unlimited eating

I have STILL been recovering from the aftermath of a week of uncontrollable snacking.  Even though my protein shake has consistently kept me satisfied all morning, this tendency to snack has consistently snuck out with the lunch hour.

Over the past few days I decided to take my goal of focusing on adding something good to my eating habits, rather than restricting bad, to a new level with an experiment: unlimited eating of life-giving foods.  

I was intentional to choose foods that were life-giving as I was focusing on the feeling after eating along with the continual habit of making eating sacred.  I basically avoided sugar, dairy, and processed foods.  I have to say I felt amazing.  I ate a lot of nuts, fruit, beans, rice, chicken, and veggies.  A lot.

I gave myself freedom to spend money on a seemingly endless amount of these foods and freedom to eat as much as I desired whenever I was hungry.

The first day alone I ate a protein shake, 3 bowls of venison chili with brown rice, black beans, half of a watermelon, and 1/2 bag of cashews.

Looking back on the week, I have to say it really did curb my snacky mindset.  When snacking was no longer restricted, it was easier to focus on other things, trusting that whenever I would be hungry I would be free to eat as much as my body needed to stay satisfied.  

I am still developing a healthy trust relationship with my body and food.  Because I restricted my eating for so long, my body struggled to trust myself for sufficient nourishment.  And I am still breaking down the rules of bad and good foods along with restricting or indulging mindset.

I constantly redirect my focus back to Eden as I want to model health for my daughter and give her the freedom to create her own healthy eating habits as she becomes more independent.  These two little teeth have allowed us to continue introducing new foods and we are thankful that she enjoys the experience of exploring new flavors and textures.

I pray for health to permeate the atmosphere of our home every time we open our mouths to eat.

aftermath

I did a horrible job eating intentionally two weeks ago and have week been in the aftermath, recovering.

I was out of town on vacation with family with a lot of work to do, no internet to do it, lots of yummy snacks- the kinds I never buy- AND no shakes because I shared a protein shake on day 3 of my 10 days away sold the entire canister on the spot.

Even though I had an absolute BLAST hanging out with these guys

there were times in which I felt overwhelmed about the amount of work I could have done, stuck as I needed internet to do the majority of it, and overstimulated with exciting new updates that have transpired and now began in the recent weeks: 

New and perfect part-time job.
New house with move-in date.
New blog with new look, name, and URL (coming soon).
New book (also coming somewhat soon, maybe.)

More to come on the new updates. 

Because all of my snacking triggers were hit, I snacked a lot.  Chemical-loaded, sugary, buttery, fried, fatty, unsatisfying snacks.  All day every day for 10 days.

I am just as ashamed as I am amazed that I literally did such a horrible job honoring the healthy habit I set for myself.  Regardless, it happened and now I have to make a choice to move on and try again.

After all of this snacking, there is one thing I noticed.  Chemically processed foods have a horrible aftertaste.  I was way more in tune with my body than I have been in the past, and even though there were times when my mind was out of control, grabbing for endless amounts of chips and salsa, I was still kind of listening for my body's response.  And it wasn't good.

I realized that only the first few bites taste good.  Literally after 3 bites of a chocolate chip cookie the delicious and life-changing taste basically disappears.  Now most of the week this did not stop me from finishing the cookie and potentially even grabbing another, but I did notice that it stopped tasting good.  And within minutes of finishing the cookie, this really weird chemical taste lingered in my mouth for hours.

Just try it.  Eat a cookie or bowl of ice cream of brownie or something with the good stuff (and by good stuff I mean the bad stuff), and then tune into how you feel.  I noticed feeling bloated, uncomfortable, lethargic, with a lingering headache.  As a result I was unmotivated and lacking in energy.  Noting this feeling is motivating to avoid these binging sessions as there is no fruit.  I feel yucky and it even tastes yucky.  I want to make a habit of considering the aftermath as I open my mouth to eat.  

So as I sit in the aftermath of an unhealthy week, reflecting on the aftermath of these choices, I call to mind that apart from God I can do nothing.  (John 15:5)  And so I continue to ask God for help as I press on in the pursuit of health.

Lord please restore my health this year.  I can't do it without you.  I release the control of my body to you.  I recognize that it is not by will nor might that I will see health.  Give me patience as I wait for you to act and help me not to labor in vain.

protein 101

It is common knowledge that there are major health differences in frozen, canned, and fresh fruits and vegetables.  In that same way, not all protein is the same.  Because my focus this month is to eat intentionally by adding a daily protein shake to my lifestyle, it gave me a great opportunity to learn more about this protein and discovery why it stands out among the rest.

Why a protein shake?
It was pregnancy and now nursing that got me thinking protein.  I was aiming to consume 100 grams of protein a day while pregnant, and most days I barely hit 80-90 grams.  I found myself eating fatty cottage cheese, drinking glass upon glass of whole milk, constantly chowing steaks, and consuming eggs by the dozen just to meet my goal.  It was after gaining 60 pounds during pregnancy that I started to wonder if there was a healthier, more convenient and budget friendly way to consume an adequate amount of protein.

Why so many ingredients?
A common theory in the new whole foods / organic health movement is to stay away from foods with more than 3 ingredients or ingredients that cannot be pronounce, and because of this thought I was initially turned away from the idea of protein shakes.  However, the more research I have done the more I have learned that many of the huge words listed on my canister of protein are really active enzymes and life-giving, scientific based ingredients that add to my body and health.

