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It’s easier for me to live a healthy-eating lifestyle because I plan everything, and outside of that I don’t really have too much of a social life (which I don’t mind one bit). In the beginning of the week, I will usually sit down and plan my meals out for the rest of the week. I use MyFitnessPal to track my food and make sure I am meeting all my macros, and once I have everything programmed in, I don’t deviate from that. I eat whatever I have planned for myself for the rest of the week.
This may seem a bit strict to some people, but to me it helps me stay committed. In the past, I had some serious commitment issues when it came to eating healthy. It was just so easy to go about things in an unhealthy fashion, but it was definitely not worth it. I would get into a diet-craze and say to myself “Ok, this is it, time to go hard and get healthy!” I’d be okay for a few days, then I’d slip and eat a package of sweets and lose all sense of self control, and fall back into an unhealthy pattern. Or I’d allow myself a cheat meal, but it would turn into a cheat-day, then week, then month. I seriously had no self-control.
It also makes things easier for me to have everything planned. That way I don’t have a day where I’m thinking “what am I going to eat today?” and scrambling to throw something together.
Having everything planned out ahead of time makes it simpler for me to stick to a healthy eating pattern. I am trying to reach a goal. It keeps me accountable. If I already know what I’m eating for the day, it’s easier not to cheat. I’ll think “Man, that candy-bar looks really good, but my counts don’t allow for it. If I eat it, I will be over in my carb and sugar range.”
And for me, it’s best if I stay away from sugars. If I were to eat even a fun-sized candy bar, that sugar triggers this “I have to eat it ALL” response in me, and it’s extremely hard for me to stop myself from eating a few handfuls of sweets. Then I always regret it because I will feel really sleepy and sluggish and a bit nauseated.
About peer-pressure: Most of the time, I don’t have to deal with this because, as I said, I don’t have much of a social life. On a weekday I typically go to work, then drive to CrossFit straight after. By the time I get home it is usually somewhere between 7:00-7:30pm. When I get home I will usually first eat dinner, then shower, then prepare for the next day—make my breakfast, lunch, set my coffee up, lay out my work clothes and pack my gym bag. By the time I’m finished with all of that, I will usually only have a couple of hours until I go to bed, in which I will spend relaxing on the couch catching up on whatever shows or books I’m into (or watching Frozen for the third time in a week…) and getting some play time in with my kitten so he doesn’t keep me up with his seemingly never-ending energy.
And that’s it. It may seem dull to others, but I am perfectly content with the way I live. I’m pretty easy to please and don’t get bored very often. I really enjoy CrossFit and get a bit of my social outlet with the community, and my kitten always keeps me entertained and makes great company! I mean, just look at that face!
Sorry, I’m off track. While on a typical weekday I don’t have to deal with peer pressure, I do encounter it every so often, and it is usually the same. I will be out with friends and they will give me heck because I am choosing not to indulge myself in alcohol and nachos. Or I will be at a holiday party and that one friend will say “It’s a holiday, it doesn’t count!” And with some people, when I insist that I am sticking to my goals, it will seem like that person is offended that I don’t also have a plate of danishes and cookies in my hands as well.
To be honest, sometimes it annoys me. I have a goal that I am trying to acheive. Yes, one day is not going to screw up my body, but it will be a lot harder for me to go back to my schedule. My eating habits are not affecting theirs, so why should they be upset that I’m not over-indulging?
Then I get the feeling that some may get upset because they think that I am judging them, which is not the case. I have a goal, and a schedule, but it’s my goal and my schedule…so there’s no judgment on my part for anyone but myself.
Some people just don’t understand how committed I am to my goals, or the fact that I still find it hard to exercise self-control if I indulge. And I do encounter the occasional person who won’t let up and keeps trying to pressure me into cheating.
What do I do when I do? There’s really not much more that I can do besides explain to them that I have a goal that I am sticking to, and it’s easier for me to exercise self-control if I just avoid cheating altogether.
And I’m not saying that I don’t allow myself cheat days or cheat meals….or as I like to call them, reward days. When I feel like I have worked hard and deserve to have a reward meal, I will. But I still like to plan it out. I don’t really have random spur-of-the-moment cheat days. It’s more like “I’ve worked hard for the past few weeks, so this Saturday I’m going to have a reward day and eat this.”
Anyone else deal with that type of peer pressure?
love this. Thanks 4 sharing
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You are right– no one needs to comment about what you eat or don’t eat. However, I don’t think they are trying to control you.
I think the main thing to consider is how much time you are spending thinking about food and exercise. There really is more to life. I promise.
The other issue is whether or not you feel scared of food, scared of yourself. I don’t want you to go through life that way, if that is the case. You’re not scary and neither is food.
I know they are not trying to control me. I’m talking about dealing with those that keep pressuring you even though you have kindly explained to them your reasons. Like those that try to pressure you into drinking when you don’t want to. It can be just a little frustrating.
I do spend some time thinking about food and exercise, but it does not take up the majority of my days (that would be my boyfriend and my cat that occupy the majority of my daily thoughts haha). I know there is more to life than obsessing over if I’m getting enough exercise and what I can or can’t put into my mouth, been there, done that, and I wasn’t happy. Rather, nowadays my thoughts on food and exercise are how I can use them to better my life, what foods I need to eat to get enough daily nutrients and how I can use exercise to optimize my health and fitness…and that does make me happy! I have a pretty unhealthy history, and I am proud of how much I’ve changed my health for the better. I am very passionate about health and nutrition and love studying it and learning new things about it. And being healthier in general has given me more of a love for life…I am never tired or have any problems with pain or feeling sick, and I have never felt more alert, energetic, and happy! 🙂
I am not scared of food, the reason I avoid unplanned cheat days is because if I go in without a game plan, I won’t pay attention and will blindly keep reaching for more sweets. It’s easy to overindulge in sweets because once that sugar hits my mouth it triggers this “must have some more!” response, and before I realize what I’ve done I will have devoured a few plates of sugary treats. That leads me to feeling tired, sleepy, bloated, sluggish and nauseated, not to mention how my digestive system will feel…my body is just not used to that amount of refined sugars. I’d rather avoid all of that. Plus, it is much easier for me to get back into my regular habits if I have some sort of plan when I have a cheat day, and I do have goals. But the fact is, I love life and am happy 🙂 🙂