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by lindsaymwright

my holiday eating plan

November 28, 2013 in Blog, Diet, ED, Family, Food, Goals, Inspiration, Kids by lindsaymwright

I posted this journal entry LAST Thanksgiving.  The message remains relevant, except I’ve taken it one step further this year as my children are even more interested in the actions/mindset of Travis and I as parents.  I’m constantly thinking, “How will MY behavior effect my children and their own body image?”  I may never know the answer, but I want to do everything I can to set an example of BALANCE.

Anyway, I KNOW that someone out there needs to hear the message, so enjoy! 

And Happy Thanksgiving!!!

———–

“Fill up your plate with half vegetables, a quarter lean protein and a quarter of the good stuff.”

“Make sure you snack on healthy foods during the day so you don’t overeat during the main event.”

“Stand more than an arm’s length away from munchies, like a bowl of nuts or chips, while you chat so you’re not tempted to raise your hand to your mouth every few seconds.”

“Wear the tightest clothes you have. You’ll notice you’re overeating and be able to stop yourself.”

“Burn off all the calories you’ll eat during dinner by exercising like crazy early in the week/day.”

“Know your calories!!! Choose pumpkin pie over pecan. Even better, skip dessert altogether. Dressing is THE DEVIL! Mashed potatoes- a demonic indulgence. Choose low glycemic foods over high glycemic foods.”

“Choose a BLUE-colored plate or better yet, bring your own blue plate to dinner. The plate that helps you to eat the least amount is one that is blue, that color has the least appealing blend with food.”

“Bring your own healthy salad so that you’ll have something to eat. These people don’t understand you and this healthy living path you’ve chosen.”

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You’ve heard these before. I know you have because they’re everywhere we look – magazines, Dr. Oz, Oprah, even healthy living blogs. Tips on staying healthy during holiday meals.

We thrive off these “RULES”. We NEED them or we’ll go rampant like rabid raccoons all over that Thanksgiving/Christmas meal, standing over the table, elbows akimbo, scarfing down carbs and spoonfuls of gravy. In fact, who needs a spoon!?!? We raccoons will just drink it straight from the gravy boat.

Oh the sheer horror of losing control!! It’s more than most can bear! And that’s why we form PLANS. A strategy to reign us in. Because heaven forbid we actually indulge once and then carry on with our healthy living journey.

To hell with that.

I’ve lived 30 years with a plan and honestly, I’m so tired. Maybe it’s just that I now have my APPETITE back, but it seems illogical to me to set special rules for eating. I’m hungry. And the food at holiday meals is some of the best of the year. Why wouldn’t you want to partake in it?!?

Because most of us don’t trust ourselves.  Or our bodies.

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From 1998-2004 or so, I would “fake eat” at Thanksgiving and Christmas. I’d follow all of those rules I listed above and make up some of my own. Pushing food around on my plate to make it seem like I ate. Spitting food out into napkins, hoping no one would notice. And if I’m being perfectly honest, a couple of those dark years, I’m sure I went upstairs and purged that meal. The meal my mama worked so hard to cook.

?!!!?!?!?

Dude. What the heck!

It’s unacceptable behavior. And it directly opposes the very sentiment behind Thanksgiving. We’re supposed to be THANKFUL for this food that we’ve been blessed with. Thankful for the hands that prepared the meal. Thankful that we can break bread together.

When food rules and game plans are introduced, a little bit of that thankfulness is pushed to the back and a feeling of control and what I would describe as obsession takes first place.

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My Holiday Eating Strategy:

I don’t have one.

Well I guess I kinda do. I’m going to fill up my plate with a little bit of every thing that looks good to me. I’m going to eat my food and talk to my family and enjoy this time that I’m blessed with. And if I want seconds, I’ll go back for them. Not partaking in my sissy’s homemade pumpkin pie would be a tragedy. After the meal is over, I’ll continue on with my healthy life.

No starvation. No binge eating. Just normal eating of some pretty amazing food.

Yep. I like this plan. It’s one I want my children to mimic in the future.

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Will you join me??

QUESTION: I know I missed some of those “food rules.” What are some of the other ones? What’s your favorite dish at Thanksgiving dinner?

splendid…lindsay

19 Comments »

by lindsaymwright

wiaw – current pregnancy cravings

October 16, 2013 in Baby, Blog, Diet, ED, Food, WIAW by lindsaymwright

Hello Wednesday!

