Speaking of Food Choices

There are easy ways and there are hard ways to do just about anything. Work smarter, not harder is something we all want to strive to do. After writing last week's blog on Food Choices and how eating low carbs/higher in fats was working for so many people that I know, including me, I took the hard way over Christmas.

Thank goodness it was just that one day. I truly went in with good intentions, as most of us do. There were loads of good choices for me to make, however, I decided that having a little taste of each high carb would not hurt me. 

So far, it has not hurt me on the scales. Possibly slowed progress a little, but at least the numbers did not go up. That is the only good news. Why?  Because I can't tell you how miserable that I felt after eating it.

Possibly some emotional misery was there, but I am really talking physical misery. My whole body felt awful. Lethargic, nausea, headache, irritable, brain fog, and most definitely sugar cravings that gone away. Going from very low carb eating to what I chose to do was not a good thing to do. 

There were plenty of good choices for me to make. All the ham and turkey that I wanted, including the zero carb turkey gravy. However, the tablespoon of mashed potatoes, tablespoon of cheese grits, tablespoon (okay, 2 TBSP) of cornbread dressing, tablespoon of sweet potato casserole and one Parker House roll. Let's not forget the one English roast potato. What was I thinking? Answer:  I was NOT thinking. 

If I had been thinking, I would have made a low carb friendly zucchini parmesan fries in the oven and made one choice of something above. But no! I had to have a little of it all. I must say that it took my body three whole days to get over the shock. Today is the first day that I can say, "I am me again!" 

Can I truthfully say that it was worth it? No, I can't. I could have made smoked deviled eggs. Could have, should have, would have! Lots of naysayers will come up with the saying of, "Oh well, you only live once." And I am here to say that getting my body to crave what is good for me to stay feeling healthy is living and I want to live long. 

There is no need to feel like you are the Grinch at the Family Christmas Dinner. Even on this Feast Menu there were some excellent choices for me. Others who can afford to eat whatever they want is just great for them. I know what I need for me. It is a matter of being kinder to myself and considering what my body needs along with everyone else's needs.

This is my plan and I am sticking to it. Does it mean that I can go a bit higher on some days? Yes, of course. Just not hog wild which is what I call my behavior on our family get together. Not so much the amount that was on my plate, as it was to the macronutrients that were so out of balance to what I normally eat.

Most definitely, I have learned my lesson. I am thinking that I won't forget it. Always, I can come back to this blog and read how I felt or look at that specific day in my journal and the days following. There is something to say about pen to paper.