Craving Conundrum

August 5, 2014 / ktbuchs87

The word craving can take on a positive or negative meaning. It all depends on your view. Many times it takes on a negative connotation. It’s something that needs to be controlled, fought, and denied every minute of every day. You have to have willpower to deal with cravings and you have to be strong to fight them off when they arise. This is how I used to view cravings.

I have had a complicated relationship with food. I have had many food “demons” to deal with along the way and I have had to have an incredible amount of willpower when it came to changing my eating habits. Because of my past experience with this, cravings were always something that were bad. I felt that a craving was a moment of weakness that had to be fought and avoided at any cost. To cave would mean I was weak and I would beat myself up. It was a vicious cycle of feeling out of control and not feeling strong enough to deny my food urges. Clearly it wasn’t working out for me.

I know many of you might feel that way too. Maybe you have had a rough time with food and you have come to view a craving as a bad thing. While I don’t like to place the blame on too many outside sources, the media does have a part in the way we view cravings. So many fitness and health websites or magazines put out articles with tips and tricks to fight your worst craving. They tell you if you have enough willpower you can fight off the evil craving and stick to your healthy ways. I gobbled those articles up and tried all their tricks like counting to a hundred and waiting for the craving to pass or drinking a glass of water when I got a craving. Sometimes they worked and sometimes they didn’t. Everytime they didn’t I felt like there was something wrong with me. Why could I not control myself? What was wrong with me?

Nothing was wrong with me. I’m human. It isn’t weak to have a craving for ice cream or pizza, that doesn’t somehow make me a failure. Once I realized this, I started to work on changing my idea of craving. I read more scientific articles and journals about cravings rather than relying on the grocery stand magazines. Turns out that researchers are finding that craving certain foods might be your bodies way of telling you that you are deficient in a certain nutrient. Nobody goes around saying, “Man, I’m really craving a big bowl of brussels sprouts!” They do say that they could really go for some chocolate or potato chips or pizza. Well, a craving for chocolate might mean that you are low on magnesium and should eat some nuts. A craving for potato chips could be a sign that you need some calcium and should fill up on dark, leafy greens. Our bodies are amazingly complex and for the most part are able to tell us exactly what they need. Our job is to learn how to listen and interpret those signals properly, then act accordingly. Cravings are one of the bodies signals that it needs something. The problem occurs when we misinterpret that signal and think that because we crave chocolate ice cream we need to eat that chocolate ice cream. In reality, we need to learn what our body is really saying when it craves chocolate ice cream.

You are not less of a person because you crave “bad” things. You are not a failure if you resolve your craving for a cookie by eating a cookie and you are not doomed to be a slave to your cravings forever. Start to look past the initial craving and see what it is that you really need. If you are constantly craving one certain thing, meet with your doctor or other health professional to see if you are nutrient deficient. Then find the healthier alternative to your craving. Once you start learning what you really need and making the right choices, it will be easier to interpret your cravings and get the things that your body really needs. It will be tough at first to not eat the potato chip and do the work to find out what you’re actually craving. But the more and more you do it, the easier it becomes. If you slip up, don’t beat yourself up. Remember you are a human being and no one is expecting you to be perfect. Being healthier is all a learning process, one that lasts a lifetime. It’s ok to make mistakes and fall. How you react and what you do to change after those mistakes says more about you than the actual mistake. Pick yourself back up and get right back to it!

Using Shame

July 28, 2014 / ktbuchs87

Have you heard of dog-shaming? The basic idea is that a dog will do something bad, like chew up a pair of shoes, and then the owner will write a snarky sign, put it in front of the dog, take a picture and then post it on the internet. It’s actually pretty funny and I have had my share of laughs over the ridiculous things that dogs do. There is a new trend going around though that I refuse to find funny and that is fat shaming.

I was listening to the news last week and heard that there was a facebook group started called fat shaming. It was based in California and people would post unflattering photos of overweight people on the group and then usually write hurtful comments along with the picture. Supposedly the group was shut down but then put back up and then shut down again. I have no clue what the current status of the group is and quite frankly I don’t care. My question is what were the people of the group trying to accomplish?