As I told you guys yesterday, food is starting to become appealing again!  I still have some aversions (anything greasy or too sweet) but for the most part, I’m turning a corner of wanting all.the.foods.  I love this part of pregnancy – the EATING.  I know two things about myself and food though:

  • 1)  Due to my eating disordered past, I won’t be a woman who “lets herself go” during pregnancy.  I just know too much about nutrition and can easily take this knowledge too far and become obsessive.
  • 2) Luckily, I’ve grown up a bit.  I have no food rules or food guilt in pregnancy.  If something sounds good, I’ll eat it (HUGE difference from the Lindsay of 10 years ago).  ….But always in moderation.

I feel like my approach to food (and fitness) has only gotten better over the years.  Some might look at what I eat and think it’s unhealthy or “bad.”  But I know better.  With a more relaxed approach, I’m WAY healthier than I was in years past.  Sometimes “unhealthy” is actually very healthy.

To that end, here’s what I ate yesterday (which was everything I wanted to put into my mouth – no rules – just being thankful for food):

Breakfast

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Protein pancake (Plant Fusion Chocolate P.P + Egg Whites, topped with maple syrup and PB2)

Post Workout

Banana – unpictured and scarfed down in the gym parking lot.

Pre-Lunch Snack

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Bagel Thin with cream cheese (side note: I HAD to have a bagel and made Travis leave work, drive to the grocery store and get me one.  Keeper.)

Lunch

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Janetha’s Quick & Clean Chicken Noodle Soup (MAKE THIS!!  I added mushrooms but kept everything else the same.)

Afternoon Snack

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Golden Delicious apple + sea salt

Dinner

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Chicken Tender Salad (I only ate a bit of this – by the end of the day, I’m kinda DONE with food.)

—————–

QUESTION:  What was the best thing you ate yesterday??

splendid…lindsay

15 Comments »

by lindsaymwright

wiaw – linking morning sickness and hypotension

October 2, 2013 in Baby, Blog, Diet, Food, WIAW by lindsaymwright

Pregnancy is simply fascinating to me!!  I think what I love the most is hearing and reading about each woman’s different pregnancy story, knowing that in the end, we end up with a baby but the 9-month journey to get there is different for most everyone.  There are even discrepancies between THIS pregnancy and Henry’s pregnancy, Clara’s pregnancy.  The way I feel, my thoughts, the way my belly grows and, as I’ll talk about today, THE FOOD.

I have so many freaking food aversions right now, it’s ridiculous!  What sounds good one day will make me gag the next.  I’ve noticed a trend though.

Like most pregnant women, I CRAVE salty foods.  Salt is like my new best friend.  There’s actually scientific evidence backing me up on this one.  You see, the RDA recommends limiting sodium to less than 2,300 mg a day.  That’s for the average person.  A pregnant woman metabolizes sodium much differently and may need anywhere from 2,000 to 8,000 (!!) mg per day (source).  No wonder we crave salt!

Linking Morning Sickness and Low Blood Pressure

Try to stay with me here.  I just told you that a pregnant woman needs more salt than the average person.  Did you also know that a pregnant woman’s blood pressure is significantly lowered due to the hormone relaxin?  I ALREADY had extremely low blood pressure leading into this pregnancy, so every time I go to the doctor for prenatal appointments, the nurses marvel at my numbers.  It’s called “hyPOtension” – the last time I went in (which was last Monday), my blood pressure was 90/59 mmHg.

Want to know the symptoms of low blood pressure?

Signs and symptoms of hypotension may include dizziness, fainting, cold and sweaty skin, fatigue (tiredness), blurred vision, or nausea (feeling sick to your stomach). (source)

This sounds eerily like MORNING SICKNESS!!  (Travis actually connected the two – he’s way smarter than me.)

Now I know that you don’t have to be hypotensive to experience morning sickness, but I really think that my low b.p. combined with morning sickness has led to me feel pretty darn crappy over the last 6 weeks.  Interesting fact:  My nausea dissipates when I eat salt.  Sugary foods do nothing to take the edge off.  So that’s what I eat: SALT!!!

