21 Day Challenge

I've had enough. I'm so fed up with myself I can't even begin to tell you...anyways.

DISCLAIMER: If you do not wish to hear the rants of a young adult about body image, dieting, etc then TURN BACK NOW. If you do wish to hear my irrelevant thoughts on myself and nutrition (YET AGAIN) then read on!

I know I've talked about this before and I also know everyone and their mom is always going on about dieting and health and blah blah blah. We get it. We know. Sugar is bad for you. Processed foods are bad blah blah blah.

BUT HERE'S THE THING. I LOVE LOVE LOVE all these foods that are bad for me. And when I start eating one, there is no stopping me! I can eat an entire bag of chips in one sitting or a box of peanut butter cups (i'm talking the tall plastic box from Trader Joe's. You know what's up). A pint of Ben and Jerry's? No problem. Oh did we order this pizza to share? That's funny because I already ate it all. You see what I mean? My stomach is truly the bottomless pit!

NOW HERE'S THE OTHER THING. I can eat and eat and eat because I LOVE my junk food but the thing is, when I'm done, I don't feel satisfied. I either feel so full I feel sick or I feel so guilty and terrible that I wish I had never had even one bite. So you would think "Well gee, if you know you feel so terrible afterwards, why even start in the first place??" That's just it. I DON'T KNOW. I don't know why I get such ridiculous cravings and why I always always always over do it.

HERE'S THE LAST THING. I'm very dissatisfied with how I look. I used to be much more fit, much more toned and much leaner. I want to get back there so bad, but my willpower and self-control seem to display otherwise. From the way I eat, you'd think I was trying to gain weight as quickly as possible. I know what's right and I know what's wrong. I know I feel terrible after giving in to my cravings and I know my willpower is pretty weak. Which leaves me frustrated. What's a girl to do??

I want to be safe and healthy, but I also want to look good, feel good, and perform well (athlete remember). So I think if I write these things out it might help. I also think that if I can be diligent about writing about my day to day on here that will help too.

Now here's the plan: they say it takes 21 days to break a habit. So here's what I'm going to do. Starting right now at this very moment, I'm going to go 21 days without refined sugar, gluten, caffeine, dairy, or legumes. I'm going to stay within the cooked realm though because it can get pretty difficult to do all uncooked. So I need to have a pretty specific plan and identify the places I'm most likely to slip up (and why). First, I need to snack on fruits and veggies throughout the day. This will keep my hunger in check and my energy high. Second, I need to not spend so much time in the dining hall. The longer I spend there, the more likely I am to make a bad decision. Third, I need to keep snacks out of my room - if I have snacks there, I WILL snack until the cows come home - effectively undoing all the good things I do during the day.