I have fallen into some bad eating habits recently. I try to eat clean, whole foods and stick to
a meat-minimal and dairy-less diet, but when I get stressed out, it’s
hard. For instance, last week I went on
a McDonald’s and Chipotle binge. I didn't know they made cookies at McDonald's, and once I found out, I craved those warm,
gooey, fatty, nutrition-less suckers EVERY DAY.
And they give you three in a pack.
Jerks.
Luckily, when I find myself in a bad-food-habit hole, I have
a great tool to help pull myself out of it.
It’s a 21 day detox diet kit I purchased last January, called the 21 Day
Fresh Start Kit. I like it because the
plan includes three meals and two snacks a day, so although it’s detoxifying, I
get my nutrition, so I can do some light exercise as well. Some detoxes have
you drink just lemon water and cayenne for three days. I don’t know how anyone
can do that.
The first week of fall seems like a great time to detox and
re-enforce healthy habits. The seasons
are changing, but while it’s still warm here in Colorado I think I’ll take
advantage of still being satisfied by a salad. Soon enough I'll be craving creamy, meaty,
bubbly, warm casseroles and crock pot dishes.
Plus, staring in a few weeks I’ll be bombarded with all kinds of dessert
indulgences, which will then be followed up by holidays where people want to
take my picture. Mix that in with the
possibility of swimsuit holiday trips and I already have overwhelming self-consciousness.
When I first got my detox kit, I did the full 21 days- but now I
use it as a 7-10 day good-habit booster during times when my meals are a
nutritional disgrace. A restrictive ten day diet is so much easier than
21. I have found that after I go through
the detoxing part, which typically takes 4 days, and then the “diet” part for the
remaining five days, I have re-established a set of habits that will allow me
to make healthy choices on my own for a while.
Hopefully, until Thanksgiving. I
don’t do this diet to lose weight, however, I usually do lose a little. The problem with detox diets is that they are
so restrictive. When I did the full 21
days, I lost fifteen pounds, which sounds great, except for the part where I
ate a piece of bread and suddenly I gained back seven pounds. So when I do this smaller session, I like to
focus on making TIME to eat healthy. I know that by creating this time, I am more likely to eat healthy
longer and maintain a healthy weight longer than just doing the full three week
detox.
But just following the diet isn’t the only important part of
following this meal plan. I really like to use the time I spend making meals as time
for myself. The reason I end up eating
so horribly is because I stop making time for myself, so I treat each meal preparation as a ritual, not a chore. You know, it's the whole "my body is a temple" attitude. Also, while I cook and clean up, I have an ample amount of time to daydream or think
about whatever I want instead of things I have to think about.
In the end, any attempt to be healthier is a good one. Even when
I am feeling under the weather during the first few days of the detox, every
time I sip on my green smoothie I can feel my body thanking me for the
nutrition. As it gets darker and colder, I hope that this little fall
detox/healthy eating kick-start will lead to a more energetic and happy holiday
season.
