?! On REALLY bad days I skip both and cram in a couple protein bars. And don't get me wrong - I'm prepared... the prep day happened... the food is there and ready to be consumed, I just fail to put it in my mouth. If any of those SUPER important meals are skipped I have a genuine snack attack around 7pm. It never fails. So... what do I do (when my healthy game is on point)... I snack. I eat an ounce of cheese or 1 tablespoon of peanut butter or one apple or one protein ball - then I take this next really important step - I brush my teeth and pop a stick of sugar free gum in my mouth to get the food OUT of my mouth (and head) and then I move my butt. I can't remain sitting on the couch or else I will continue to snack... in a not so healthy way. That means it's time to fold laundry or organize closets or scrub the bathroom or discover a new DIY project. I hone my inner Bruce and chant to myself "Food is fuel, NOT therapy" (that's a Finding Nemo reference with a twist if you aren't caught up). And sometimes... on days when I'm really weak and I think I just may cave I go take a lavender bubble bath and then I take my hungry blubber-butt to BED. Yes, it may only be 8pm buuuuut sleep sounds better than gaining 2 pounds. Today I prepped the Lorek favorite Almond Flour Blueberry Muffins, Protein Balls and I have apples and nut packs on hand ... because sometimes you just gotta take the lazy route. So the motto of this little blurb is it's okay to snack... just be prepared with healthy snacks, keep an eye on your portion size and then move on. See... we got this!