When To Remove Yourself From the Food Noise

I hear so much noise in the vegan community about what to eat, how much to eat, how often one should eat, what exercises to do, how much macronutrients should be in your food etc etc. It's so overwhelming and confusing and it makes me tired. Instagram is a huge source of food information and recipes but usually from people like you and me who are posting what is working or not working for them. I see so many skinny, fit vegans eating tremendous amounts of food and not gaining weight. I see raw vegans, raw til 4 vegans, junk food vegans, it's just so much to take in. And I'm left with questions like: is all that fruit really good for weight loss? Is coconut just as bad as meat due to the saturated fat? Should I be eating so much rice? Do portions really not matter? Is it really WHAT you eat versus HOW MUCH you eat? And if you're one of those vegans who needs or wants to lose weight, where do we fit in with all of this? I went to a dietitian before I moved here two years ago and there wasn't a whole lot of light being shed on what I should eat, she more so helped me deal with keeping my blood sugar levels even so that I didn't get so hungry and binge. Also, that eating too much doesn't mean you need to continue that momentum for your next meal. Moving on after a "slip up" is crucial. That helped me alot.

Food science is crazy. No one can tell you what to eat, calorie counting is boring and not sustainable, lifestyles (veganism) and food allergies come into play, so what are we supposed to eat? Is it 3 servings of fruits instead of 80% fruit? I'm dizzy and frustrated so I'm stepping back. I have a ton of recipes on this blog and at one point, when I was working on my ebook, I was churning out the recipes at a high speed, enjoying every moment in the kitchen. I was enthusiastic and on point and loved updating this blog-I still do-but I need to slow down and look back to where I've come from. I want to start bringing back old recipes and either highlighting them or giving you an improved version of the recipe. I want to get my love back for cooking but mostly I want to lose weight and get in shape. And I can't do it if I'm making all these yummy recipes without knowing what to eat myself. And I feel that I need to concentrate on making nutritious meals that are going to help me become strong, not worry about making the meals look good for a photo. With that being said, I'm not taking a break from this blog, I'm just going to start recycling recipes.

I am currently injured and worried about my running again. I started my long run last Saturday and had every intention of running over the Williamsburg bridge to meet up with a running group but mile 4 into the run, my achilles/calf muscle pulled. I was having problems the entire run, I started feeling discomfort during the first mile but I thought it was just an ache that would go away. It didn't and I should have stopped but we think we are invincible! Anyway, sharp pain, limping, worrying (my half marathon is in one week) and frustration. I had this injury three years ago before the Broad St run and I had to sit it out. My plan is to not run until the half marathon, do resistance training, meditate and try to run on the day of the race. If I feel pain and have to leave the race, then so be it. So, now I can't run or really do any HIIT kind of exercises and I need to focus on building muscle and eating food that is going to help me build muscle and lose fat.

You have to find a way of eating that is sustainable for you. If it means eating healthy food most of the time and leaving room for a little bit of processed food, then that is what you will do. No one can be perfect all the time so saying you will be 100% no junk food and all fruits and veggies will not be something you can keep up. Life is about balance, lots of good and some bad, healthy robust meals and a few desserts. It has to be something you can keep up with and make a part of your daily routine. Make eating more of a lifestyle and not a diet.

I made tacos a few times and posted the recipes so here is a more processed version and a lighter version. I'm going to talk more about binge eating and emotional eating in my next post. Does anyone deal with these issues? Are you super tired of all the noise around food science and weight loss?

Like me on Facebook because I will be throwing out lots of recipes to you there. I posted  my shamrock shake recipe today and have many more I want to highlight. It's so good to look back on your last couple years and see how far you've come. You never know how awesome you are until you survey just what you've accomplished. I have so many awesome recipes on this blog that I hurried to type out because I couldn't wait for people to see them! So get in the kitchen and get cooking!