now what?

many people have asked me if i will continue any of the 'habits' that i have learned through .:get balanced:. my answer to that is, ABSOLUTELY! i would be stupid not!

my first day off .:get balanced:. happened to be the day that drew took the GMAT, so we decided to go out toThe Blue Door Pub followed by ice cream at Izzy's icream - it was unbelievably good!

there were a few reasons why i decided to DIVE back into 'conventional' eating:.

1. i could not take any more hives - even though i drastically cut down on my coconut intake, i was still suffering from hives. couldn't do it any more.

2. i kind of wanted to test how it would feel to go from one end of the spectrum to the complete opposite. before .:get balanced:. i typically ate healthy - which meant i ate mainly veggies and lean protein, but i also treated myself plenty to lots of sugar whether it was desserts, fried food or carbs (bad carbs).

3. my cravings had gone away for the first week and a half of .:GB:. but they were back in full-swing. i really struggled the last few days between the hives and feeling sluggish and unmotivated to complete the full 15 days. i felt like i 'deserved' the splurge.

4. i wanted to celebrate with drew - not only had i been completely disciplined for 15 days, but he had been incredibly discplined studying for the GMAT - he did well and i wanted to treat him to a dinner where he wasn't forced to eat something vegan or gluten-free. we both deserved it.

maybe these rationales sound like excuses, but i really don't care.

throughout the 15 days, a lot of people to me 'i could NEVER give up bread' or 'i could NEVER give up my daily cookie'. well, people, i thought that too. i used to think - 'no matter what
i do, i never lose or gain weight' (yay and nay), 'i workout plenty and am fine with the way i look, so these workshops weren't made for people like me'. WRONG - there are so many physiological
responses to what you eat! it doesn't matter if you can eat whatever you want and stay stick thin or if you look at a cookie and gain 5 lbs. food goes way beyond the physical realm!

going foward for ME:.

i kicked my sugar cravings, so i fully intend to not let myself indulge back into sugars, so i can keep it that way! i am going to be more mindful of gluten and cut it out where i can. i don't believe i need to go completely gluten-free at this point in my life, but i do see and understand the benefits of monitoring it. i am definitely going to continue making a lot of the recipes that were shared and try to expand my recipe repertoire. lastly, supplements. the .:GB:. ladies suggested several supplements to help with digestive health, blood sugar regulation and adrenal health which i plan to try a few out. i actually already bought a probiotic from Whole Foods and am excited to see what benefits it can provide.

for you:.

most people don't do these type of nutrition workshops because they either think they know enough about food and nutrition or they are afraid to figure out truly how bad their diet is. there's always more to learn and knowledge is power! whether you are looking for a complete lifestyle change, want some new recipe ideas or are just curious to learn more about a hollistic approach towards health - check out Prescribe Nutrition either on Facebook or click here for their blog. i could not say enough good things about these ladies - they are sweet, extremely supportive and they meet you where you are in your journey! they make everything accessible and understandable regardless if you are a youthful and running marathons, a health nut or have 4 kids needing to lose 60 lbs. do yourself a favor and check them out - you truly have nothing to lose.

i am off to drink some newfound (and tasty) aloe vera juice - happy almost weekend!

always striving for more,
dee b.