Detoxing (From Junk Food!)

Man, did I blow it yesterday. I was visiting some friends out of state, and just kind of saw my control of what I was eating vanish away.

To start with, my breakfast was a sugary banana-nut muffin and half a bagel with cream cheese. Both, of course, made with white flour. Oh well, I thought, at least the bagel/cc has some protein. Lunch got seriously delayed as I waited for my friend to return from an appointment. He took an hour and a half longer than expected, so of course I was ravenous. When he called and said he wasn't going to make it and to eat on my own, I ran out to Subway and got a 6-inch ....Spicy Italian. No, not the healthiest choice. I got chips too, and made a marginal effort by getting baked ones. When I got back, we sat down to watch a movie. He made a big bowl of microwave popcorn. Even after that sub, I found myself dipping into the popcorn quite a bit, also the Cheez-Its that he put out. Oh, and also the bowl of M&Ms he had out on the table. Then I had a 3-hour drive back late at night. Since I didn't plan ahead and pack a dinner, I ended up pulling into a fast-food restaurant and getting 3 chicken strips, (fried, of course) and...fries.

Ugh! What happened?! I haven't eaten that badly in months. I felt like crap, too. I think it was due to a combination of not enough protein at breakfast, being overly hungry at lunchtime and making a poor choice, not resisting unhealthy food in my environment, and then giving up all attempts to salvage that day and going for a cheap, fast, and fattening dinner option.

So today I am trying to 'detox'. I had veggie soup with big carrot and sweet potato chunks for lunch, with a small whole wheat roll and some green tea. So far so good.

This whole thing made me realize how much I am depending on myself to control my eating situation. In someone else's house, it all went out the window. There were foods around that I just never keep in my house; I'm not used to having to manage them. In my fridge, the only things you *can* snack on are healthy. I bring my lunches to work, and I cook dinner every night. My defenses just crumbled when I was in a different place.

I guess it goes to show -- when you fail to plan, you plan to fail. Next time I may have to bring my own food, including some healthy snacks to tide me over in case I have to depend on someone else's schedule. And I guess I take some comfort in the realization that a few years ago, this would have been kind of a normal day for me. The fact that I am horrified I ate all this stuff shows some progress in my nutrition management!

Does anybody have further 'detoxing' tips? I want to feel like I'm back on track. I believe there's room for ANY food within the boundaries of a healthy diet; but there's not room for whole days of low-nutrient, high-sugar-and-fat foods like I had yesterday. What makes you feel like you've got it together? A really tough workout -- a hot bath -- a specific tea or food? I'm open for suggestions. And thanks for hearing my 'confession'. Ugh.

Edited by Miko 2005-03-14 12:45 PM