So I don't go out often due to the fact that I hostess in the bar scene and can't stand drunk people all night long especially after being off work. Somehow, coffee with a friend turned into Mel's Diner and a drink at a lounge afterward with some other friends. Now, I had a great week and lost a few lbs. due to working out and not binging. I am not mad at myself for indulging...but I made an observation that i've made before and need to keep reminding myself...

the way I felt after eating cornbread and chicken noodle soup at a diner (i know the soup wasnt bad but the cornbread was MASSIVE and I already had dinner 4 hours prior) was horrible. I felt too full, and just not refreshed the way I do after a balanced meal. considering I stay away from white starches and simple sugars, my body just doesn't like it when i put them in my body on occasion. at the lounge i ordered a vodka soda and only drank 1/2 because i had to drive and felt like crap anyway. this just reinstates WHY i eat smaller meals, cleaner foods, and take care of my body. screw the vanity side of weight loss...health is beautiful in itsself...and I think American society forgets that a lot. I have fat that i want to get rid of but I don't care if I don't hit the number in my mind, as long as I feel fit (which i do!) and healthy (im getting there) I'm content. Like we all know, it is a lifestyle so while I am trying hard to get rid of some extra baggage, the process being slow doesn't matter...I have not been bingeing because I am getting more and more in touch with my body...I hope you all are having these little self discovery moments like I do because it really reinforces why we are working so hard. I am doing this for a different reason than when i started an that has made all of the difference in my journey.

That's awesome! Sounds like you are in a really great place right now!

What a fabulous realization! I have recently revamped my diet and I am trying to prepare healthier meals for the whole family. I want them to have good habits.

I can't wait to get to the place you seem to be, the place where your body no longer craves the junk. The place where healthy food is a way of life and not a struggle.

Congratulations to you! I hope to be there soon!

What a fabulous realization! I have recently revamped my diet and I am trying to prepare healthier meals for the whole family. I want them to have good habits.

I can't wait to get to the place you seem to be, the place where your body no longer craves the junk. The place where healthy food is a way of life and not a struggle.

Congratulations to you! I hope to be there soon!

Thank you! Trust me, we all screw up and have our off days, weeks, etc. But you are right and like I said, if you know how good you feel when you eat the "right" foods and are taking care of your body you crave the healthier lifestyle. sugar is so addictive and the crap that the FDA allows companies to put in edible products is ridiculous! The stuff in a lot of fast food, and highly processed food is often so horrible for us but it is easy to develop a craving for a whopper or cheese fries, etc. it's when you eat a piece of fruit that nature provided or some veggies and nuts that make you really appreciate the earth. Now i could never eat totally natural because i wouldn't be able to go out and it is expensive to buy from whole foods, etc. but at least we have these healthy options available to us should we choose to use them.

Thanks for sharing this!! I know for me, if I stay on plan I have a good nights sleep. If I binge or even eat crap that I shouldn't, I don't sleep well at all. I toss and turn all night, wake up in the middle of the night sweating and just feel terrible when I get up in the morning.

I had a recent experience like this and made a thread about it, but I only seemed to confuse people, so I really enjoyed reading your story.

Eating clean and going off plan can lead to feeling crappy! Health is wealth, for sure!

Here's my thread so you can see what I mean. http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/weig...son-today.html

I've had that same feeling as well. I can't stand feeling so gross after eating an unhealthy meal!! Last night I went out with some friends and the menu showed the calories for each item. There was only ONE thing under a thousand calories. Its crazy!! They ordered appetizers with THOUSANDS of calories (meant for 4 people, they shared between 2) and then entrees that had over 1000 each. I stayed away from the apps and ordered the apple pecan salad for 376 calories. We went out dancing afterward and I probably worked off a lot of what I ate and I felt great about it! No guilt today!

Charlotte,

Loved, Loved, Loved your thread! I wish I would of realized what you realized about how good it feels too eat healthy years ago but the biggest thing that struck me with your thread is if one doesn't make health the main reason for eating healthy and losing weight that one will never maintain the weight loss because vanity, like you said, if one the outside, but to stay healthy it must be "deep seated" within one's self.

About 15 years ago I lost over 150 pounds and thought after I got to my goal weight that heaven's gates would open up, there would be world peace etc... but now after gaining back the 150 pounds I realize that one has to live healthy for one's self. Vanity goes a distant second, although it is really nice wearing cuter clothes and all the practical things that come with being healthy.

Thank you for reinforcing what took me years and years to realize. Great thread!

Bonnie

your welcome and thank you for understanding and being able to relate.

Oh yeah, i mean looks have always been a big factor in me wanting to lose weight......but that ride to the emergency room and the multiple instances of heart palpitations and reflux, is much more important to me! I'd like to live past 60..... =]