Nutrition Challenge #4: Beat the Binge

I had lots of ideas for challenges this week, but I've decided to do something a little different.

This week, I want us all to 

Beat the Binge! 

I realize that this is a "Don't" rather than a "DO" which is kind of against my ways, but I feel it's important to practice self control and discipline. 

As I was writing my recap yesterday, I realized that just because we've put certain things into practice doesn't mean that we have it down now and that it's easy to do. Making healthy choices is sometimes a constant power of will. I have to actively remind myself to drink water, or prepare a healthy meal, or make my green tea. I am not on autopilot. When I AM on autopilot, I find myself becoming self destructive and I find myself back at square one. I am not saying that living a healthy lifestyle doesn't get easier. It certainly DOES. But it's a place where you grow and improve, and that growth doesn't come without effort. 

Therefore, I think we need to practice discipline this week and I think it's a good week to do it. The biggest reason why we fail is because we give in to desire. That is not always a bad thing, but because we are so lost sometimes, we try to find ourselves in experiences that feel good and satiate some desire we can't understand. Most often this translates into mindless eating, overeating, or binge eating. I'm am not encouraging us not to binge in a "lose weight" kind of way (although we will). This is not about deprivation. It's about discipline. We are not depriving ourselves when we say no to an unhealthy indulgence. We are honoring ourselves. 

However, we need practical ways to arm ourselves against these moments where we want to lose ourselves in food. And we can talk more about ways to do that this week. To be honest....I don't entirely know. But I do know that as I face these times, I will have to learn. What we DO have at this point, however are healthy habits we've put into place that will help us. 

Drinking a large glass of water for instance helps us resist a binge. Or drinking hot green tea with our meal and as we cook controls our cravings. Also, taking out processed foods that mess with the hunger cues in our brains help as well. When we are eating foods that are real and nourish our bodies, we feel more satisfied. It's just true. It takes time though to reset our metabolisms and we need to work hard at not sabotaging our hard work.

This week is also an appropriate week to beat binge eating because it's our week to focus on removing No No #3 (refined grains) from our diets. What do we most often binge on? Yeah, exactly.

So, who's with me? Who's ready to take on the challenge of resisting temptation? Learn to recognize the darkness even when it shows up in the most innocent ways. Say NO to mindless indulgence! 

I gotta go make breakfast for my family. 

When I come back, we'll talk about supplements. And I'll try to have a workout up today. 

Eat a healthy, nutritious breakfast and lunch that are fulfilling. Don't deprive yourself of that so that you lose yourself in the afternoon binge. Ok. DO it. Stop rushing. Focus. Slow down. Do what's right.