When it comes to balance, I’ve realized something: I find it via extremes.
I think I’m in the midst of one of those wobbly, I’m trying to figure this out and balancing and teeter tottering spots when it comes to my eating.
Exhibit A (Saturday–which involved no studying 
but a great bike ride in sarnia, some fun at Opa Fest, and making an even bigger mess out of my apartment):
kale, carrots, grapes, apple, almond butter breakie
pre bike ride
during the bike ride
post bike ride fries under the bridge — skipped the bun on the burger and thoroughly enjoyed this
“fuel” for the road
random dinner cuz I was ravenous
+
accidentally ate these even though I meant to save ‘em for pudding shots — oh well! I also ate all their friends before I could take my own photo…
not MY chocolate, but you get the point…
So, you could MAYBE say that things went “downhill”. Or you could say…
- I’m doing a really good job of figuring out how to eat more real food, I just had a weekend day where I ate some foods that maybe weren’t ideal. It’s not the end of the world–it’s one day out of a whole week, month, year, life where I eat mostly real, whole, healthy foods! This does NOT mean I’m a pig or that I need to restrict or work out harder to make up for this, it means I need to focus on eating well for the next couple days to make sure I feel better.
- I’m in a really stressful period right now: good stress from graduating, etc. and bad stress from having an exam to “worry” about. All in all, I’m doing a pretty good job of staying calm and collected–what I need to remember is that food issues are easy to worry about, life issues (which are the ones I SHOULD focus on), are tougher. Just cuz they’re tough doesn’t give me a reason to distract myself with petty things instead…
- I biked a pretty long ride in the morning. I didn’t really refuel properly and I feel sick. My eating is off for more reasons than emotions.
- French fries under the bridge = accomplishment because they’re a tick off my summer bucket list. PLUS they were enjoyed with friends!
- I got to see my friends last night (and take some more ridiculous photos).
- Today’s a new day. And I started it with a healthy bowl of yogurt, banana, oats, walnuts, and honey.
I think what I’m trying to do here is head off a full on binge or downward spiral by reminding myself that when you’re headed in the wrong direction, you don’t have to keep going. I realize that yesterday (and the last week, to be totally honest), I’ve been flying by the seat of my pants, eating a lot of things that really have left me feeling blah, etc. Instead of feeling guilty, I’m going to be grateful: feeling off and feeling sick = indication that this isn’t working for me. The beautiful thing is that I can change what I’m doing and it’s never too late and I’m not too far gone because I spent a week eating junk food. Looking back, I had a lot of beer, froyo for dinner twice, some night time trips to the kitchen, and a whole bunch of food that actually left me feeling so sick. Common sense says that since I feel like poop because of it, I shouldn’t keep on this path. So I’m going to listen to common sense here, be proactive, and commit to eating plenty of fresh and whole foods, drinking more water, and saving the worries for things that are more important than what I am eating for breakfast, lunch, and dinner (my exam, bootcamp plans, travel plans, fall plans, etc. are much better uses of my energy).
Do you ever get caught up in something petty (i.e. what you eat) when you have bigger worries? How do you bring it back to what’s important?
How do you get back onto a healthy train when you feel like you’ve gotten off track?
I kind of feel the same way, I am still in that transition phase and trying to find my footing yet again. It seems like you are really doing a great job finding that balance.
As are you..seriously. And your comments make me feel so supported and I thank ya for that!
I know exactly what you’re talking about! I feel like in every area of my life I’m always one extreme or the other. Finding balance is very difficult for me, but I’m trying so hard to find it. I really like how you acknowledge that you can change what you’re doing. I always try to find easy ways out or excuses, but the truth is I have all it takes to get on the right track. I just need to believe it and put it in to action!
That explains why you are EXTREMELY awesome.
But I know what you mean–and I think that you said it really well when you said “I have all it takes to get on the right track.” 
Oh yes.. I know exactly how you feel! I have definitely found myself going over board on bad for me foods and consequently I feel like crap for the next couple of days. I’m learning to allow myself to give into my cravings and to really listen to my body. Some days I feel myself eating just out of routine and habit rather than necessity. It’s a constant work in progress for me but I think it’s great that you are able to recognize your own patterns and are taking the steps to listen to your body!
Listening to our bodies is really the only way. When you listen to habit/other people/media/emotions/whatever, I think that’s where we get into such trouble! Good luck with all of this
think of it this way: if you never ate a single thing that made you feel like shit….how would you really know what foods work for you? Feeling blah, bloated, low-energy, “fat”, whatever – it’s no fun, but you’re learning from it – and blogging about it! I remember back when I discovered that canteloupe and cruciferous vegetables are the devil for my stomach – I was in college eating lunch before a track workout, and my teammates were like “ah have some melon! easy carbs, its mostly water!” oh god, worst track workout of my life. I was legit vomiting in the trash can every lap haha. But broccoli and honeydew are digestible by lots of other people, so I wouldn’t have figured it out wihout trying it! And I think you’re right, balance is key. Froyo is good, burgers are good – and so are the buns – fries are good, etc, and so is kale, coconut water, and bananas etc. You’ve gotta screw up sometimes in order to find a good way of eating for you! And hey, you did a CRAYZAY epic bike ride and clearly had some good shenanigans with friends, so clearly you’re doing something right
I’m still working on finding the foods and amounts that work for me too – it’s a process and we’re both getting there! 
Thank you so much for this gentle reminder that we learn best by our “mistakes” and that those friends and that burger are A OKAY! <3 And I love that you are tackling your GI stuff with enthusiasm and listening to your body and leading the way and yay!
I know how you feel! Summer is just so full of opportunities for eating – BBQs, ice cream, more free time to bake, fairs and carnivals, etc. It’s hard to stay on track for more than a few days at a time!
But I eating mostly whole foods and trying to eat intuitively in between all those splurges helps me to feel balanced.
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