Now that I've ended my detox (which, four days later, I still say was the best choice), I've taken a while to post again. This past weekend I took some time to read a variety of nutrition books, talk to Josh (trainer), and to really think about what my nutritional goals will be for the duration of the coming school year.
Background Info: the school where I work is a dieter's nightmare (or heaven, depending on the dieter's often-changing mental state). Almost every single day, delicious goodies line the tables of the staff lounge. And I'm not talking about tootsie rolls or Butterfingers. No, I'm talking godiva chocolates, Sprinkles Cupcakes and Dean and DeLuca Cookies, among countless cinnamon rolls, donuts, bagels, and sandwiches. It's an all-girls school, and these girls LOVE to eat. When some smart-minded parents banned the 400 calorie, fresh-baked cookies from the cafeteria, students wrote articles and petitions about it for the rest of the year. To make up for the cookies, many girls simply bring in their own treats for class. Where do these leftovers go? To the staff lounge, of course! Walking into the lounge is the dieter's equivalent of walking into a minefield. Even when one has the best intentions, it can be dangerous.
I should also add that, like many of my counterparts, I have not always had a completely normal relationship with food. I have tried numerous diets since the age of twelve, ranging from relatively healthy to borderline insanity. And, like we all know, diets rarely work. Right now I am at a healthy, comfortable weight that I'm happy with (fyi: still haven't gained back the pounds lost from detox). What I would like to do, however, is "tighten up" my nutrition (Trainer Josh uses that lingo). I really want to see what kind of effects truly healthy eating has.
The past four days I've been following Tosca Reno's Clean Eating Philosophy. Tosca is a columnist for Oxygen, and I highly respect her book The Eat Clean Diet. Unfortunately, the title is a bit misleading, as it's truly not a diet. Instead, it's a lifestyle.
This next year I will be following Tosca's Eat-Clean Principles and will be writing about the trials and tribulations of doing so. What I think will be particularly interesting is when my boyfriend Conor arrives in LA. While he is wonderfully open to at least following some aspects of Eating Clean with me (minus the lack of caffeine), I wonder how his influence will affect my ability to eat clean and how he will really feel about the lack of tasty treats in the kitchen.
As a final note, yesterday I was feeling very hungry for something sweet. This was the first time in a week that I had a sugar craving, and I wanted something truly good and rich. Of course, I have absolutely nothing truly good and rich in my apartment, so I put 1 cup of low-fat soy milk in the blender and combined it with 1 tbsp natural peanut butter, 1 scoop of chocolate protein powder, and a handful of ice. 30 seconds later I had this absolutely delicious shake. And I do not lie, it was as good as ice cream.
Yay!! I like this idea much better - much healthier, and, as cliche as it sounds, you really *will* feel GOOD living this way. And, I can't wait to see how you do with Conor. Adam definitely sees a lot of the benefits of eating clean, but he also has no problem downing a slice of pizza, a McD's cheeseburger, or a large ice cream when the mood strikes him. However, I've sort of used it to my advantage - I have a bite or two if I want one, and that satisfies my craving without me splurging on my own!
ReplyDeletemmm... I tried the shake today. It was very yummy. I think I may try it with 1/2 of a banana next time. :) I enjoy reading your posts. I am working on losing my last 10 lbs of baby weight, so I am very interested to read about what you are going through. I don't think I could bring myself to the same detox plan tho. :)
ReplyDelete