My first instinct was to believe that these people were just mean and hurtful and were trying to put others down to bring themselves up. The thought never crossed my mind that they were in any way trying to help these people better their health. Then I remembered hearing about a school a few months ago that was sending letters home to parents with overweight children, essentially doing the same thing just using nicer language. This school thought that it was doing the right thing to help those kids become healthier. Instead it sparked anger and outrage not only with the parents but the community as well. In my opinion this tactic should spark a little anger and outrage, because it really isn’t effective at all.

Think of the last time that someone made you feel ashamed about something. Think of feeling ashamed about a part of your personality. Did that feeling of shame make you want to get up and change? Did you feel thankful that someone pointed out your flaws in a possibly hurtful matter? I’m going to take a stab in the dark and say probably not. Using shame to make a person change their ways is not very helpful. In fact, it’s counterproductive in most cases and makes the shamed person fall even deeper into their bad habits. When it comes to health, if all you’re doing is telling someone that they’re fat or eat too much or look horrible in a bikini and should never wear one, you aren’t doing anything to help them make a change in their health. You’re breaking them down even more than they already are, and they’ll do the only things that they know how to do to cope. They’ll eat more food than they should, or sit on the couch all day instead of go for a walk, or maybe even put off a doctors visit because they don’t want one more person to make them feel bad about their health. Shame can exacerbate the problem.

It’s not just other people shaming someone that can cause problems. If you use shame on yourself, you’re doing just as much damage possibly more. Tearing yourself down will never get you to make positive changes and become healthier. All it does is make you feel hopeless. Believe me, for years I told myself I wasn’t good enough, wasn’t pretty enough, didn’t have the right body, wasn’t athletic. You know what all that negative talk did? Absolutely nothing good. I would talk myself out of trying things just because I didn’t want to further embarrass myself. I kept doing all the things that I knew weren’t good for my health, because there was no point in trying if it was always going to be this way. I told myself negative things and that resulted in a negative outlook on life and myself. Once I was finally able to realize that I am so much more than I thought, and once I started to talk to myself in a positive light, suddenly positive changes started to happen. It wasn’t easy and I definitely still have my days where I start to get down on myself, but things are so much better when I build myself up rather than tear myself down.

I don’t know if those who partcipate in fat shaming are coming from a place of concern and honestly believe that they are helping people. I don’t know if they are just doing it to be mean or they think it’s funny or they are trying to make themselves feel better. I do know that it is not helping even a little bit. In order to help those that are struggling with their health, we need to come at them from a place of compassion. We need to use positive tactics rather than negative ones. We need to offer support and encouragement and know when to back off and let them figure it out. These are the things that will bring about healthy change and a better life. Dog-shaming can be funny and merit a chuckle or two. Fat shaming is never funny and we all need to work on being more positive and less negative.

Things I’m Enjoying

July 23, 2014 / ktbuchs87 / 1 Comment

I thought that I would once again share a few things that I am really enjoying at the moment. I like to see what other bloggers are doing and enjoying with their daily lives, so if you’re like me enjoy this post!

Hazelnuts

To be more specific, roasted hazelnuts. I know that this isn’t anything revolutionary or groundbreaking, I mean just look at the hullabaloo around Nutella. But I have really been liking the taste of dry roasted hazelnuts lately. I buy them raw in bulk at Whole Foods and then roast them when I get home. It’s really simple too. Just set your oven to 400, then line a baking sheet with either parchment paper or a silpat. Place the hazelnuts on the baking sheet in a single layer and put in the oven for about 10 minutes, watching to make sure they don’t burn. Then remove from the oven and let cool, once they are cool place them in a dish towel and rub to remove the skins. Store the nuts in an airtight container in the fridge so they don’t turn rancid. I’ve been putting them on my breakfast bowls, salads, and just eating a few as a snack. Not only are they tasty, they are loaded with good for you vitamins and minerals like magnesium and vitamin E. Eat up!

