Friday, September 15, 2017

A Little More Balance Because There Is Always Room For More



Last month, I published a 6-part series of blog columns focusing on maintaining balance in our home. Prior to writing the series, I thought it would be difficult to break it all down into 6 parts, but it wasn't. I probably could have written another blog column or two within the maintaining balance series. Evidently, things were chaotic and out of balance here and had been for quite some time.

If you haven't read my 6-part series on maintaining balance, here are the links...

Maintaining Balance In Our Bodacious Dog Mom Life Part 1: Like With Most Everything, There Needs To Be Balance

Maintaining Balance In Our Bodacious Dog Mom Life Part 2: It's Okay To Say No

Maintaining Balance In Our Bodacious Dog Mom Life Part 3: Stop Focusing On Popularity

Maintaining Balance In Our Bodacious Dog Mom Life Part 4: Don't Stray From What's Within Your Means

Maintaining Balance In Our Bodacious Dog Mom Life Part 5: The Road Travels Both Ways

Maintaining Balance In Our Bodacious Dog Mom Life: Part 6. The Conclusion. You Can't Please Everyone. Don't Bother Trying

On September 4th, I decided to incorporate more balance into my life. For the last time ever, I committed to a low carb/no sugar lifestyle. I say "last time" because this has to be it. I've done this a few times in the past, and during that time, I felt the best I ever have. I also lost a bunch of weight. My chronic pain level went way down. I no longer had headaches. I had an abundance of energy. The list goes on.

I think my body and my psyche knew this was the last time. As in, "This is it, Lisa. No more jumping off the wagon for months at a time. This is a lifetime commitment. You get 2 cheat days a month. That's it."

My theory was backed by the withdrawal symptoms I experienced this time around. They call it the "keto flu." It sucked. I had all of the symptoms.

My body and psyche must have teamed up to reiterate their "this is it, Lisa" stance because I never want to go through that again. Ever.

In addition to the worst withdrawal symptoms I've ever experienced, my taste for certain foods has diminished. For example, eggs. Most meat. Chicken wings. Etc.The few times I've followed a low carb/no sugar lifestyle, I gravitated towards these foods because they're the easiest to prepare.

Apparently, that's not going to happen again.

When you eat low carb, the meals and snacks are homemade. They are for me at least. I'm sure there are people who eat out a lot and can find decent low carb meals. That's great, but we only splurge on takeout once a month.

I need to come up with creative and tasty, low carb meals. I need to dedicate a little time throughout the week to find inspiration. I need to experiment more. Yes, this all requires additional time, but I have to do it. Because if I don't, once again, I will fail.

For me, this is another means of establishing balance. I want the energy. I want to lose some weight. I want to feel better. I want to feel healthy. With all of the goals I have for this blog, DIY Dog Mom Projects, homemade dog treat recipes, and everything between, it's important that I adhere to an eating lifestyle that my body does well with, get the chronic pain under control, and have consistent energy.

It's not going to be easy. I know what my landmines are that contributed to my failure in the past. Too many cheat days. Lack of time. Exhaustion. Getting bored with the same meals and snacks. Laziness.

More than ever, I'm determined. I have to do this. I need to do this. What's going to help immensely is Lisa's support. Unlike before, she's more than willing to eat almost the same meals that I do. That's going to help out a lot. Previously, it was a challenge to make 2 separate dinners every night.

I'm extremely proud of Lisa's willingness to try new foods. Much to our surprise, she really enjoys a lot of it.

Wish me luck.

I'll keep you posted




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