As I was writing the last post, I had some other ideas that jumped out at me. How do you deal with the rough days? How do you deal with the scale, the measuring tape, lack of change? How do you keep your habit healthy and not an obsession? How do you deal with the kids? So, let’s dive in to the hard stuff.
To cheat or not to cheat
I figured since we ended talking about food, I should start where I left off. One of the things everyone wants to know is can you be flexible? Can you have a cheat day? The answer is yes and no.
If I learned one thing from my nutrition coach, it’s that a cheat day is NOT a good idea. A whole day of eating anything and everything and I’m a mess. I have to keep it controlled for the better part of the day and drink all the water. If I feel like I need a meal off from counting macros, I’ll pick a weekend dinner, usually. I give my brain a bit of a break and just enjoy the meal.
The funny part of this experiment is the macros are so ingrained in me, I’m still considering them when I order or fill my plate. I still find myself focusing on the proteins and the carbs. I will likely go over on fats and carbohydrates; that’s not hard to do. But I try to keep my protein level because I know that’s what my body needs. The protein helps counteract whatever crazy thing I decide to consume during that meal (aka dessert!!).
Speaking of Dessert…
Part of balancing your food intake involves allowing yourself those things you love. My one go-to for comfort is peanut butter. If I crave anything, it’s a jar of peanut butter next to a jar of homemade jam, spoon in hand. I could make myself ill with that combination. And chocolate. I LOVE a nice piece of dark chocolate. Do you see where I’m going? I have a sweet tooth.
This makes sugar one of those micronutrients I have to really watch. According to MyFitnessPal, I’m allowed 53 grams of sugar a day. And it does not matter what form the sugar takes. It could be an apple, a banana, a cookie or a piece of pie.
I obviously cannot eat sugary desserts on the regular. It’s not good for me. But something else I have noticed is that too much processed sugar really messes me up. I really feel yucky when I have even a small piece of crazy candy or super sugary dessert. And the scale and tape measurements show the damage it can do.
The scale is not the enemy
And neither is that measuring tape. You have to look at these two items as tools, just like a pen, a computer, a weight bench or cardio machine.
I do my best to weigh myself every morning. I will be honest and tell you there are some mornings I don’t bother because I just don’t want to know. But another lesson learned, the adjustments on the scale and the measuring tape added to the way I ate the day, or days, before equals knowledge about how my body reacts to certain macronutrients or micronutrients.
Sodium is the devil. LOL. Seriously, if I see a crazy jump up on the scale, I go back and look at the previous day’s sodium intake first. Most likely it was high, like over the recommended 2300 mg. You think I’m kidding. Try it.
The crazy thing is sodium hides in the weirdest places. Anything packaged is going to have some crazy sodium in it. My favorite bread is Dave’s Killer Bread. It’s got protein, fiber, not bad in the carbohydrate category, but the sodium is sneaky. It’s not too much sodium. It is enough that it can put me over my count for the day.
Another place you may not expect sodium, a place that shocked the heck out of my sister, is seafood. One large shrimp, for example, has 58.5 mg of sodium. If you want to use the shrimp as a good source of protein, eight large shrimp have 21 grams of protein and 468 mg of sodium. Not a great ratio. That’s already a fifth of your sodium intake for the day. And egg whites? I eat 184 grams of egg whites for breakfast: 20 grams of protein and 300 mg of sodium.
It’s not counting calories…
Everyone shudders when they think of “counting calories”. I used to feel that way. I have learned that counting macronutrients is so much easier. The macros are carbohydrates, fats and proteins. Adding up the macros every day has helped make me more aware of the nutritional value of food.
I know that chicken is a huge source of protein for me. It’s low in fat, if it’s a breast, and high in protein per ounce. More bang for my buck. I eat chicken breast pretty much every day. This has made my Instant Pot one of my best cooking purchases of the last two years. Chicken is so versatile. I can make a salad, a wrap, add a sweet potato and green beans, and it’s a balanced meal.
One of my go-tos for carbohydrates is a high fiber tortilla. It’s a relatively low amount of carbohydrates for great fiber content. And fiber is important, especially when you’re consuming a lot of protein.
I also am more aware of the good fats, these days. I eat a lot of avocados. Yes, I discovered avocado toast. It cracks me up that restaurants can charge $6 for avocado toast like it’s some gourmet dish. Of course, they may have other toppings with it, but you can bet their food cost is well below 30%.