Coconut Milk and Coffee

This is amazing! I had a little bit of coconut milk leftover from dinner the night before and so I decided to add it to my coffee the next morning. Holy creamy goodness Batman! I usually only drink coffee on the weekends and I drink it black. The coconut milk just added a nice rich flavor to my coffee and I will definitely be doing it again! I use full fat coconut milk because you don’t need to fear fat! Plus the light coconut milk is just glorified water anyway. So if you want to treat yourself to a delicious, creamy, and healthy drink, try adding a little coconut milk to your coffee!

Walks Along the Lake

I am super lucky to be able to live so close to the lake. As my sister pointed out this weekend, it’s pretty much my backyard. I have been running along Lake Shore Drive each morning and end my run right on the lake. I also have been walking around my neighborhood everyday and some of my favorite walks are those that go right along the lakefront. It’s just so beautiful and peaceful along the water and it makes me happy. Plus how can you beat views like this?

Farmer’s Markets

This has been the summer of farmer’s markets for me. Chicago has a ton of markets all over the place and I have been thoroughly enjoying visiting as many of them as possible. I have to say though that my favorite market so far is the Green City Market. It is right across from the Lincoln Park Zoo and it is always big and full of people and delicious things. Not only does it have the normal fruits and vegetables but you can also find tamales, crepes, cheese, homemade pickles and jams, smoothies, pizza, paninis, and so much more. There is live music and a doughnut van. Kids running around with their dogs, and a balloon guy making balloons for anyone and everyone. The other neat thing that this market does is on each stand they tell you how many miles each vendor traveled to come to the market. This way you can choose where you would like to buy your products, whether you prefer more local or don’t mind those who come from afar. This market has great vendors, great crowds and it is a great time! Go explore your own city’s markets and see what they have to offer.

These are the things that have been holding my attention for the past few weeks. This summer has been one of discovery and learning. Living in a new city and seeing everything that it has to offer has been really fun. I am loving my neighborhood more and more and I can’t wait to see what else it has in store for us! I hope you have a great Wednesday and I’ll see you on Friday!

This Is Hard

July 7, 2014 / ktbuchs87

One of the messages that I hope to convey on this blog is that health doesn’t have to be hard. You don’t have to be a world class chef, capable of complicated cooking techniques. You don’t need to live at the gym or buy into crazy gimmicks or expensive equipment. There are so many simple things that you can do to be healthier and enhance your life. But make no mistake, healthy can be hard.

Yes, there are ways to make the decision to be healthier much easier than might think. I try to do my best to share those tips and advice with you. What I mean is that there are days that you are going to struggle. There are times that you are going to wonder why you’re even doing this and if it’s really worth it. There will be moments that you want to quite and you may very well give into those feelings. Believe it or not, this happens to everyone. Even the healthiest person you can think of will have moments of doubt and question their choices. Maybe their moments of doubt last only a minute, but they are still there.

I have gone through periods of time where I really wonder why I am doing this. It’s hard, it takes a lot of self motivation and willpower, and to be honest I get tired. I get tired of constantly choosing to take the healthier route. Some days it would be SO much easier to just get take out food for dinner. It would be heaven to just sleep in and skip my morning workout. Sometimes I long to just spend my whole Saturday on the couch watching TV and downing huge bowls of cereal like I did when I was in high school. I don’t want to prep my meals for the week, I want to sit on my butt and look at pictures of cats on the internet. I don’t want to drink another glass of water, I want to have a huge glass of store bought, sugar-laden juice. This is hard, it drains me, why do I keep on doing this?

