Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas—I love that these holidays are back-to-back, but Girl, do they put a hurting on my diet.
I’m very proud to say that I’ve been working out consistently for years. I start my weekdays with a workout; I’ll do a minimum of 30 minutes and a maximum of 60 minutes. So it’s safe to say I feel confident about my ability to get active. What I’m not so confident about is my diet. It’s embarrassing, but I let food control me! I get excited to eat. I eat when I’m bored, I eat to enjoy the taste, and if I’m hungry—you can forget about diet. When my cravings kick in, I just want to eat tasty foods. (And don’t get me started on carbs. I love pasta!)
For as long as I can remember, I’ve struggled to get a consistent eating routine in place. I’ve done keto, high protein, low calorie—you name it. When I’ve done these types of diets, I see the weight fall off, but it never stays off. I’ve come to realize it’s because I reach my goal and revert to old eating habits. What am I thinking, that my old eating habits are going to keep the weight off for me? I am literally kicking myself. But not anymore!
This holiday season, I’m vowing to take back control of my body by finally having a plan for my eating habits. Shoot, I want my habits to be in place before the new year, you know what I mean? And I’m not looking for another short-term diet either, I’m looking for an entire lifestyle change. I’m sick of feeling like I have no control over what I eat. I’m sick of feeling like I have no control over how my body looks. These things are 100% within my control.
I’m very much a “cold turkey” type of person, so to kick off taking back control of my body, I’m starting a little extreme. A 5-day juice cleanse. My goal is to reset my body, my palette, and my mindset. Obviously, I want to lose some extra weight on the cleanse, but that’s not my ultimate goal. My ultimate goal is to take back control of my food consumption. I want to be very intentional with this cleanse and let it kick-start my healthy-eating lifestyle change.
A juice cleanse is exactly what it sounds like, cleansing your body from the inside by drinking only fruit and veggie juice for a specific period of time. Doing a juice cleanse allows your digestive system to relax a little bit because it doesn’t have to work so hard to digest solid food. In addition, a juice cleanse helps you fight through common cravings (um, hello caffeine) and retrain your brain to say no to those things. It’s definitely iced coffees and sugary foods for me.
Once the juice cleanse ends, my plan is to incorporate a gluten-free diet. After doing some research about the things I’m eating, I’ve learned a lot. Sugar and gluten are not my friends. Fiber and vegetables are.
It may seem crazy doing this before the holidays, but I beg to differ. This juice cleanse is going to catapult me into the holiday season with the right eating habits and mindset. If I can resist the temptation of holiday food, I can resist the temptation of bad foods any time of the year. Now, I don’t expect this to be a quick fix. I don’t expect to be perfect. But I do expect to give myself grace and to do the best I can. Taking back control of my body is so worth it. So, here’s to being in control. I’ll be sure to keep you posted!
What are you taking back control of this holiday season?
I am in the same boat. I have a cycle of “doing right” this week only to eat something “bad” and mess up. This holiday season I plan to prepare healthier versions of the foods I love. I will relax and be in the moment enjoying what the day brings. I will pay attention to my body and give it whatever it needs.
I love the notion of setting the plan and then relaxing. Making the process effective but smooth is such a great way to approach healthier living!
I completely understand! I’m in the process of loving my body and that comes in various ways; eating, skin care, resting, emotional control. This holiday season, I’m focusing on my eating habits. It’s challenging because everyone around me have cabinets full of junk food. However, like you Raya, I have full control of my body. Yes to all of us for taking care of ourselves!
So nice to know I’m not alone! It’s WORTH us taking care of our minds, bodies, and souls! We can do this!
I feel you. Good luck with your journey. I struggle too. I have found that following the WW program has worked for me, using the app keeps me accountable to myself even when I don’t always make the best choices.
Thank you Emily! I also appreciate the recommendation!!