I tend to reminisce a lot.
I try to be present but sometimes my thoughts wander a few years back. I don’t know why I do this. A bad habit? Or maybe it’s because I’m so interested in transformation and how past experiences have shaped me.
During a recent walk down memory lane, I got stuck into an old training journal and food log from 2008 which got me thinking for hours about how different my life was just four years ago.
For starters, I hadn’t become a health coach or started my business. Enrolling at IIN was still a pipe dream for me. I was single and approaching my 30th birthday. I had goals to complete the NYC Triathlon in July and the NYC Marathon that November so training consumed me. I squeezed in dating when I could and hadn’t yet met David.
My interests in wellness were still blossoming and by that I mean my food choices were driven by what I read online, what friends told me and my cravings. “What should I eat?” was a question that played on repeat in my mind.
In my journal I tracked workouts, food and sleep. It’s proof that I relied on processed, soy-based veggie “meats” and my social alcohol consumption was a little ridiculous at times. Nights out with friends could set me back as much as 5 vodka sodas or glasses of wine. Phew! On the upside, I got plenty of sleep most nights.
Here are a few pages from my journal and a couple of days-worth of meals:
Example Day 1:
Breakfast: Whole wheat bagel scooped with tofu veggie cream cheese
Snack: Mango fruit ice
Lunch and Dinner: Sprouted grain tortilla with black beans, salsa, avocado and cabbage salad.
Snack: Coconut milk ice cream with 1/2 banana + frozen whole grain waffle
Drinks: Coconut water
Example Day 2:
Breakfast: Whole wheat english muffin with peanut butter and jelly + 2 Dunkin Donuts munchkins from the office
Lunch: 1/2 tomato basil mozzarella panini
Dinner: Salad with a veggie chicken patty
Snack: Trail mix
At first glance it doesn’t look so bad but what’s under the surface tells the story of a woman who was lonely, unhappy and hungry for more out of life.
Then:
- I was a grazer
- Greens were an afterthought
- Emotional eating was at an all time high
- Social alcohol consumption was irresponsible
A lot has changed since then.
Now:
- Grazing has been replaced by 3 balanced meals daily
- Greens are a focus of every meal
- Eating is more intuitive and I’m aware of emotional eating tendencies
- Alcohol consumption is more responsible and far less frequent
These days, a typical day of meals looks more like this:
Breakfast: Smoothie or green juice
Lunch: Kale Salad topped with Tempeh
Dinner: Steamed Salmon with Roasted Veggies and Salad
Snacks/ Desserts: Banana “Ice Cream” or Dark Chocolate
As I’ve become more in touch with who I am and who I want to become, my eating habits are guided more by intuition than emotion.
As I was writing this post, I came across this thought from Emily Rosen of the Institute for the Psychology of Eating:
“One of the more thoughtful ways we can evolve our relationship with food, and hence our metabolism, is to align our way of eating with our greater life purpose. That means getting in touch with the story of who we are and why we’re here on Earth, and eating in a way that supports this grander mission.”
How do you eat intuitively? What changes have you made or would you like to make to your eating habits?
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