Eating for Two is Too Much

Are you like me?

Could you eat pizza for EVERY single meal?

Today we went to lunch at Pearl Street Pizzeria downtown Indy to discuss our upcoming events for Meggie's Woman of the Year campaign. You should support her and donate to the LLS after you're done reading my lunch confession.

Anyway...

EVERYONE at the table ordered a salad, except for me.

I ordered an 8 inch hand tossed pizza - Quattro Forrmaggio style (yeah, good luck saying that one)....

After I ordered the pizza by pointing at the menu and saying, "Let's be real  - I don't know how to say this pizza....but that's what I want..." - the server informed me it's basically a four cheese pizza.

Great, exactly what my lactose sensitive butt needs: four cheeses.

Oh well, the pizza sounded delicious.

NO ONE at the table finished their entire salad, but I managed to throw down my entire pizza + eye the extra salad laying around. I honestly wanted to box up some of the salads for dinner later tonight.

I googled pregnant eating for a good picture (since I inhaled my pizza before I could snap a picture)  and the majority of the pictures are adorable woman smiling with a fruit basket or salad in front of them. Most of them are in their undies and have a belly shirt on. UM NO that is NOT what I look like laying around my house....Anyway, I did finally find a picture that would fit my situation:

This is not me (obviously).
But I'm jealous of her french fries.
Scotty's waffle fries with ranch dressing sound really good.

And you want to know what article this image links back to on Google: Eating for Two is Too Much.

Noted, Google. Noted...

You know, I would have felt fine using the whole, "I'm pregnant" excuse to explain my unhealthy choices.

But number one- let's be real, pizza just sounded better.

Number two, there was a 30 week pregnant woman at the table with us who happily ordered a salad, ate half it, and still had some of her breadstick leftover.

And number three, I need to save my "pregnancy excuses" for when I really need them...like when I cry because someone takes the last bagel that I want from Panera...or when I get extremely mad at Justin because he tells me I'm addicted to Gossip Girl and lay around all night.

Until then, bonjour!

Much love,
Ashley 

Hungry for Change: A Review

Over the weekend, I watched a documentary called "Hungry for Change" - in one word: A-MA-Z-ING!



I was BEYOND inspired. As soon as the credits started rolling, I was already lacing up my shoes and making a mental note of my grocery list. I walked into the kitchen and tossed out junk food...and immediately shook my head at the pizza box on the counter- a reminder that my eating is and always be a battle.

Seriously, this is what I think about naturally skinny people who eat whatever they want:

 

But then I reminded myself that being healthy IS NOT about being skinny.

In fact, I know a lot of skinny people who are more unhealthy than me.

And there is the whole pregnancy thing ....me eating healthy this time around will NOT result in weight loss. It will, however, result in a healthier mom and baby!

The moment I really started paying attention and taking notes (yes, I was literally taking notes like I was preparing for my final exam in college), was when they shared an article saying researchers found more than 200 chemicals (man made aka from what we eat and drink) in an umbilical cord.  

200 chemicals.

Unbelievable.


We fill our bodies with dangerous (and addicting) chemicals every single day. And honestly, these chemicals are in EVERYTHING!

They kept talking about going back to mother nature- eating from the Earth.

And believe it or not, I was actually inspired to start juicing!

The toxins and chemicals in our foods go directly into our bodies...and guess what? Those evil toxins don't let you lose fat cells.

You need to cleanse your body to get rid of the toxins and harmful chemicals.

But the messed up part is....we do this to ourselves. We know what food is bad for us. We know a salad is better than a slice of pizza. We know fresh fruit for breakfast is better than a McDonald's Egg McMuffin.

They said 50% of us are unhappy with the way we look naked. We get out of the shower, look in the mirror, and say such hurtful things to ourselves...sometimes out loud!

"You're worthless."

"Just look at yourself- when did you let yourself go!?!"

"You don't deserve love and happiness."

SUCH NEGATIVE THOUGHTS!

Would you let someone else talk to you like that? Would you let a complete stranger or your worst enemy get away with saying such negative and rude things?

No...you probably wouldn't....

SO - don't talk to yourself like that!!

You are precise.

Love yourself and shine for who you are today....

And eventually you'll inspire other people to love themselves...and be happy with life.

Love yourself and other people.

Why?

Because love is safety.

And we all need love.

BUT it starts with loving yourself.

I wish I could take credit for the above message about loving yourself...but in reality, this message came from the documentary.

So there I was ...sitting in tears...and repeating the words they demanded that I say twice a day (and you should to):

"I accept myself unconditionally for who I am right now."

Seriously.

Say it.

Now.

Out loud.

I don't care if your at Starbucks, work, the gym, or watching TV- repeat the above quote.

Repeat this quote for 30 days - twice a day. Wait for the negative messages to pop in, but then quickly defend yourself...from yourself!

I bet by 28 you'll finally start to believe yourself and realize how special you are...

Overall, the documentary said you will improve your life and mind if you ask yourself three questions:

1. Where does my food come from? 
2. What went into my food?
3. What is my intention in doing with the food? (i.e. Am I eating to support my body or just for entertainment?)

I've got my work cut out for me....

But I've been filling up on fruits and veggies most of this week!

And the best part is...I'm not doing this to lose weight!!

This has NOTHING to do with the scale or a number! 

I'm honestly eating well for my HEALTH!

So yeah- I'm going to high-five myself.

But I have a confession.

I broke down already...

