New growth!
Soooo, last weekend Hubby, baby and I took a trip to Takoradi which is about a 3.5 to 4 hour drive from Accra (longer if you count the horrendous traffic you have to navigate as you're leaving Accra). It was our first time there, which is such a shame considering the two of us attended secondary school in Cape Coast, which is about an hour from Ta'di. We had a lovely time visiting family friends and taking a trip to the Takoradi Power Plant where thermal energy is produced. Some really interesting stuff going on there, but I'll spare you all the technical details :).
My eating plan went out of the window during our stay there as we relaxed and enjoyed the peaceful atmosphere of the quieter, less congested Ta'di. The baby got so much attention from our hosts that I was able to really take a couple of days to put my feet up and indulge a little. Now we're back at home and I'm getting back on track as I learn a lot more about myself, my dieting habits and my triggers!
I see it as a sign of growth that I can acknowledge my weaknesses in this area. For one, I am definitely an emotional eater (and that's ANY emotion), and I'm without question a carb addict. More specifically, a sweets addict. SWEETS ARE MY DOWNFALL. Once the taste of a sugary treat hits my taste buds, I find it very hard to stop myself. The only time I lost my craving for sweets was -- shockingly -- when I was pregnant. I couldn't stand sweet stuff. And amazingly, I lost weight while I was pregnant. I was slimmer during my pregnancy than I am right now. Not good.
So I'm growing to accept my shortcomings with food and to (finally) acknowledge that I cannot "just have one candy bar because it won't really make a difference." It will. It always does. It always has. With the RTD plan, It's a bit easier to get over the extreme cravings for sweets if I eat a good amount of fruit, but once I get off track (like I did last weekend), then the sweet binge comes in and I eat myself into a candy hangover, only to regret it the next day. Baby steps, I know, but it's a constant struggle.
So as I return to RTD, I'm being more mindful of eating good protein at dinner and watching how my body responds, so as to avoid some of the adverse effects that some have reported after a long-term mostly or 100 % raw lifestyle. Weight loss is important, but so is my health! I've also had to accept that despite my best efforts, it might take longer than I hope to shed this weight. I learned this lesson from the friend I previously posted about who has lost 100 pounds in two years. That works out to about 1 pound per week. That can easily get discouraging, especially if you've changed your eating habits, added meal replacement shakes and a 6-day a week exercise regimen. I admire her determination so much and the fact that even with all of her efforts, it took two whole years and she stuck with it. I'm willing to bet that she'll keep it off too. Being an "instant gratification" type of woman, that would be a bit discouraging for me, but knowing that someone so close to me was able to do it at that gradual pace, I am inspired to stick with it, even if the weight takes its sweet time coming off.
In case you're wondering if there's another meaning behind today's blog post title... there is! Since September 2011, I've been sporting dreadlocks. They're only 4 months old now, but they're progressing nicely and my hair stylist tightened my "new growth" today :). Here are a few before and after pics of the 'do!
My eating plan went out of the window during our stay there as we relaxed and enjoyed the peaceful atmosphere of the quieter, less congested Ta'di. The baby got so much attention from our hosts that I was able to really take a couple of days to put my feet up and indulge a little. Now we're back at home and I'm getting back on track as I learn a lot more about myself, my dieting habits and my triggers!
I see it as a sign of growth that I can acknowledge my weaknesses in this area. For one, I am definitely an emotional eater (and that's ANY emotion), and I'm without question a carb addict. More specifically, a sweets addict. SWEETS ARE MY DOWNFALL. Once the taste of a sugary treat hits my taste buds, I find it very hard to stop myself. The only time I lost my craving for sweets was -- shockingly -- when I was pregnant. I couldn't stand sweet stuff. And amazingly, I lost weight while I was pregnant. I was slimmer during my pregnancy than I am right now. Not good.
So I'm growing to accept my shortcomings with food and to (finally) acknowledge that I cannot "just have one candy bar because it won't really make a difference." It will. It always does. It always has. With the RTD plan, It's a bit easier to get over the extreme cravings for sweets if I eat a good amount of fruit, but once I get off track (like I did last weekend), then the sweet binge comes in and I eat myself into a candy hangover, only to regret it the next day. Baby steps, I know, but it's a constant struggle.
So as I return to RTD, I'm being more mindful of eating good protein at dinner and watching how my body responds, so as to avoid some of the adverse effects that some have reported after a long-term mostly or 100 % raw lifestyle. Weight loss is important, but so is my health! I've also had to accept that despite my best efforts, it might take longer than I hope to shed this weight. I learned this lesson from the friend I previously posted about who has lost 100 pounds in two years. That works out to about 1 pound per week. That can easily get discouraging, especially if you've changed your eating habits, added meal replacement shakes and a 6-day a week exercise regimen. I admire her determination so much and the fact that even with all of her efforts, it took two whole years and she stuck with it. I'm willing to bet that she'll keep it off too. Being an "instant gratification" type of woman, that would be a bit discouraging for me, but knowing that someone so close to me was able to do it at that gradual pace, I am inspired to stick with it, even if the weight takes its sweet time coming off.
In case you're wondering if there's another meaning behind today's blog post title... there is! Since September 2011, I've been sporting dreadlocks. They're only 4 months old now, but they're progressing nicely and my hair stylist tightened my "new growth" today :). Here are a few before and after pics of the 'do!
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