Thursday, November 4, 2010

My So-Called Social Life

Obvious temptations such as Halloween candy, office potluck parties or the bread basket at the dinner table are hurdles I can anticipate and prepare for.  One obstacle that I did not expect was the reactions I received from family, friends and oddly enough, strangers.  Something about voicing your intention to start making healthy choices, such as choosing a Paleo lifestyle, can bring out the best and worst in people.
Why is it that saying I have food allergies is easier and often more acceptable than explaining I CHOOSE not to eat certain foods?  My new healthy habit has prompted me to take a closer look at my social life.
For me, food and socializing go hand in hand.  In some cases, food has helped define my relationships and friendships – “let’s meet up for coffee” – “we can catch up over dinner” – “grab a drink after work”.  My choice to change my eating habits has not changed ME.  I am no longer the gal who will always be up for nachos and beer but I am still the gal who can laugh with you, talk about how terrible the Cubs are and jump at the chance to see a horror film.  People have an image of us, some may resist our changing, some may support it and some may be inspired and join us.

7 comments:

  1. Food Log for 11/3

    2 scrambled eggs (1 white - 1 yolk)- turkey sausage
    Americano - dollop of whipping cream
    Banana
    Pork Sausage, Onions, Green & Red Peppers
    LARA Bar
    Spaghetti Squash, ground beef, tomato sauce

    *I'm eating too much red meat and prob too much fat

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  2. Such a timely post Rae. Thanks for sharing.

    This has been the story of my life. I was a vegan, than a raw vegan, than a vegetarian, and now I eat meat. Try explaining this to friends and family. It's been a tough road indeed. I've actually lost friends over my diet, especially since I started eating meat again.

    Food for today:

    AM: 5 bacon 1.5 eggs

    PM: A big ole steak!

    Trying to get into ketosis so won't be doing any veggies today.

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  3. Wow, tell me about it Rae... it's a tough road for sure. I try to remember that I'm likely feeling way better than whoever is giving me crap and that tends to work. Last year I went on a pretty good stretch of clean eating during the winter months... guess who wasn't getting sick and guess who was!

    http://www.fitday.com/fitness/PublicJournals.html?Owner=funksalad&Year=2010&Month=10&Day=3

    Finding it increasingly hard to keep vegetables around for longer than a few days without them going to crap (hence me eating like none of them yesterday). Thinking I may need to start shopping like every other day, which I am not looking forward to. Whelp, off to Dominicks now.

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  4. Great post Rae,

    This has been the story of my life lately. I thoroughly enjoy going out to grab drinks and having a taste of the specials at my local bar or restaurant. It definitely has been a challenge but everyone that I have been around have been quite supportive for the most part.

    The other night, I went to big star in bucktown with a bunch of folks where queso dip, nachos, and other random things took over the entire table. I just stuck to pork and beef tacos, with no shell and no cheese with a salad. I was definitely tempted but did pretty well that night.

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  5. Rae, so true. i think i get this question from my girlfriend everyday, "so...are you going to eat like this the rest of your life?" ha. but besides her half-joking statements, she has been rather supportive as of late, but it took her a while to warm-up to the meal plan. now, it is just second nature and she makes me paleo treats, so i cannot complain.

    as for my parents and friends, they just give me confused looks. however, i cringe at what my roommate eats on a daily basis. so much salt and processed grains. funny to think that 4 months ago, that was me.

    either way, happy rest day. this week's WODs have been hellish but great. looking forward to friday and saturday WODs.

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  6. Good stuff. I get heat for paleo eating all the time. Some say it's stupid and others say it sounds logical but say it would be too hard for them.

    A friend of mine has suffered for years from severe IBS that really took over her life. She was one of those that said I was nuts. Since March I’ve been trying to convince her to try going paleo. Her dietician said she NEEDS to eat bread etc b/c of her condition and was told to stay away from fatty meats and eggs. 2 weeks ago she went paleo and ALL her IBS issues are gone...and she eats the shit out of whole eggs and fatty meats. Needless to say she's no longer a skeptic. Pretty crazy.

    Some thoughts on getting more veggies in our diets: I've been making soups/stews for a while now and find it to be convenient b/c it lasts a long time and you can pack in a bunch of veggies. i usually chop a couple lbs of each of these: Yellow Squash, Zucchini, Carrots, Celery, Cauliflower, Broccoli, green/red/yellow peppers. I'll throw in a 24 oz can of diced tomatoes and a 32oz carton of chick stock along w/ various spices (Trader Joes makes a "21 spice" type thing that's salt free and really tasty) and will let is boil/simmer for a few hours.

    This concoction usually lasts me a couple weeks and I can freeze half of it so it doesn’t go bad. I usually add some meat of choice and avocado for fat. If you don't get sick of eating similar meals everyday, this is a good way to go.

    word....

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  7. food:

    6a: protein shake

    8a: banana and honey crisp apple

    10a: 20 baby carrots

    12p: 2/3 lb ground turkey, pico de gallo, avocado

    530p: protein shake (needed something for what turned out to be a 3 hr trip home from Purdue in freezing rain)

    9p: 2 eggs, some egg whites, broccoli, peppers, salsa

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