A Lesson in Food Cravings

Maybe it was the rain.

Or perhaps the long week at work.

But I got home and crawled straight into bed.

I haven't gone to the gym all week. Although, we did walk / run with Bandit most every night because the weather has been wonderful.

But deep down, I knew I needed the exercise.

I've never regretted a workout.

And the first steps out the door are always the hardest.

So I pulled the covers off my lazy body, and climbed into my workout clothes.

While on the elliptical, I was watching The Food Network (always a bad idea).

Then a commercial for Popeye's chicken came on...

Here is how the rest of my workout went:

I need some mashed potatoes. 

With gravy.

Oh no!

Wait, I want chicken strips.

From Kentucky Fried Chicken.

Do they have good ranch dressing?!

I think so.

What if I got popcorn chicken instead?

Oh my gosh. 

Pop-corn chicken is the best invention ever.

And I think KFC has good ranch dressing.

If not, it's fried chicken - it's good plain!

(Look at the timer)

12 minutes 25 seconds left.

You can make it to 15 minutes.

That's good enough.

Then you'll leave the gym and KFC is right by your house!

Well, close enough.

I guess I could get green beans.

That's healthy, right?

I hope they have bacon in them.

No, I just want popcorn chicken.

FINALLY - 15 minutes!

I jumped off the elliptical- cleaned it off- and walked out the door to my next destination.

But instead of pulling in the drive thru and wasting 500+ calories (410 calories on the chicken and 140 on ranch), I went home.

And enjoyed some fresh fruit.

Take that fried chicken balls of heaven!!!

You see, the thing about food cravings is they pass.

They don't last forever.

And often, you don't even feel satisfied once you've gorged yourself.

You feel guilty.

And gross.

And mad.

So, I saved 500 calories AND enjoyed a delicious snack.

And I feel FINE!

Happy, even.

Stay strong.

And stay on track.

IF I CAN DO THIS - ANYONE CAN!!!

And most importantly, I will appreciate my dedication to eating healthy and working out once the baby is born!

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