Personal Improvement Plan: Round 2, plus Sprouted Mung Bean Socca and Veggie Flour

I never did a wrap-up post for round one of my personal improvement plan (PIP), but it did go well. I felt better, looked better, and everything was going well. I wasn’t actually sure when I’d end it, but it happened rather unexpectedly (and I’m taking full responsibility for it!).

One day, when a temptation was presented to me…I just took it. I’d like to say that everything has been totally smooth sailing since then (a week and a half ago), but I have had somewhat of a mental/physical struggle about it since then. Logically, I know that I should stop eating the carbs I’ve added back into my diet (note: I’m not cutting out carbs, I’m just being selective about where they come from). But physically? As soon as I began the grain/sugar kick…it was all over and I could barely manage my cravings.

I need to re-evaluate my actions (which kind of just happens naturally when I start feeling icky). When I ate some grains, I instantly puffed up like the Michelin Man (including my fingers). My conclusion is that PIP was a success because cutting out the suspicious foods really worked! After a week and a half, I feel like I’m almost back to square one. Rather than feeling badly about that, I’m looking at it as evidence!

So tomorrow is PIP: Round 2.

The guidelines:

No sugar, white flour, fruit, grains, soy, eggs, dairy.

Sounds prohibitive, no?

There are millions of things I can eat, I just have to make an effort! I’m not going to post my weight here, but I am going to post updates on PIP results…so if I don’t, then you know I didn’t stick to it. And honestly, I know I can’t eliminate sugar 100% because there is a tiny bit in certain things I’m going to eat (ex: Vega WFHO).

Truth: I didn’t actually plan on being off PIP for more than a week, but I couldn’t seem to jump back on the wagon as quickly as I wanted.

Do you ever have trouble getting started on something? I feel like my emotions are wrestling with my logic. Remember when I posted this story from NPR? Willpower and the Slacker Brain. I don’t like to think emotions will win every time, but at the same time…I have always had the following motto about food:

I won’t force myself to do things I don’t want to do, I’ll just gradually change what I want.

Here are some weekend eats:

How was your weekend?

Mine was awesome–it was full of Joe and food, and working out and working.

This will be a really busy week for me. No spring break at any of my schools this week!

Next weekend, I have a smoothie workshop scheduled, and I’m looking forward to that. I’m hoping that NY actually starts acting like it’s spring weather-wise. It would be awesome to go outside without a winter coat!