Chaos? Just add cookies and chocolate...

Apologies for the rather long lapse since my last blog - since my previous writing, I have been thrown into a state of confusion and sadness that attacks one in such a way that no matter how many times you have pondered its possibility, when it arrives, you are none-the-wiser. During this time, I have challenged many of the principles I so avidly and enthusiastically encourage my clients to follow, and it has made me realize that when life trips you up, even the easiest of behaviors is easily disrupted.

A case in point; my initial reaction to my development, over which I have no control, was, extraordinarily, not to try and control what I could control, but to relinquish control on everything. This included food choices. I have made it no secret that I am gluten-intolerant, and I tend to do better without dairy foods too.....and sugar is something reserved for treats, but here I was, my head spinning with depressing news, and all I wanted to do was feed my poor, exhausted body cookies and chocolate. At what point was that going to make me feel better? Well, I guess that's the point.....I didn't care.

Thankfully, my 5 years as a nutrition professional kicked in after only 1/2 the bar of chocolate had been eaten (otherwise it most definitely would have been a foregone conclusion that the whole bar would have been wolfed down my throat, barely tasted!) and I managed to wrestle my rebellious mind into some sort of order, reasserting the important belief that I hold dear (or thought I did!) that eating badly just makes one feel bad.

But the lesson is there. No matter what the good intentions, the training, the belief-system or the determination, when life throws us a curve-ball, it can take all our power to try and stay on track. And that's ok. Falling off the 'wagon' is not failing. Failing is not getting back on again.

So as Thanksgiving and Christmas approach, don't count every calorie and chastise every guilty indulgence, but try and be a realist, and see your behavior for what it is. Then, when you've recognized your readiness to pounce on the last cookie or polish of the remainder of the pumpkin pie, sit with it for a few minutes, and process your new revelation. Enjoy that last mouthful and move on. We're not perfect, but that doesn't mean that we can't try to be!

Happy Turkey Day to all my US friends!