Hello there!
Well, it’s been a few days since I’ve had a chance to sit in front of my computer and dedicate time to post and I miss you all. I think I’ve come up with a way to keep posting frequently in a manageable amount of time with something I’m calling: Lunch Edition. I’ll take 30 minutes and share what’s up but may or may not include a recipe depending on time because these take the most time to post.
Alright down to healthiness … I’m on Day #25 of the Whole30 and I feel … AMAZING. Guys, I seriously can not recall a time when I felt so in tune with my body and emotions as I do now. I feel very free not being tied to the turmoil and confusion that food dependency can bring. I strongly encourage you to try the Whole30 if you haven’t already. It doesn’t cost anything but your commitment. I’m happy to answer questions, just leave them in the comments below. Also, I encourage you to “Like” my Facebook page because I share updates and encouragement several times a day and that’s where you can get up-to-the-minute ideas, recipes and resources.
Desserts and Snacking
Today I want to talk about desserts and snacking. I want to be really honest with you in the hopes that it will encourage you to be really honest with yourself. Is it time for change? About me … For years, I had been a “steady snacker.” I would snack at work, at home and late at night. TV/computer time would almost always mean snacking. I literally did not feel complete when watching TV without snacking. I wasn’t snacking on carrots or fruit either. I loved sugary and salty snacks and usually I just had to combine both in one snack session … I mean, who doesn’t like something salty to accompany a sweet treat? This, as you can imagine, was not a healthy habit to have.
And don’t even get me started on dessert!! Oh ice cream how I loved thee. Let me count the flavors … In fact, when I was having a hard day, I would often treat myself to something sweet because “I deserved it” for all my hard work/stress. Even Daniel knew that if I was really upset ice cream was a quick solution that would instantly get me happy and emotionally balanced. It was seriously, B-A-D. I had to end my evenings with something sweet or I was not satisfied. Dinner was definitely followed by dessert one way or another. I am a big fan of fruit so I would have it for dessert often but I had waaaay to much of it.
What really struck me when I decided to start the Whole30 was my emotional dependency on food and how unhealthy it was. Since when is it a good idea to just go with whatever you feel whenever you feel it?? Seriously. Yeah, not often. So I realized how off base I was and how easily I would succumb to the cravings within my first 3 days of the Whole30. I literally started starving those sugar monsters and saying NO FREAKIN WAY to my cravings. It wasn’t easy all the time and I definitely had days where I would just want to cry. Ok maybe I cried once or twice 😉
Never before have I felt so free from cravings and food controlling my life. It’s still hard for me to believe honestly. Now that doesn’t mean that those cravings can’t come back … They are sneaky. If I start snacking in between meals when I’m not actually hungry or eating extra servings of fruit, etc. My body goes “give it to me baby uh huh uh huh” and I have to snap back into shape to beat those cravings back into submission. I don’t have the cravings if I don’t feed my past bad habits.
Just wanted to share and I hope that you can relate to my post and that it encourages you that THERE IS HOPE to break free and be in control of your health and emotions when it comes to food.
The above Chocolate Coconut Cookie photo and the below pics are a preview of the paleo-friendly snacks I made with my sister this weekend … I’ll share recipes later this week 🙂
P.S. I did not forget about introducing you to my kitchen and the essential foods/ingredients that I use and that will come in a bigger post later this week.