Hey guys! I’m just going to pop in briefly to say at this point, I’m not really sure where I’m going to go with the project moving forward. I’ve gotten to the point where the restrictions are causing me to actually eat more unhealthily because I can’t have what I really want! And I’ve been living in the loopholes so much lately that I’m not sure how much of the integrity of the project is holding up. Plus living outside the loopholes this weekend…I’m also not sure I like having to put THIS much thought into food-it’s starting to mess with my head a little bit! So not sure what’s going to happen in the future, but I’m going to play it by ear and how I feel-which right now is not so hot thanks to some most definitely processed food…so here’s a bit of a photo dump of this weekend, and I’ll do a more detailed project post a little bit later in the week!
Sushi bowl-again. But sadly without avocado.
My attempt at coconut truffles. Which didn’t really work out-the inside was just mashed banana and coconut, and it just tasted like not that ripe banana…but the chocolate was amazing!
Sloppy yogurt bowl with applesauce that still needed a few hours in the slow cooker.
Saturday I was going to go to the gym, but then brunch sounded really good so this happened.
Also in place of gym-we may or may not have swiped a carton of heavy whipping cream from the dining hall. Homemade chocolate with this? AMAZING. It tasted like the center of a lava cake.
Cinnamon tea made by a girl in my sorority-she boiled cinnamon sticks!
Highlight of the weekend-sorority retreat and getting to see a real, live cat.
Retreat food.
And the actual nail in the project’s coffin (for now-will definitely be discussed): fresh ice cream sandwich.
What am I wearing? On a side note, now I really want a tutu of my own.
Applesauce 2.0-much better! Plus sun butter.
My innovative wrapping skills-tomorrow is my sister’s birthday so we went out to dinner! And wrapping paper was nowhere to be found…
And cake.
As for this week? I’m going to eat as well as possible with as little effort as possible. I went to Trader Joe’s and stock dup today. I have to say though, since doing this project, reading all the nutrition labels/ingredients was really frustrating because EVERYTHING had extra little ingredients, even at a place like Trader Joe’s!
Another observation-as my eating habits deteriorated, so did the positive effects. My foot issues are starting to come back a little bit for one thing-so when I’m not so full of delicious food I’ll figure out a plan going forward. I will say this about the project now though-the biggest problem was being underprepared in the second and third week, and eating in a dining hall made things harder because the food was definitely lower quality. If I wan’t living at college and if I was cooking completely for myself, this would have been much easier. So expect a follow up post soon!
(Brace yourself for a long comment!)
When you figure out this whole eating thing, please let me know! I have officially confused myself.
I can lose weight whenever I stay under 1450 calories, I just don’t know what those calories should be! Every time I try a new “lifestyle” (paleo, sugar-free, gluten-free, dairy-free, vegetarian, only eating lean meat, even “normal” eating), it flies in my face. The first little bit I feel awesome, then my enthusiasm starts to wane and I inevitably crash, hard.
I’ve always been able to maintain (healthy life most of the time + occasional episodes of bingeing = maintain). Never overweight, never goal weight, just healthy. Somehow this year, the bingeing came out on top and I packed on some weight.
I have a major sugar addiction, but whenever I try to cut it out I eventually ending up eating more than ever.
I’m just tired of being obsessed with food. If I go through my journal for the last year, almost every single entry mentions it (the feeling of joy when I stick within my calories, the self-hatred when I fail).
I just want to be able to find balance, to be able to eat healthy, not be obsessed, and still enjoy treats. If you (or anyone else) figure out how to do this, I’d love some advice!
I can relate to this so much! I wish I had the answer. Sugar is a difficult thing-it’s easy to say “just have sugar in moderation” to people who aren’t addicted to it, but that’s not how addiction works! And it’s hard to avoid it completely, especially given it’s everywhere! If I figure it all out ever, I’ll be sure to let you know!
Restriction always ends with overeating, at least from my experience! When I was restricting, I always ended up going for unhealthy foods and overeating them because my body was HUNGRY. It’s smart- it knows what foods are calorie dense, and if it’s not getting enough, it will gravitate towards those foods! Maybe you can lean off the plan just a little bit? Keep the guidelines in place but allow yourself some flexibility. After all, you don’t want to get into a routine that you can’t manage for the rest of your life! All about balance and moderation.
Absolutely-when things get restrictive, it’s easy to focus on what you can’t have, and it can end badly!
I love that your being so honest about your progress and what’s really happening “behind the scenes”. Being honest with your body is such an honorable thing, especially for those that look up to you and follow your advise 🙂
I definitely get how it gets hard to think so hard about food. It has he ability to take over your life and hurt relationships (if you end up not wanting to hang out bc you’re afraid about what you’ll have to eat). So just tread easy and know it won’t cause harm if you need to cut it short.
Thank you for being honest!