Conor arrived in LA on August 28th. While I by no means blame my blogging hiatus and slight detour from my clean eating philosophy on him, I have to admit that I never seem to eat quite as well when I'm around him. Now that we're living together (which, after almost a year of long distance, is beyond wonderful and feels oh so good), I realize that I need to sit down and think about why this happens.
This is an especially peculiar puzzle, because Conor has really done very little to derail my clean eating. Not a big eater himself, Conor eats healthy foods, likes to cook meals from scratch, has a mildly adventurous palate (we ate tempeh the other day), and doesn't demand dessert at the end of each meal. He's even one of those impossible to understand people who claim to "forget to eat lunch" or "aren't hungry for a cookie." I used to think those people didn't exist, but let me tell you--they do.
Despite Conor being a perfectly suitable clean eating companion, I find that I simply like to eat tasty things with him. We go out to eat sushi and what sounds like the perfect after-dinner detour? Why, yogurt land, of course! Or, after a day of unpacking, what do we want to do? Go get cake and ice cream from the market! What would cap off a perfect Labor Day hike in Malibu? A pumpkin spice creme from Starbucks! And who wants to just drink tea at the tea room? You simply must order lemon cake to go with it! Now, I realize that listing all of these things makes me sound like a total hog, but it's the truth! Granted, this happened over many consecutive days, and all the while I kept saying to myself, "oh my...I need to blog about this."
But really, why does this happen? How can I go from completely not wanting sugar to wanting it when he's around? Does anyone else have this problem?
Then that's another thing. Is this even considered a problem? Or isn't life all about enjoying things in moderation? In any case, having Conor here has certainly made me re-evaluate my nutritional goals. I DO want to cut back on sugar and I DO truly believe in the clean eating philosophy. But maybe it's just one step at a time? We'll see. I need some time to think, and in the meantime I'll keep blogging about my minor accomplishments (like the fact that I'm snacking on strawberries right now instead of chocolate).
Oh! Speaking of which, it has been almost a MONTH since my last diet coke. So that's good. At least I've eliminated that.
My sweet cousin, I completely understand where you are coming from. To start, who is ever *not* hungry for a cookie?! Those people are a mystery to me as well. As for wanting more sugar when Adam is around - when we were doing the long distance thing, and even when we first moved in together, every time I was with him, it felt like "special" time. Not that the time we spend together now isn't special, but it's certainly no longer a rare treat (thank goodness!) - but, back then, it was, and what goes well with the rare treat of spending time with him? Sugary treats! So, I get where you are coming from on that end as well. And, Adam is one of those (very) fortunate people who can eat a slice of cake without wanting to eat the whole thing, without gaining weight, and without any guilt. I am not quite that lucky. As time has gone on, I have learned that the occasional treat is not a big deal - at all - in fact, it's quite good! It keeps me from feeling deprived. And, as the vast majority of my diet is "clean" and filled with real, whole foods, an occasional cookie will not kill me.
ReplyDeleteThe "trick" I use to keep it in moderation is to either split dessert with him if we both want it, or, I just snag a bite or two of his dessert - it satisfies my craving, while keeping me from devouring an entire cheesecake on my own. Oh, and another thing that helps when I'm not actually hungry but HAVE to have something sweet - this new tea, Bigelow Vanilla Caramel - delicious.
I think you're right that it's one step at a time. Eventually, though, you won't crave it as much - shocking, but true. And ENJOY your time with Conor - SO EXCITING!! (Hi to him!)
<3