Food Slips and Refires

So last week I ended up getting so stressed out that I comfort ate, in a big, bad way.  Compulsive eating.  It included Subway (not that big of a deal for an occassional meal) and Nestle Crunch covered ice cream drumstics, of which I had two.  I felt momentarily better, as the carbs rushed through me, numbing me ever so slightly and making me feel full.  I actually ended up being uncomfortably full.  And mentally distraught.  The stress I had during the day and after, did not go away because of the food, and I added more bad feelings on top of it because my stomach felt much like the rest of my life lately, too much.
So I decided it was time to go back to a ketogenic diet for a quick reset, and planned on starting Monday (yesterday).  This is starting to sound all too familiar; back to the old dieting mentality.  Ma Monthly is about to knock on my door, and my crazy-eating brain was in full swing over the weekend, coupled with the idea that I was about to start (gasp!) restricting again on Monday, my weekend was a odd mix of really healthy food and control, and the total opposite end of the spectrum, ending my Saturday with a frozen custard treat from a local shop.  Ugh.  I don't even like custard, it's way too rich and sweet for me, but I have a hard time stopping eating it until I am so "sweeted-out" that it makes me want to gag.  It took me two days to finish the treat and boy did I pay for it!  Ugh.  Don't do that again please, spoiled, naughty, hormone-whacked out inner child, OK? 
So I did indeed go ahead with my refire on Monday.  I am eating eggs scrambled with chive-flavored cottage cheese, and some veggie bacon for breakfast. It is pretty yummy with the cottage cheese in there.  I am having cottage cheese and a cucumber for lunch, a welcome change, no cooking, no reheating, just fresh, creamy and I love cucumbers.  For dinner I am having zucchini-noodle spaghetti with veggie beef crumbles.  For snacks I am having jicama with Yumbutter (cashew butter and almond butter mixed with chia, flax and goji berries), greek yogurt, and cheese. 
The biggest difference I am noticing is that I am hungry so often.  But I know it's because the food is cleaner and easier to digest, so that's good.  Plus, I am noticing that, when I wait to eat until I am genuinely, stomach-growling hungry, when I finally do eat I get a wonderful food-buzz.  I don't really experience that when I eat by the clock instead of when I am physically hungry.  It's a nice feeling, like my body is thanking me for the food because it really needed it, instead of no response because it wasn't ready. 
I think I have more energy too, which is something I have been in short supply of lately.  Not that I was eating totally off the charts in general, but I was getting super sick of food, sick of trying to find things to eat.  In some ways, going back to lower carbs is easier to plan out. 
Whatever comes of this week, I am planning for some struggle on Friday when I go for my first dental repairs.  After my husband's first appointment, they put a temporary (plastic) cap on his tooth and he was supposed to eat soft food for 2 weeks until his next appointment to get the permanent one put on.  Soft food that isn't carb-heavy?  I guess most of what I'm eating this week would qualify so I don't get a free pass afterall.  Oh darn!  I sure do like carbs.  I was imagining mashed potatoes dripping with butter or creamy mac and cheese.  Oh well.  I have eaten all those things before and they'll be there again sometime. 
I am not sure how long I'll continue restricting.  Whenever I refire I feel like it should be for a shorter time because the sugar cravings typically leave me within a day or two, and the longer I "restrict" the more a chance there is that it will have a negative mental effect. So, I am going to play it by ear.  Right now it feels good and I am going to not go off the rails, even when I'm stressed, which seems to be every day I work, lately.  I like the food and I don't feel deprived, that's a big deal. 
So that's my update.  Work is still crazy busy and stressful, food is better, energy is better, and I am looking forward to getting started on my dental work.  Not the most exciting news ever shared but there it is all the same.
Hope you are well and enjoying some nice weather!

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