Cheating

You've been "good". You're feeling great! Nothing can stop you--except for maybe that last donut in the box that someone left in the office (oh, donuts aren't your thing? Guess that's just me). You shouldn't. But..you could. You've been so good, after all. Just one. It'll be fine.

But you know what? It's usually not. Not when it comes to digestive health (or should I say lack of), anyway. When your body is in recovery, and you skew its course with one bit of something it shouldn't have--something it will FEED to any candida, bad bacteria, or lesion(s) in your gut--you are in for trouble. How do I know? Well, I cheated. I've cheated SEVERAL times since my original plan to get healthy via diet/a natural course (I originally started about a year ago, but have veered off course for longer periods a handful of times. It has only been in the past 3 weeks that I have been committed for long term/permanent change. I've even cheated since then, though. I will get to that in a bit...) Sometimes it was just one bad thing; other times it was a full month or two of eating absolute trash.

The habitual trash-eating happened during our most recent move, about 4 months ago, which set my Crohn's flare ABLAZE! Not only was I constantly fatigued, uncomfortable due to horrible bloating and gas, and had acid reflux and headaches, but I was commonly experiencing episodes of partial bowel obstructions. It was when that I woke up and realized I NEEDED drastic change.

Anyway, in the last 3 weeks I have cheated exactly 3 times: once it was a buttermilk biscuit (I really thought it wasn't going to be a big deal. It was.), once french fries (BIG no-no...seriously Alyssa, POTATOES?!), and the other time a slice of pizza (AND pizza is like one of the worst causes of a flare for me; not sure why but it is.......just why, Alyssa?! WHY?!). I realize sometimes that happens, and I shouldn't totally give up or beat myself up when it does. BUT! I can tell you a few things that happened when I did cheat: 1. Each time I told myself "it's just a little; it'll be fine." 2. It wasn't as satisfying as I thought it would be. In fact, I was kind of like, "great. I sabotaged all that hard work...for THIS?!" And 3. It MOST CERTAINLY had a negative effect each time. When I regularly ate junk before (often mixed with some healthy things), feeling bad was a daily thing, so I had nothing to compare to. But when I started actually feeling VIBRANT almost every day, and I tainted the fragile eco-system that is my digestive system, I very much noticed the difference. The odd thing is, I often didn't notice it that day, or sometimes even the following day; but often it would hit me around TWO days after. Bloating, discomfort, a small rash somewhere...

I used to think that as long as you ate healthy along with unhealthy that it all balanced out, and your body would somehow absorb the good and ignore the bad. Sadly, that is not the case with digestive disorders. One thing that has changed the way I think about food is this: It's GREAT to eat nutritious, wholesome, healing foods; but if you are ALSO eating things you shouldn't be, it's like you are cancelling out the good altogether. What you are putting IN is SO important; but so is what you are NOT putting in. (<<hopefully that makes sense..?) Essentially, FEED the good; STARVE the bad.

Now, I will say, something that can make staying on track tricky is having a family, or living with anyone else who does not eat like you. They likely keep different foods than you eat around, tempting you at all times. ...Watching them eat their fried chicken while I cut into my grilled one and fantasize that it is what I am eating...it's not easy (and my fried chicken is BOMB, guys)..er, um, this is totally hypothetical. But really though, when I was finished with my meal and my belly was full, I didn't even regret it a little. And the next day I wasn't suffering!

Some things that help me stay on track and avoid unwanted cheating are

1. Don't touch the bad stuff. It will make you want more bad stuff. (<<did a second grader write that?! Anyway, you get the point)

2. Keep yourself FULL (stuffed, even) with the good stuff! Seriously, you won't want more food if you are full of food. Plain and simple.

3. Keep snacks (diet-appropriate ones) on hand at all times!!! Preferably ones that are easy to grab and go. This is a HUGE part of my "meal prep" day. Possibly even more important than the meals themselves! (or, for me at least. I am a snacker)

4. Remember that--although it CAN be a lot of work, eating healthy can also be FUN! I think of it as a challenge. Like, "okay, I CAN eat these things...now make them work together to taste good!" (Seasonings and flavorful herbs are your best friends)

Soon enough your body will CRAVE the good stuff; I promise.

Here's my point (and I'm writing this for myself as much as anyone else who may read this): cheating is dumb. Don't do it. You will regret it--for mental AND physical reasons. It isn't worth it.