What a crazy idea, huh? :)
Here is the truth and the whole truth. I have known that sugar is not good for me for a long time. I have also known that I am abnormally sensitive to simple and complex carbohydrates for a long time. I was even convinced of this all the way through my competition prep. The restriction I was down to and the amount of time spent lifting and doing cardio should have yielded much more extreme results. But I believed that the carbs were necessary for my muscle recovery and to maintain mass.
I have dabbled with Paleo and Primal eating and have followed some of the eating plan my chiropractic office uses (same premise as Paleo, etc). When I do, I feel better, have more energy and I don't have to be a slave to the traditional fitness industry
Back to the truth and whole truth bit. After pulling the plug on my competition last fall, I slowly started to "cheat" here and there. Like anything else in life, this was a slow fade into full on crappy eating. As I stated in an earlier post, I literally turned into a cookie monster. I was sick a lot (another interesting link to eating sugar and crappy carbs, but I'll leave that alone for now) which resulted in be totally being out of the gym for a couple of months. I went from one extreme to the other. But because I actually like the gym and I love lifting, I knew I would be back in. I also knew something had to give. With Jenna being 2 now, I could not, in good conscience, leave her in day care for 10 hours 5 days a week so I could work out like I was before. And I no longer believe in the standard fitness industry philosophy.
I now work out 3 days a week. I'll do 4 if I can do so without leaving Jenna in day care. But my normal schedule is Tuesday/Thursday/Saturday. Tuesday and Thursday I have my old workout partner back in with me. Saturday I'm on my own (fine with me since it's leg day). We how our workout done in an hour or less and no traditional cardio. Plyos and HIIT only. And I am back to a Paleo-ish way of eating. It works best for me. Healthy fats are a much more efficient fuel source and they help balance hormones (which is what causes me so many issues when I eat sugar and carbs). I don't weigh anything. I don't count anything. I don't track anything. And I have time for everything else in my life, too.
I'm not really a person who gets caught up with size. I eat to be strong and I have no desire to be waifish. As a result, I'm not hung up on the fact that I have put on weight. I am hung up on the fact that I DO NOT want to miss the best years of my child's life in the selfish pursuit of fitness. With this, I can appreciate the nature of the extremes, as there truly are benefits to them (as there are detriments, too), but can be grateful that I am coming out on the other side, with a desire for balance. And with that balance comes peace of mind and self-acceptance. Sweet, sweet peace and self-acceptance. :)
