July 21st, 2019 Variety

July 21st, 2019 Variety

Yesterday was a 5-star day: I maintained the integrity of my calorie budget, I remained refined sugar-free, I exceeded my daily water goal again (a streak is going!), I melted through a good walk last night, and I stayed well connected with exceptional support.

I grabbed another watermelon at my broadcast yesterday. The melon lately has been incredible! Some say it's the heat that makes eating it exceptionally because it's a cool and refreshing fruit. That--may be a tiny bit of that for me. Mostly, for me, it's the natural sugar content. No refined sugar has been a non-negotiable part of my food plan for over five years now, so I find my "sweet" in the fruit I enjoy. I sometimes overdo it, I'll admit--I mean, I've put together some pretty big fruit bowls for my last food of day--staying within budget, but still, too much, and I know it--but I justify it because it is fruit. The natural evolution of my food plan is trending toward keeping most of the fruit in the morning and less right before bed. I think my body would appreciate that change.

I'll be picking up mom later today for our weekly outing. I must pick a different restaurant this evening. I've enjoyed my sour cream chicken fajita tacos for dinner two nights in a row, I can't do a third! I must have variety!

One of my favorite go-to options-so good!

One of the things I've made very important over the last ten-plus years has been making sure I enjoy the food within my food plan boundaries. If I don't enjoy something, it's out. The "test" for me on anything I include in my food plan always comes down to the behaviors surrounding a particular food. If I can enjoy something without the trigger of "more more more," --and I can simply eat it for what it is, good food, without feeling compelled to turn it into "a fixer," "therapist," or "escape," then it stays in the food plan. The food plan evolves and my personal trigger list must always be open and willing to add new items based on a most self-honest evaluation.

The refined sugar-free Quest protein bars are things I occasionally use on certain days when it makes sense. I don't care for the different flavor names of these bars because they're always named something that would normally be considered a trigger for me. I don't do "look-a-likes," meaning my brain can't handle sugar-free versions of popular sweets, namely cookies and ice cream. Just can't. The Quest bars are an example of an item in my food plan that's right on the outer edges of acceptable for me. Again, comes down to my behavior surrounding the food item. I've never once been compelled to eat a second Quest bar in one sitting. And I've never felt compelled toward off-plan choices after consuming one of these. I keep some boundaries though, only buying them one at a time, so I'm not keeping them stocked at home. However, if these ever become a food item I can't handle in a responsible way---then onto the trigger list, it'll go.

It's a very personal and unique thing, the food plan. Each of us must find our own combination that helps open up measures of peace, calm, and consistency.     

Thank you for reading and your continued support,
Practice, peace, and calm,
Sean

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