bluesparkles

Just going to say that I am doing great on #1 and #2. I've run every Mon/Wed/Fri/Sat since I started 11 days ago and I haven't eaten anything with added refined sugar. I've had honey three times and maple syrup twice, which I'm ok with. More importantly, no cookies, cupcakes, junk. I had the option to get a free sugary coffee drink this morning and picked a smoothie instead. Totally craving chocolate, but it's just six weeks. Failing #3, but I'm ok with that too. It's info for next time.

Waldo - I think both of those things might be right on. Sometimes it is definitely sugar (or chocolate) that I want, but often, I realize that I'm actually hungry enough to eat a real meal. Also, protein is something that I didn't get enough of for 13 years as a vegetarian and even as a meat-eater now I struggle with it. I'd say I get 60-70 grams/day on average and I think I should be getting more like twice that. I'm really not a fan of protein powders, though, as I'm lactose intolerant, and I find it pretty challenging to find adequate real food sources. I guess I'll have to get over it and stock up on hamburgers and chicken breasts.

Sorry I missed so many posts here, it's probably too late to comment. Anyway. Thanks for the helpful feedback. The triggers thing is big - I am on day two of no sugar for the current challenge and what I'm noticing mostly is stress and boredom. Work gets frustrating or slow and suddenly everything looks delicious. Also when I get hungry, it's tempting to grab junk. Also on the yogurt front, I second Fage 2%. I've also made my own yogurt a few times (if you can get raw milk, that's even better) and it's not so hard. I can't get it as thick as the greek yogurt I like, but there's something appealing about doing it myself. I used to add honey or maple syrup, but now I actually kind of enjoy the tangy plain flavor. (On a tangent, homemade cheese is ridiculously easy also.)

Hi! I can identify with using school as an excuse... "I should be studying" or "I can't go running because I need to write this paper" are things I said a whole lot while working on my masters. What really helped me was running with a group, both because I got some guidance on starting slow and because I had others holding me accountable. I found some pretty cool folks who run in my neighborhood and now I look forward to it. Let us know if there is something we can do to help you keep it up over time!

Hi guys, So I'm going to do this thing. I'm a little late, but at least I'm doing it. I'm going to: 1) Run four times per week. I already do this - three training runs, usually 3-4 miles on M/W/F mornings and a long run 6-10 miles on Saturdays. A if I do them all, B if I miss one, C if I miss two, F if I miss three or more. I track using runningahead and runkeeper, if anyone wants to keep up. I'm setting this goal because I live in Texas, where it is HOT during the summer mornings, and I'm nervous that I'm going to start slacking. I need to maintain my training schedule because I'm registered for three half marathons and one full between next November and February. 2) No refined sugar during this six weeks. I've done it before and I can do it again. Starting today because I ate two cookies yesterday. I'm putting honey on the okay list because I don't eat it very often, and we'll see how it goes. Frozen yogurt bars are on the not okay list. I think this is going to be a challenge, because I'm totally addicted right now, so A is sugar twice or less, B is 3-4, F is more than 4. I'm doing this because I'm noticing that I'm eating junk food on a daily basis and it makes me feel sluggish, and because I'm hoping that cleaning up my diet will also clear up my skin. 3) I want to write morning pages 5 days a week. I use 750words.com to track this and I feel like it's very helpful for me to have a place to clear my head before I start my day. I don't have any excuse to not take ten minutes to write in the mornings before work - I have the time and I usually waste it on facebook or some other crap. A is 5 days a week x 6 weeks, B if I miss 3 days, C if I miss 4-6 days, F if I miss more than 6 total. I totally appreciate this community of people. I guess I need to join a group? And feedback is always welcome.

I totally get the "by the time I get home I'm starving" thing. I've found that it helps to have a high-protein snack at some point during the afternoon, like crackers and almond butter or a hard boiled egg. It also helps a little to know exactly what I'm making for dinner before I get home so that I can jump on it instead of trying to figure something out for an hour while I eat junk food. It seems like most of the time when I reach for junk food, I'm actually just hungry and should be eating real food. And I'd second not having it in the house. If I get home and am starving, it's kind of helpful when the closest thing to junk food available is fruit. That said, I usually buy at least one junk food item at the grocery store each week. I don't get through the week without any cravings whatsoever, but that handful of chocolate covered almonds or bag of chips will usually help me choose healthier food the rest of the week.

If you like to cook: emeals.com is awesome! I know some people don't like the idea of paying for someone to do meal planning for them, but I am seriously in love with emeals (and they have great customer service). I'm always able to find a coupon code somewhere, so it ends up being like $5-6/month. They send you a menu once a week and a grocery list. I use the clean eating for 2 plan and immediately divide the meal in half so I have dinner and lunch the next day. They also have a paleo plan, but I used to be vegetarian and it was just too hard for me to do an almost 180 degree switch. Seriously - I spend maybe a half hour cooking each day and the only additional ingredients I need to buy each week are things like eggs or yogurt for breakfast and the apples/almond butter that I eat for snacks. It provides a helpful structure for my formerly eating-disordered self and I rarely need to snack on junk food because I'm eating actual meals. If this doesn't appeal to you, I have a friend who seasons and grills a huge batch of chicken thighs/pork chops/hamburgers about every two weeks or so and puts them in the freezer. She just pulls them out and puts them in the toaster oven (a great alternative to a microwave) and they taste fine with a side of steamed veggies or a salad or whatever else you feel like. Happy eating!

It just takes a little work. Yeah, I guess so. Maybe a lot of distractions. The healthy substitutes don't seem to work for me, though. It seems like I just end up eating whatever I subbed with and then whatever I was craving too, just later. I need to not want the junk food enough to not indulge. And I don't want it, mostly, except when I do, and then it's sort-of auto-pilot from there on out. I'm not a teenager; I'm about to turn 30. Also 5'1". The idea of sugar addiction scares me; I wonder if it's just all my brain saying, "more sugar!" and it feels hard to resist, because it feels like it's just never going to stop, so I might as well give in. Or it's too difficult to fight it, hopeless, I can't win.

Seriously, guys. How do you do it? I've never struggled with food cravings or hunger before in my life, and lately, I feel like a mess. I've been hungry all the time, even after eating a meal, and this is seriously the first time ever that I've felt like I can't talk myself out of eating something. I'm eating chocolate or something that falls into the not "clean" category on a daily basis and I feel like I literally cannot stop, which makes me nervous that it's going to turn into bingeing. I have generally taken the "relax and let my body eat what it wants" strategy in the past, but I'm starting to gain weight now and it's making me nervous because the voice in my head that used to say "I'm satisfied" after a little bit of something sweet is gone and last week I ate an entire box of cookies by myself. Humiliating. Here's the realistic breakdown from 411fit: averaging 1800 calories/day, 118 lbs (highest weight of my life) and about 18% body fat. I run three times a week, between 10-20 miles, and I do bodyweight exercises 2-3 times a week. This is pretty typical, hasn't changed. I used to be a steady 112 lbs, closer to 15% body fat. I'm not super interested in going full on paleo, but I've done sugar-free without a problem before and last time it was kind of easy. Now it feels impossible, like I'm at war with being hungry and craving junk. What is going on with me??