What is clean eating? Great question!
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| An example of clean eating |
Clean eating is no pre-processed foods, no yeasty breads, all multi-grain products, no sugar added, no fruit juice or sport drinks, no alcohol, no cream or added fats other than coconut and olive oil, drink 8 cups of water a day and definitely...... DEFINITELY.... no burgers and onion rings!
Going into this Challenge I knew that earning the daily drink points would be just that... a challenge. I have come to the conclusion that I have lived most of my years in a chronic state of dehydration. It is a state my camel like body has become accustom to. Any "extra" water tips my delicately balanced scales and can plunge me straight into water toxicity- I get dizzy, I can't feel my teeth, my head feels all floaty, I can loose my vision and sometimes come close to fainting... pretty much I am drunk without even touching an ounce of alcohol. Knowing this, my strategic plan was to gain all my Challenge points by following the stringent meal plan and working out when I could (but not in the mornings.... at least on a regular basis). I boasted to friends and family- "Sure I can clean eat for six weeks, it won't be hard at all!" All the while I was planning the smorgasbord of appetizers and sweet treats I would indulge in the moment this challenge was over...... my reward for being a diligent cleaning eating dubbie.
The Challenge started. I had Week 1 under my belt. Some sugar cravings, but nothing that looking at what I now refer to as "food porn" couldn't help with. I had started to gradually build up my bodies tolerance to "excess" water. Week 2 was complete. I had not had any added sugar, I was eating the prescribed meals, and was now drinking 8 glasses of water a day. Other Challengers tried to tempt me with "healthy cookies" but I stayed strong. It seemed that from 6 am to 4:30 pm, I was untouchable.
But every night as the sun slowly sank in the west, my inner "hangry beastie" started to awaken and my internal struggles began. See Hangry, as I now refer to this altered state of self, does not have a lot of patience. When Hangry appears I go from peckish to freakin' starving.
Hangry want food.... Hangry, want food NOW!!!!!!!!!
I am almost positive that Hangry would not exist if there was a personal chef living at my house. I could walk in the door and Hangry would be immediately satisfied. But, alas I do not have a personal chef... all I have is me. A me that doesn't know when to call it quits and go home. A me that regularly has difficulty getting groceries for the week.
Since this Challenge began I have had to use the arsenal of strategies, learned on the job to calm tantruming children, to buy some time from when Hangry first makes herself known and when I will be able to eat. For two and a half weeks strategies such as planned ignoring, distraction, reasoning, collaborative problem solving, kind words and just plain pleading worked to stave off a full-fledged Hangry attack.
Sadly last Saturday I reached into my strategy bag and came up empty. After spending 10 hours in front of a computer, Hangry came out at her Hangriest! Hangry was in a toddler meltdown of epic proportions- threatening to do harm to self or others. Hangry had graduated to a new level of Hangry that has yet to be classified.
I felt helpless. It was not a battle I was prepared to fight. I made the executive decision to deek into the A&W drive thru to pick-up a meal fit for a Hangry mind- Teen Burger and onion rings.
Ahhhhhh the aroma!
Yummmmmmmmm the bacon!
Hangry..... HAPPY!!!!!
The burger eau jus was running down my fingers and chin as I bit into that bad boy. Each morsel was savored and committed to memory, as both my Hangry and sane self knew this was a one-time only save. No more burgers for another 3 1/2 weeks.
I took a picture so Hangry has something to look forward to......
I BID YOU ADIEU OH FAIR TEEN BURGER.... TIL WE MEET AGAIN IN 4 WEEKS"
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