Sucking...

beckkotsch

I've been eating Primal for roughly 6 months now. I completed a Whole30 in Aug as well. I enjoy eating this way and have no reason to go back. I am however having a hard having time being 100%. I'll do great some days and then others I'll eat something I probably shouldn't and then some days are just a big flop. Like on Monday I ate pizza for breakfast. Why? I don't know. It looked good:) And then this morning I ate overnight oatmeal that I make my hubby. And then of course there is my Starbucks addiction! haha

I'm not really sure what this post is suppose to be about...haha

I guess I just thought it would get easier by now. I don't miss most things and I realize it's just a matter of being stricter.
I feel like a poser when I say I "eat primal" b/c I don't really know if my food choices really follow that.

Thanks for listening to me rant:)

meli_ssa4

How often are you eating the other food, is it just once in awhile?

I don't really have any advice for you, but I am really worried about doing the same thing. I have only been eating paleo for about 10 days now and just getting use to picking the right types of food to eat. Thankfully my husband is doing this with me so I don't have to worry about having the "other" foods in the house. I actually have a feeling he will fall off before I do, he is having a hard time at night without the snacking on chips, his favorite.

anyone have any advice on how to stay on track and not have these down falls?

beckkotsch

It's really not as bad as I'm probably making it sound. On an average week I probably eat one grain type food. (Although this week I ate pizza for breakfast on Monday and today I caved and had oatmeal today...) My biggest downfall is Starbucks. I probably go there 3 times a week on average. Which, would be fine if I just got black coffee or just put milk in it. But no, caramel macchiato's are my weakness. And I'm sure that vanilla syrup they put in it isn't considered Primal:) I guess my biggest issue is sugar!

My husband isn't on board and I haven't converted our kids yet either so at this point I'm the only one in the house who eats this way. I'm still having to buy bread, cereal and the occasional pasta....Honestly, at this point it doesn't make it any harder though.

I wouldn't say I've fallen off the wagon or anything, I just need to hold on tighter;)

My advice to you is to just keep going and if you have a slip up, just make better choices next meal. It does get easier and I'm hoping what I'm feeling/experiencing is normal:)

MissXFit13

Hey, you're not alone. I just ate the most un-Paleo thing out there: Peanut Butter Oreos. I only had one, but I'm not sure why I ate it. It was offered to me, I said yes. D'oh!

Oops. It happens, but try to focus on how good you feel when you stay on track.

If you ever need motivation to stay on track, listen to paleo podcasts like The Paleo Solution or Paleo Talk with Sarah Fragoso. They make you feel guilty for even LOOKING at a piece of pizza. I feel like a total paleo faileo when I listen to them (sigh), but at the same time they are motivated and remind me why I'm eating this way.

I play the podcasts most of the time when I'm cooking healthy paleo meals in my kitchen. It makes me happy!

RekindledRose

Yeah, I just had a slice of my daughter's cranberry bread. That's gotta be my 15% for the week.

'Cause I'm weak.

Merci444

I struggle with this as well. Like today I have done well except that I was at the olive bar and I couldn't resist the dolmades. I am good though for the most part, but I have enough slip-ups that I sometimes wonder about myself.

beckkotsch

Thanks, peeps. It's nice to know I'm not alone. And really, I shouldn't beat myself up for it either:)

praxisproject

There are some really great primal/paleo blogs with regular photos of lunch boxes, snacks and things, if you're looking for inspiration.

twinmom01

I would not beat yourself up to much about it.

I subscribe to the "exeception - not the rule" theory when it comes to my lifestyle.

I have done a 30 day strict Paleo and didn't "cheat" at all...and it was HARD...

For me it is all about planning but also letting yourself go with the flow - life is to short to feel bad about something - get over it an move on....

By exception not the rule I mean i don't plan on going off course but I may find myself in a situation where damn skippy I want that piece of pie...I may have a piece of pie 2-3 x's a year vs 2-3 x's a month - exception not the rule.

It's about making choice that minimize impact...for me I don't have over all issue with things like gluten so eating things like bread doesn't effect me too much - but I don't actively eat it - the other month my coworkers and I went out to an italian place that has REALLY good bread with olive oil dipping sauce so I had a piece (and ordered a grilled chicken bruschetta sandwich without the bun)

Right now we have a box of crackers my sister left at our house...and I have been eating them with some gouda cheese as a snack. I am very aware to only have a serving vs going all willy nilly.

I have a cookie exchange to go to this weekend - I am to a point where the lure of cookies doesn't hold much appeal to me. I made some sugar cookies with my daughters the other week. I had a bite of one and was satistfied - a year ago I would have eaten 2 or 3. - so eating Primal/Paleo has changed how i look at food and shaped the decisions I make on a daily basis - it's not going to be absolute or perfect. I fully expect to try a cookie or two while at the exchange but I will be highly selective in what I choose to eat.

MMAQueen

I hear ya, i'm lucky there is no starbucks in very convenient locations or i'd be having a lot more trouble with avoiding it. I make my bullet proof coffee at home in the morning, and teas at work.