I woke up late this morning and stopped by McDonalds for that Egg McMuffin.

I cracked.

So then I turned into Ron Burgundy and said:

But it's one day.

One meal.

It's not the end of the world.

If I can continue to fill my bodies with more "clean" foods - then I'm doing MUCH better than I was before...

So while it was hard to look in the mirror knowing I had an epic failure this morning, I went home and put on my gym clothes.

I looked in the mirror and repeated those famous words: I accept myself unconditionally for who I am right now.

Much love,
Ashley

I Need a Plan

I'm a planner.

It's in my DNA.

I'm notorious for asking, "What's our game plan!?"

I just need to know what to expect at all times (part of my control freak / perfectionism ways).

My "game plan ways" are especially true when it comes to eating.

I will wake up at 8 a.m.and NEED to know what I am eating for lunch and dinner.

"What sounds good for dinner tonight, babe?" I will ask Justin while getting ready for work.

"Ashley- it's 6:45 in the morning!" Justin will say. "Let a man eat breakfast first."

"So, how does Sushi sound?" I ask ignoring his comment. 

With all of these Patty Planner habits of mine, I'm amazed that I don't have a "game plan" for my meals.

I was chatting with my friend Ashley, who hit her lowest weight since freshmen year of high school. Boom. By the way- so proud of you, Ash.

Anyway, I discovered that my biggest problem is that I don't plan out my meals.

I am talking about sitting down on a Sunday morning, writing out my week of meals and snacks, and then going grocery shopping.

Making a plan.

Writing it out.

And most importantly, sticking it out!

So tomorrow, I have a plan to make a plan. 

Let's do this!

Do you plan out your meals?

What does next week look like for you!?

I'd love to hear your recipes or any advice.

Much love,
Ashley

How to Hide Your Food Baby

I know what you're thinking....

Where have you been this week, Ashley?

Why aren't you posting more instagrams of your food?

Why haven't you been tracking all your meals in My Fitness Pal?

Well, the answer is simple.

I completely BOMBED on my "diet" this week.

Big. Time.

It started with a few pieces of shredded cheese in my salad. Just like a crackhead, those little pieces of cheese were all I needed to spiral down into a binder.

Tuesday was Birthday Bagel day at work. So naturally, I had no will power and ate one...And that lead to eating popcorn with chunks of bacon and Parmesan cheese (yes, you heard me...and it was amazing).

Next was the pepperoni pizza...

And let's not even TALK about the Jr. Bacon Cheeseburger I ate on Thursday.

And all of that just set the tone for my work holiday party where I ate 3 peppermint and chocolate cake balls, bbq pulled pork (at least I didn't eat the bun...can I get some bonus points for that "carb free" attempt?), buffalo chicken dip, and beer. Well, I think I had a few pieces of fruit at the party too- so that's about the only healthy thing I ate all week.

I know, I know...now you're wondering WHY!?

You did so good last week, Ashley.

How did this happen?

The answer (again) is simple.

I am addicted to food.

I love food.

When I'm sad, I eat.

When I'm stressed, I eat.

And when I'm happy, I eat.

But because you read my blog, you already know this about me.

Eventually...

One day...

(I hope)...

Food won't control my life.

And when I do "eat my emotions" - I'll go for happier options.

"I AM SO STRESSED OUT- someone give a head of broccoli!" - Ashley in the future

But despite my week of awful eating, I only gained .5 lbs.

So, I'm sitting around 217 lbs.

DO NOT ask me how.

Because honestly, I thought I was going to step on the scale and gain 15 lbs.

And please DO NOT take this as a sign of inspiration to eat whatever you want...because honestly, I just got lucky.

Or my scale is broken.

So, my weight loss journey continues!!

Full steam ahead my friends! 

***

Today, I went shopping for my work Christmas party dress.

I wanted something green; that was my only requirement. 

My first destination was Old Navy, which is where my food baby came to life.

Food baby. 5 months.

Roll out.

OBVIOUSLY I ripped this dress off as quickly as I put it on.

The style of this dress was NOT flattering.

Because the dress is tight at the top and then flows out toward the bottom, it made me look bigger than I really am. And the dress was really thin, which made my leggings / underwear lines show...not impressive.

The best part about this shopping trip? I did not cry when I saw this picture.

Perhaps, old Ashley would have cried...but I'm feeling more and more confident in my own skin each day...I love my curves.

I'm proud of my figure.

So, I reminded myself that I needed a different style for my body.

Next, I went to Express and instantly loved this dress on the hanger.

And when I put this dress on, I realized it was PERFECT for my figure!

Food baby ...be GONE!

Kim K. booty say what?!

Now, I usually don't wear animal print. BUT I was feeling frisky, so I tried this one too (same dress, different pattern):

I sent this picture to my husband, who replied and said: "Just put on some hot pink leggings and you'll look like LMFAO."

So, the winner is....

I felt so skinny and fit.
No photoshopping required.

The dress is tighter all around, which hugs my curves in all the right places.

The black strips down the side hide my love handles.

The material is thicker, so you can't see my legging lines.

And this dress was 40% off!

It's perfect.

The trick to hiding your food baby is realizing and accepting the strengths of your body. 

So, the next time you go shopping... 

Don't focus on weaknesses- who cares- everyone has something they don't like about their body.

Focus on your favorite features and work around those! And spending a little extra money helps because you will get better quality material and designs. But you don't have to spend much more...the first dress was $30 and the second dress was $43.

Worth it.

Much love,
Ashley