It’s been a while since I’ve checked in regarding my current thoughts and how I feel about my current diet. For me it’s important to make these journal like updates on the blog to keep you all in the loop and more importantly so I can keep track on what is working for me diet wise and to study my emotional attachment with food and how it makes me feel on my healthy living journey.
Currently I’m in a really good place where my food is concerned. I’ve never felt so nourished and so well. In fact I dare to say that I am feeling pretty fabulous at the moment. Don’t get me wrong I am human and a woman, which means I am prone to think negatively about my body from time to time, but I think that is just part of a natural cycle that we girls go through. I have curves, boobs; I have thick thighs and a huge butt. These are all positives in my eyes and I love my fuller figure because that is how I was born to be and there is nothing wrong with that. I’m healthy, strong and eating foods that I enjoy and I am happy.
My diet continues to evolve as I continue to learn what works the best for it. At the moment this seems to be protein, dairy balanced with wholesome carbohydrates alongside my usual heaping piles of vegetables and fruit. I’m feeling fuller eating pretty much whatever I want, but sticking to unprocessed and unrefined sugars as much as possible. This unrestricted approach has got me thinking about what underlining messages that my now more relaxed approach could mean and some things that perhaps I need to work on:
1. The lack of restrictions has led to some moments of over eating
2. Eating later in the evening
3. Does this more relaxed approach mean that I don’t care what I put in my body anymore?
To address my first thought I think this stems to the previous times when I was perhaps under eating, whereby snacking on more after dinner/dessert would leave me full but not stuffed as I hadn’t eaten enough throughout the day. Now I am eating a more protein based diet that includes fats which keep me fuller for longer. When I feel snacky I never deny my body of what it needs but I think I need to rethink my portion sizes on occasions like these. There needs to be some kind of retraining of my thought process. Where I needed to snack more on my previous diet this is no longer necessary as I’m now much fuller for longer. I’m not saying that snacking is a bad thing as I love a good munchie session, but if I snack when I am full I tend to feel bloated and horrible. The overeating doesn’t happen all of the time but I have noticed over recent months that it is starting to happen more often than I would like and for me I think it’s something that needs to be considered before it turns into something else.
Thought two is in relation to thought one. These extra snack sessions tend to occur late in the evening and leave me with a heavy stomach before bed. My sleep becomes disturbed and uncomfortable when I go to bed on a heavy stomach and I really don’t like this feeling. I think thought one and two go hand in hand and once I retrain my brain with my new eating patterns as a result to eating foods that keep me fuller for longer both will be resolved together.
My last question arises from the fact that I am now so much more happier eating such a wide variety of foods that I wouldn’t touch with a barge pole due to the strong restrictions that I had put on my diet. During my journey I have learnt a lot about my body and what works for me. I now know that banning foods from my diet doesn’t work for me as I end up craving them anyway and without a doubt I will end up eating them in the long run. Balance is the spice of life and I like to promote those where diet is concerned. I eat healthily 90% of the time so a slice of cake or dark chocolate really isn’t going to do me any harm.
Of course I care about what I put in my body that will never change and will always be a priority for me. The fact that I now have less restrictions on my diet doesn’t mean that I am eating crap and E numbers all day every day. My diet has evolved so much and I am more educated about food than before and have come to realize that eating foods that I was scared of before, such as avocados are actually good for me. Although avocados have a high fat content, it is all healthy fats that are actually good for you, so what’s to be scared of? In fact this new relaxed approach has meant that I am more healthier than ever before and getting and consuming more nutrients from a rainbow of different foods.
Healthy living doesn’t mean diet it means living well by eating nutritious and wholesome foods that you enjoy. Amen to that!
How do you feel about snacking in your diet?
Is there anything that you have noticed about your diet recently that you feel you need to address?
Having come from a severely eating disordered background and past, I found reading this post like a breath of fresh air. So inspirational (and also so well written!). You are amazing. Im currently in the process of getting to that “healthy place” and learning what works well for me and my body without restrictions or limitations. I cant tell you how much your approach and blog has been the last year or so on helping, motivating and inspiring my continued recovery. Love you girl!
