I'm Only Human Afterall

So after a month or so of being lazy and eating whatever was convenient, I have noticed that my clothes are fitting a bit snugger than they usually do. Not good; we are building a house right now and we don't have the extra cash for a new wardrobe! So, in a drastic move usually reserved for after the holidays, I have decided to stop the insanity and go entirely back to clean eating 24/7 to break myself of this ridiculous crap-eating phase.
I wasn't really awful with the snacks, but let's face it, Flavor Blasted Cheddar Goldfish aren't going to do anything good for your body...neither will tater tots, white rice or crusty cheese bread at dinnertime!
I have to say that I've also been feeling pretty wiped out by about 2:00 each day (duh, Dee...poor nutrition) which is just when I need to pick up my energy level and receive the kids from school/start after-school activity carpool/etc. Not a good time to feel sleepy. And not just sleepy, I actually felt heavy and sluggish. Yuck. Now, these are all things that I know and preach and also things that I usually avoid, but every now and then I,too have a down cycle. It starts slowly with a snack-size bag of Smartfood popcorn here and there and then it snowballs into a bag everyday. Before I know it, I am dragging my sorry self through the long day to bedtime.
I think I subconsciously do this to myself to remind me of a few things:
1. The crap-food isn't really that good.
2. I hate having to try on a handful of things before I find one that still fits me right.
3. I can't afford to start the downward energy crash each afternoon just as my munchkins are coming home.
4. Food is the source of my body's fuel. I want to give my body the good stuff so it will perform when I ask it to.
So today is day 4 of Operation Restore Energy. Day 1 was difficult because I had quickly developed pretty strong habits of lazy eating. (It's amazing how fast these habits can form!) I had to ask myself, "Am I really hungry, or do I just want this because I usually eat this at this time?" The afternoon munchies and the after dinner sweet-sweets were the hardest parts of the day. In the afternoon I just kept putting fruit into my mouth even though I wanted the goldfish desparately. So desparately, like a drug...scary. After dinner, I literally had to leave the house and walk the dogs. By the time I got back, all that cold, fresh air made me feel invigorated and healthy and I no longer wanted to eat anything sweet. Hooray, I made it.
On Day 2 I went out and bought some fresh produce. I came home and washed it and stocked it in bowls in my fridge for easy grabbing. Little trick: I have found that if I set out a note with my next meal written on it, when I come home, I am more likely to eat that than grab somthing quick to tide me over; kind of like a reminder note. I still wanted to revert back to unhealthy choices in the afternoon and after dinner~that desire should end soon. It better~it's hard!
Day 3 I was still getting a sugar-withdrawal headache at about 3:00 every the afternoon. Oh, they hurt! I never want to get another one again!
I have to say that this morning, Day 4, I finally feel less puffy. Not saying that I've lost weight (I don't really do the scale thing), but the puffiness that comes with eating too much processed food is subsiding. The average person carries around 8 pounds of excess water with them on a day to day basis. How easy would it be to drop that puffiness if you only increased your water intake and decreased your sodium/processed food intake? Wow.
So here I sit at Day 4 and wouldn't you know it the weekend is here. We have a bunch of things going on tomorrow with the kids' sports, but I will plan my food and pack it if necessary. I wouldn't say that I've come far this week, but I have done the hardest part and I don't want to have to do the hardest part again come Monday. I also need to break out of the whole weekend-let-yourself-go mentality. Some people call exercising and eating clean "being good", but when you think about it, "being good" is what your body craves. It feels good. If you've never been "good", then you don't know how good it can get!
Go be good.