Believe it or not, even when I’m low in the carbohydrates, relative to protein intake, I have the hardest time making up carbohydrates at the end of the day. I’m definitely not always hitting that count. I may have to eat an apple or banana to get me within 5g of my goal.
It was a bad day
Give yourself 50 lashes with a wet noodle and move on. Get it? One day is not going to wreck you. Even if you see a crazy jump, like 4-5 pounds on the scale, just take a deep breath. There’s no way you consumed enough calories, yesterday, to cause a permanent weight gain like that. What did you eat? Did you record everything?
This is where the macro and micronutrient counting comes in handy. Where was your sodium level? Maybe you ate something without reading all the micronutrients. Did you eat something super sugary? My body literally blows up if I do something crazy like that.
Did you drink enough water? I can take the kids to the zoo, spend 5 hours walking up and down hills, running to bathrooms, and still gain weight. Why? I didn’t drink enough water.
If you’re tracking your intake, you can use that information to calm your fears about the scale number or measuring tape size. This does not mean you have to like what you see, but it gives you the information to know how to do it better. You know what you have to manage and what you have to watch.
Your why
I am not going to ask your why. I’m going to tell you what your why should be. First and foremost, your why should be you. You want to be healthy. You want to not have so many aches and pains (yes, healthy eating and exercise can help with this). You want to live longer. You want to keep enjoying the activities you enjoy most.
By making yourself the why, you subsequently take care of every other person on your list. Getting yourself healthy and “in shape” will make you better for your kids. Keeping up with the activities you love will give you more to share with your family. Being strong for yourself, makes those aches and pains less present and makes you happier, right? Happier mom, dad, wife, husband, grandparent, etc., makes for happier family dynamics, friendships and even spreads into your work life.
After three months down for various reasons (it’s been longer for Jason), I got us out of bed at 5 this morning for a workout. We did a 20-minute HIIT (high intensity interval training) on the Peloton app. I should have started with 10 minutes. I wanted to throw up for about half an hour after we finished, and my legs were like Jello. But let me tell you, the after-effects were amazing!!
We went in to wake the kids after a great night’s sleep. Our endorphins were pumping so everyone was in a great mood to start the day. We all sat down for a good breakfast. It was a great start to the morning.
When we are happy and energized, it makes it easier to give the kids what they need. If they had a rough night, we would have been ready to deal with the fussy wake-up.
Your children are watching and listening
They are soaking up everything. Whenever dessert or an after-meal treat comes up, our kids will tell you they have to “eat the good stuff before we get the goody-goodies”. They know the meat and veggies need to come first. Now they are definitely not on any kind of strict eating plan. For the most part they eat what we eat.
I did start teaching them about the macronutrients and the importance of each. Levi will tell you to eat your protein so the sugar won’t make you “bounce off the walls”. Lillian will tell you there is calcium in their yogurt, and protein, and it’s good for your bones and teeth. They often compare their vegetable and fruit consumption. Lillian is our fresh fruit and veggie kid. Levi doesn’t eat as many types as Lillian, but he will enjoy a good salad or green beans. And he tries something new more often than not.
I do not want them negatively focused on food. I try to instill in them that eating a balance of the food groups helps your body stay healthy. I also show them how physical activity helps them grow and stay strong. They’ve tried my weight bench a couple of times (with the one or two-pound weights), trying to be “Strong like mommy”. And that’s all I can ask.
Here is the point
Grab that scale, grab the measuring tape. Don’t worry about what the numbers say now. That’s just a jumping-off point. Find an app to track your macros. Jump on the scale every day and record it. Watch the trends. Yes, it’s work. But after a few good months, you’ll be able to tweak your routine and eating habits to work for your physical and mental health. You’ll also discover the “ideal” weight and size for you. Because one size does not fit all.
Taking care of yourself, working on you for you, is like dropping a pebble in a pond. It starts small, but the ripples will spread to every corner of that big body of water. A little bit now, maybe more later, will continue to affect change in your environment. The next thing you know, people around you will notice the difference. They may comment, they may not. That doesn’t matter. How you feel about yourself as you break through milestones, that’s what matters.
One day at a time.
Much love and prayers for good health.