Here’s what yesterday looked like….

Before getting out of bed (sorry for the dark iPhone picture):  Mini saltine crackers

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Breakfast:  Oatmeal + Egg Whites + Butter

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Post Workout:  Chocolate Thinny Mint Shake (Chocolate whey p.p., chocolate soy milk, peppermint extract, ice)

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Pre-Lunch Snack:  Good Beans (this x3)

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Gatorade!  (all day long)

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Lunch:  2 eggs + american cheese + morningstar veggie links + raspberries

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Afternoon Snack #1:  Some “Dump Cake” – google the recipe – it’s pretty much pure butter (salt)

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Afternoon Snack #2:  Granny smith apple + The Laughing Cow mini babybel mozzerella (sent to me by TLC – SO good..and salty!)

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Dinner:  1/2 rack ribs + french fries + stewed okra & tomatoes

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mmmmm….ribs!

Themes:

  • Salt
  • Minimal vegetables
  • Minimal fruit
  • Minimal water
  • Notice that no snack was eaten pre-bed (which I normally would have)…this is because I’ve morphed into my mother and bedtime was 8pm.

Not a diet I’d recommend to ANYONE, but for right now, we’re in survival mode over here and it’s getting the job done.  Smile

QUESTION:  Do you SALT your food?  <-normally NEVER!  Do you think you’re over or under the RDA guidelines for sodium intake?  <-right now – YES!

splendid…lindsay

14 Comments »

by lindsaymwright

i’d rather be a little fluffy, thanks.

August 5, 2013 in Blog, Body, Diet, ED, Food, Goals, Inspiration, Rambles by lindsaymwright

I’d planned to post today about some of my “Season of No” revelations/changes, but this topic has been on my mind for the past little bit (especially after writing that birthday letter to myself) and I need to get it out.  No pics, just words.

I was looking down at myself in the shower today.  You know…how we all do.  After a day full of birthday treats and laying around, my belly was what I would call, “a little fluffy.”  Bloated and fluffy.  Thoughts quickly entered my head.  You know…how they always do.

“You should probably detox tomorrow.  No sugar, no flour, 200 ounces of water.”  (tomorrow being the operative word, because as we all know, you need a full day of prepared gorging before starving yourself into a wisp.)

“You’ve let yourself go, Lindsay.”

“Travis knows.  He just would never tell you.”

The first truth is:  Over the past year, I HAVE had a more relaxed approach to food and exercise.  I’m sure I HAVE gained weight.  My clothes fit perfectly fine – no snugness there.  I’m WAY stronger – I can outsquat my former self by about nearly 70 pounds!!  I’m killing it at the gym!  But overall I’m not as “wisp-ish” as I have been in the past.

The second truth is:  I really don’t care.

I’d rather be a little fluffy if it means that I get to spend more time with my kids than time in the gym.

I’d rather be a little fluffy if it means that I get to eat chocolate every day.  It’s just too damn good.

I’d rather be a little fluffy if it means that my thoughts aren’t consumed with the scale or counting every.single.calorie that passes through my lips.  What a waste.

I’d rather be a little fluffy if it means FINALLY being comfortable in my skin.

You know what?  I know that I could easily lose 5 pounds.  (10 if I lost muscle.)  I have the discipline (perhaps a little too much).  Losing weight comes easily for me (and I’m not trying to boast about that – please hear my heart.)  What’s hard for me now, now that I’ve climbed out of that obsessive black hole, is being ok with a life that isn’t consumed by vanity. My struggle comes from shifting my discipline to the heart and not the body.  I wrote a letter to this body that I love, but what I failed to tell it was that it’s merely a vessel.  My beauty, my worth, my future – those things are held inside.  In a culture that praises obsessions and the outward, the last thing I want to be consumed with is how I look.  Spending even a SECOND fretting over how big my butt is – that’s a total waste of my time.

Because looks fade.

Because there is such a thing as being TOO healthy.

Because Clara and Henry deserve a REAL role model.  Not a supermodel.

Because my heart isn’t in it.  (Thank you, Father!)

Because I’d rather eat chocolate than not.

And because fluffy looks good on me.  Because I’m smiling.

splendid…lindsay

69 Comments »

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