Thank you hun! It’s so great that you are in such a better place now. I’m glad that my little blog has helped you in some way 🙂 Stay strong lovely! x
I’m so glad you’re able to embrace your curves! I’m the same way, I’m just never going to be a bean pole, and I’ve learned to embrace my boobs and my butt! 🙂
Good for you Liz! 🙂
I think this post reflects many I have already done on my own blog! It’s good to be self reflective sometimes 🙂 I think snacking, especially evening snacking is an interesting topic, I have found that when I snack on an evening it is more often related to boredom or emotions than true hunger, and as it is something that doesn’t make me feel good then it’s something I’m always having to work on!
Evening snacking is interesting isn’t it, most of the time I find for me it’s unnecessary. Like I said in this post I think a lot of it may stem from me now eating foods that keep me fuller for longer and my body hasn’t adjusted yet. It’s used to eating more times a day as perhaps I was under eating before. Although some of it could be due to boredom too, especially when I eat earlier.
I have such similar thoughts Jemma – I’m trying to eat for my body rather than follow a plan but I do have times when I really overeat. Esp when it is late at night. I’ve realised that eating anything sugary after 10pm just opens the doors for a binge (my body clearly wants sleep and thinks if that’s not going to happen it needs huge amounts of sugar to keep going!). Snacking is important to me but I have learned to be mindful about it and choose protein filled items like yogurt to have that staying power!
Sugar in the evening can be troublesome for most so you are not alone there. I find like you that I cannot sleep due to a sugar high. t sounds like you have found a great approach to your snacking.
It’s so lovely to read that you feel happy within yourself. After all, that’s all that really matters 🙂 I think as long as you are healthy, engage in regular but moderate exercise and ENJOY your food whilst listening to your body and what it needs, who cares what you eat/when you eat/what shape or size your body is (within moderation!!) life’s too short to obsess over food and weight, so go you!! great stuff 🙂 x
I could’t get through the day without snacks! Good for you, its all about how you feel and it sounds like your loving being where you are which is what matters x
Thanks Tam! 🙂
I am really loving those quotes. They are very inspirational to me. Thank you for sharing :).
Your welcome Hannah, glad you found them helpful! 🙂
I always love reading diet evolution stories, and it’s so great to hear that you’ve found yourself in such a good place with your eats 🙂 I’ve done a lot of experimenting with eating styles over the years and I think I’ve finally found a way that works for me. I could never give up snacking completely, but I’ve found that making sure that I’m eating decent sized meals is key in keeping me from just snacking the entire day away. That being said, eating meals that are too big just makes me tired and bloated, so it’s definitely all about striking that balance.
I’m so pleased for you! You sound in a great place 🙂 I think the three points you’ve mentioned are something that a lot of us have probably thought and worried about. I know that when I snack a lot it’s always in the evening. And I do sometimes feel bad about it but as long as I’ve eaten healthily in the day I know it’s all part of the balance. But I know what you mean about going to bed feeling really full!
Great to know that I am not alone in this. Snacking can be a worry sometimes, but I like you say as long as it’s part of a healthy lifestyle it cannot really do that much harm. I think it’s more about hoe we feel, like going to bed feeling stuffed!
I am a major snacker, I like eating smaller meals and snacking throughout the day, but sometimes I find I am grazing unnecessarily though which is something I am trying to work on.
It’s great that you have found a balance for snacking that works perfectly for you. I think we all have things that we have to work on from time to time. It’s so great that you are are in tune with your body and notice these things.
I love those quotes, all so right! You’re in a great place, to feel fab, and happy with how you look, sounds perfect 🙂
I think you’re so aware of nutrition and what you’re eating that number 3 will never be true but I agree, it’s all about balance, A healthy diet isn’t going to be ruined by a piece of cake and I’m the same, if I try to stop myself eating something, I just want it all the time, everything in moderation is better!
I need to address the amount of sugar I eat… although my meals are healthy, sugar’s definitely my downfall!
Thanks Eleanor! I think sugar is a nemesis for the most of us. It’s in so many foods and disguised under so many different names that sometimes you cannot tell.
I really like this post – because I feel you managed to coherently say what I’ve been feeling. You’re so right – we should just eat what we want but we do have to watch some things. From my opinion, and I obviously do not see what you eat all the time, but I think you’re eating so well – I actually look forward to your food posts for ideas. Everything is so ell balanced – I think you’re doing just great.
Glad you liked the post Bec. 🙂 I think I have found what works for my body and that is balance. Where I find this balance changes all of the time as I am constantly evolving and constantly trying to find what works best for me