I have had every one of these thoughts and many others that are less than stellar. It might seem like I am totally unmotivated to be healthy anymore. It might seem like I just want to give up and that I should stop complaining. You’re right. The thing is, these gripes and struggles are what makes me human. They are also what makes me stronger and even more motivated to continue as well as try to help others. Overcoming obstacles and challenges are part of what makes you unique. They add to your character and make you stronger. If you never had to face any adversity and were able to breeze through life, you wouldn’t be the person you are today. Health is like any other part of your life. It takes strength, some days more than others, to constantly commit to being better than yesterday. It’s ok to feel all the feelings that you do about being healthier.

What do you do though when you feel like there are more bad days than good ones on your journey? For me, I try to think of all the things I can do now that I couldn’t do before. It helps me to see the progress I have made over the years. It also helps to think about how I felt about myself before I started to make changes in my life. I wasn’t very happy, I was very insecure, and I didn’t feel healthy or strong like I do now. I know I don’t want to feel like that again, so that helps motivate me to stay the course when I’m having a rough day. Sometimes you’ll even find help when you least expect it. Maybe a family member will comment on all the hard work you’ve done and how it looks like it’s really paying off. Maybe a friend will start to make healthier choices because you are. Maybe, like me, you’ll realize your story and experiences can help others feel the way you do now and you want to do what you can to help them get there.

It’s ok to feel doubt and want to give up. You aren’t superhero (or maybe you are, don’t worry I won’t reveal your true identity) and even superheroes have their down days. Use those doubts and fears to make you stronger and shape your personality. Don’t let them tear you down to the point where you don’t want to try. Learn from them and adjust your journey from what you learn. I know that you can do this and it’s time for you to believe that you can too.

Acknowledge Yourself

June 30, 2014 / ktbuchs87

Time for a personal story that led to a pretty good life lesson. Don’t you love when those happen? This weekend my husband, Adam, and I headed to my parents house to help them clean out their garage. After the day was done and my dad was taking us back to the train station to head home, we stopped to drop off some garbage and my dad introduced us to one of his clients. As we were talking the conversation turned to health and my dad started telling his client all the things that I had accomplished health wise over the past few years. At first I kind of just brushed it off, my dad loves talking to anyone about his kids and he is always telling them how great we are. I think that is a job requirement when you become a dad, you love to brag about your children. But as we were headed home I started to think about all the things he said about me. The list seemed pretty impressive. I had forgotten how far I had come when I first started, and that I was too quick to shrug off my accomplishments.

How many times do we do that? We get so wrapped up in the day to day and fail to see all the miles we have traveled. I feel this is especially true when it comes to our health. For the first time yesterday, I realized that over the course of 5 or 6 years I have lost a total of about 60 pounds. That is kind of a huge thing but I always downplay it. Yeah I lost 60 pounds but it’s over a long period of time. Earth to Katie, 60 pounds is no drop in the bucket. I went from never running ever, and hating it as well, to wanting to run every single day and truly enjoying long 10 mile runs. I went from barely being able to touch my toes to easily finding balance in some difficult yoga poses. I feel at ease in the kitchen and enjoy spending time coming up with healthy ways to prepare delicious food. I’ve started a health blog and have shared my story with the internet, something that I would never have thought I would do 5 years ago. I have really done a lot and I need to give myself props for doing all of that stuff!

Many of us feel uncomfortable patting ourselves on the back when we do something awesome. We’re quick to turn down compliments and say oh it was nothing. We forget how hard it was to start being healthier and how much work it took to get to the place we are today. That needs to stop. I’m not saying you should go out and brag to every person you meet about all your accomplishments. You do need to work on accepting compliments and recognizing all the hard work you’ve put in. Even if you just started, give yourself a hand for taking that first step. That’s not an easy decision to make and you deserve to be proud of that choice.

It’s difficult to take the healthy route. It’s easy to fail at better choices. It’s more comfortable to just stick with what you know and never step outside of your comfort zone. So when you do decide to do all of those things, take the time to give yourself a round of applause. It doesn’t have to be shouted on the rooftops to the world below, a quiet moment will do. Taking pride in all you have done will help keep you motivated and keep you on road to better health. And when you see someone who might be struggling with their own journey, take a moment to remind them of all the great things they have accomplished so far!