What do I look for in protein?
I have recently been taught to check out the first 2 and last 2 ingredients when shopping for protein.  The beginning usually shares the content (soy, whey, etc) and the end usually reveals if artificially sweeteners have been used.  When talking protein, I have learned to stay away from soy and artificial sweeteners.

Why Isagenix protein?
While I am not a scientist, I will list my five favorite facts about the IsaLean shake, from the perspective of a non-expert.  I will also reference the articles that share the scientific stuff as there is no need for me to regurgitate all of that.

1. digestive enzymes which I can literally feel working in my body after enjoying a shake

2. gluten free and artificial sweetener free

3. nutrient dense calories make for a complete meal replacement, meaning I actually feel full after having a shake

4. 100% grass-fed New Zealand whey protein
Why choose whey from New Zealand, hormone free cows? 

5. 24 grams of undenatured protein 
Whey Protein Concentrate: A Brief Summary

Because we are on a tight grocery budget, I made sure to do my research before investing in protein consistently.  In my studying I have discovered that most proteins are full of empty calories, estrogens in soy, or artificial sweeteners.  And because I found a protein that is so complete, I have given myself permission to spend money on it each month.  The money we spend on this protein replaces other unhealthy, fatty, empty calories we used to consume.  Investing in my body and health in this way has been worth every penny.

Myth: All Protein is the same 

How much does Isagenix protein cost?
While there are a few different kinds of protein available through Isagenix, the standard IsaLean shake I consume daily is just under $3/meal.  A canister of 14 shakes is $40.  I buy two of these a month, which is $80/month for 28 meals.  In all of my budgeting and meal planning, I have not found a deal as good as this.

Check out the fruit from the investments we have made in our health this year.

add something good

I am a major snacker.  I could snack all day long.  I actually snack more mentally than anything as I think about it throughout the day.  And while this snacking is not necessarily a danger to my physical health, it is often meeting an emotional need.  I tend to snack when I am feeling bored, overwhelmed, nervous, unproductive, or lonely.

Because of that I would like to nip this bad habit.  Not to lose weight nor eat less nor cut calories, but to stop using food to medicate uncomfortable emotions.

As I seek to snack less, I want to try a new approach because being so restrictive and cutting out all snacks feels too rigid.  I have been rigid and restrictive in the past and it has only reinforced a dysfunctional food relationship.   Again, food is to nourish not to indulge nor restrict for emotional outlets.

So this time, rather than focusing on subtracting the bad, I shift to focus on adding something good to my lifestyle as I pursue holistic health.   My hope is that this will naturally sift out some of the unnecessary excess.

Adding a daily, healthy, complete meal replacement protein shake is one seed I can sow into the overhaul of my eating habits while simultaneously reframing my relationship with food.

My daily shake consists of:
2 scoops of IsaLean Shake Protein Powder 
    *24 grams undenatured protein
    *8 grams dietary fiber
    *23 vitamins and minerals

1 scoop Isagenix Greens!
    *naturally spray dried and cold pressed greens 
    *antioxidant-rich ingredients like ginkgo biloba leaf, green tea extract, & grape seed extract

8 ounces of water and lots of ice

Again, the whole point of this pursuit is to bear much fruit.  I am hopeful that this month's challenge will bring me one step closer to living a healthy, God-honoring, balanced life. 

July: Intentional Eating

One of my consistent and daily prayers for my sweet Eden is that she will have a healthy relationship with food, and as I have thought about what that means I continue to come back to the foundational concept that the primary purpose of food is to nourish our bodies.

End of sentence.

Not to create an emotional experience.  Not for pleasure nor creativity nor comfort nor fellowship, although cooking and enjoying an incredible meal can certainly create those wonderful and good experiences.  But in the end, food is primarily for nourishment.  It was literally life-changing when I took on the challenge of buying all of our groceries at Trader Joe's.  This cut out so many of the chemical-filled, unnecessary, unhealthy, emotional-eating snacks my family and I had come to crave.

So this month I am going to continue to engage in intentional, purposeful, mindful eating in a format that will build on some of the habits I have already established.  This could also be called a maintenance month as much of this will be review.  Sometimes maintenance can be a bit boring because it is literally putting one foot in front of the other again and again and again and again... and again and again and again and again.  As mundane as this may seem, the ability to consistently maintain a habit long-term is literally the line that divides the people that like to try new things from those who actually bear fruit.

Habit: While I began this intellectual experience in May with Make Eating Sacred, much of what I am going to do this month will be a continuation of this idea as I seek to be present as I eat, slow down, and listen to my body for signals of fullness.  I will be especially in tune to how my body feels AFTER eating a certain item as I seek nourishment rather than the pleasure that often is only present during the initial eating experience.  I will also be more intentional in my menu planning, looking for foods that will nourish my family.

Challenge: I will continue eating 5-6 small meals a day, as I began in March in hopes of Increasing my Energy.  Specifically, one of my five small meals each day will consist of a protein shake.  This will not only provide my body with an incredibly nutritious and consistent meal, but also help eliminate some of the mindless and emotional snacking along the way.

This will also give me an opportunity to share about these shakes that I have come to crave as they offer so much more than just a nutritious and satisfying meal.