I've only been doing the paleo thing for about 2.5 weeks, but I cheated on Wednesday and had pad thai, still glutten free, but certainly full of rice noodles.

I guess you could call the cupcakes and bread I made also cheating, because they are kind of sweet. but nothing has been made with white/brown sugar. Only honey, maple syrup and dates for sweetener, and coconut and almond flour for the base.

Keep your chin up and try to recall how great you feel when you don't cheat next time your tempted.

soo_z

I've read to try and keep it at 80/20 if you fall off the bandwagon often. That way you know you can satisfy craving sometimes, but you strive to eat healthy most of the time.

I have to say that the thing I love most about this change in lifestyle is I'm realizing all the bad habits I have always had. I always called myself an addict or emotional eater, but at the end of the day, I created those habits and I can un-create them. It sucks making the healthier choice because your brain has a way of making you feel terrible when you don't cave in, but after a while this awesome thing happens were you feel empowered and that you can tackle anything!!

For example, we had a pot luck at work yesterday. There were so many appetizers that included potato chips, pasta salad, bruschetta (drools) and tons and tons of different types of deserts. Instead of thinking "ugh! I can't have ANY of this!" I honed straight into what I could have. Instead of dipping tortillas chips in guac, I got a ton of veggies to dip.

The best part of all of this was that I felt great after lunch. I always put together the pot luck and every year and after eating (seemingly) everything, I would want to fall asleep at my desk all afternoon and be crabby as hell.




Just remind yourself constantly on what good and how kind you are being to your body. Remind yourself how great you feel! I always have to remind myself how I'll feel after eating a really heavy dairy/carb meal (tired, bloated, crabby) and that's a quick enough reminder for me to get back into gear.


Good luck!!

beckkotsch

Thanks, everyone!

I think I'm just having one of those weeks....I'm just in a funk all around. And I need to go grocery shopping:) I really don't feel the need to be 100% all time so I don't know why I'm being so hard on myself.

Of course I had more freaking oatmeal this morning but I'm hoping to go grocery shopping this afternoon and hopefully I can be more prepared. I know it's ok to indulge now and then and have slip ups, but I need to stop setting myself up for failure.

Merci444

I was doing so well today and then I started sucking again I had a totally non-paleo snack and I can relate with your original post again now. I know there is no perfection though, but where's the line?

Going to go reread this thread

CRody44

This is a way of eating, not a religion. If you “sin” you are not going to die and go to hell.

Figure out what triggers you to make poor choices and try to correct that.

beckkotsch

This is a way of eating, not a religion. If you “sin” you are not going to die and go to hell.

Bahahahaha! I know this! And that's one of the things I love of being primal/paleo, there's no ONE way to do it. You do what works for you.

Bottom line, I think I really just needed to vent to people who would understand. I feel much better now and am trying not to sweat the small stuff:)

denise33027

This thread made me happy! I def do not sweat the small stuff. For me, a few beers on the week end is enjoyable! I do right most of the time.....and I try to do better all the time, lol!

idauria

I am right there with you. I was doing so well for a while and then I don't know what happened. It's like I totally lost my motivation/discipline/willpower. It's not the foods I am eating but the snacks that have been bad like tortilla chips and my weakness, chocolate. I am most unhappy that I have gained a few pounds since Thanksgiving. I hate that once I slip it's a downward spiral. The hardest for me is night time snacking. This morning I told my husband not to allow me to snack after 7pm. I had a piece of chocolate after dinner tonight but that's it. The pantry is closed. I need to get back on track. I swore I was going to be strict until Christmas because I plan on cheating then but I just can't seem to keep it together. All this to say that you're not alone. It sucks to fall down but the important thing is that we get back up. It's a lifelong process. We can't beat ourselves up over and over again. It also helps to have this group to support each other.

mandabrett

Gourmet brownies that I pay more for than my lunch. Need I say more?

tracy1344

I don't think of non-paleo foods as cheating. For me, eating primal/paleo is a lifestyle change, not a diet I'm on till the weight comes off. So when I eat something that isn't the healthiest choice, its a decision I made for whatever reason and I enjoy it. I don't pig out on it or let that one "off road trip" ruin the rest of my days food choices. My next meal is a normal meal. Normal for me is paleo. I don't offroad daily or even weekly. For me, that would change it from a treat to reg part of my lifestyle and that's when my old habits would creep in and take over. When I find that poor food choices are happening too often for my liking, I immediately start a whole7 or whole14...eat really, really clean for a few days to get me back on track before I'm totally off roading.

PrimalMorningMoon

Try a breve latte at starbucks. Steamed half and half...none of the sugar all of the fat. It's rich and sweet and decadent. A tiny bit of stevia if you can't get used to it plain. Mmmmm.

beckkotsch

Try a breve latte at starbucks. Steamed half and half...none of the sugar all of the fat. It's rich and sweet and decadent. A tiny bit of stevia if you can't get used to it plain. Mmmmm.

Ooo...I'll have to try that! Thanks!

And yes, this is a lifestyle change for me as well, not a diet so to remind myself that I can't be perfect ALL the time. Haha:)