This is the devil. This and, mostly the rest of that storebought pumpkin pie that's still sitting in my 'fridge. I'm not going to go get the pumpkin pie so I can take a photo of it. You know what a pumpkin pie looks like, don't you? Also, I'm not going near it because, . . . you guessed it: the Devil is still calling out to me.
Doggone it! I knew better. True confessions here -- I didn't even read the labels. I'm not going to now either. Suffice it to say, no more storebought sweets for me. Why did I go there? The fun, the comaraderie, the joy of being with my family and my parents over the Thanksgiving holiday. Meats don't tempt me, cheeses don't tempt me. Sugar doesn't even tempt me either -- usually. Since going vegan I eat sugar (vegan treats) only once in a blue moon, since I know there is that chance I will feel the pull again. Heck -- I wasn't even tempted by all the Halloween candy. So why did I think it was okay to indulge in sweets of an unknown origin and content, not once, but one or two times a day, for 4 days straight? My system went out of whack a little on the second day of this indulgence, and has continued to get worse ever since. No need for details -- I just don't feel good. Once I figured out what was making me feel bad I stopped it, and it has now been three days since then. It has stopped getting worse, but I'm still not right.
Turning a page, forgiving myself, I need to frame this debaucle thus: missteps are how we learn our limits. Being vegan is only ten months old for me now and everything has changed so dramatically. This is truly the first time I have tried sweets I wasn't sure were vegan, and this was also the first time I have tried so many sweets, so often. I will not repeat this mistake. I've cleaned up my act a bit, leaning more superhero. Any suggestions for how I can feel better sooner? I'll start with a kukicha tea with ume plum and ginger. Thanks for witnessing my folly, dear readers, it'll keep me accountable next time I venture off the healthy path . . .
Aw, don't beat yourself up! You're doing great. I struggled up until about a year ago with avoiding/refusing non-vegan desserts. It gets easier. As for how to feel better--maybe drink some extra water and do some gentle yoga or take a walk. That tea sounds great, too!
ReplyDeleteThanks Burnout! And great suggestions -- funny how I sometimes still need to be reminded to drink water . . .
ReplyDeleteCheryl, we have all been there. It is almost unavoidable. You are right about not feeling good though. When you are not use to eating the junk it does make you sick. I have realized that 90% of the time we need to make our foods count for maximum nutrition. If you mess up 10% of the time your body can deal with it and you will still stay healthy-you may not feel good for a day or two, but your body remains healthy and strong to deal with daily stresses and fight off the germs:) I just randomly used those percentages, but you know what I mean. Having these experiences are good because they make us realize we don't want to repeat it very often. I agree with Burnout-more water to flush your system and some extra vitamin C in your smoothies to boost your immune system. I buy a powdered form of Vit. C and add it to my green smoothies if I have extra stresses on my body. This is not a good time of year to have our immune function be lowered. I don't use the Vit. C powder much, but I do reach for it every once in a while:)
ReplyDeleteDebbie -- Thanks so much for the kind words and good suggestions. This evening after a healthy dinner and lots of water I am beginning to feel a bit better. I'm so grateful for my online vegan/healthy food buds!
ReplyDeleteI love your honest post! Because Im pretty sure MOST of us have been right there! I know I have before. That is why I always teach people that there is no such thing as "falling off the wagon" because that leade to a mindsset of failure and frustration. Its just a slight veer off the road but you got right back on with a smile. This is the mindset where we can go on and on and on forever. Because you dont fail, you learn and then get back on track. :)
ReplyDeleteThanks, Morgan, for the wonderful support -- you're right, it's just a process of learning the hard way what foods do to us. There's no going backwards at this point, there's only aiming with best intentions for feeling healthy every day.
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