Epiphany is a Great Word

      10 Comments on Epiphany is a Great Word

 

 

Well, first we’ll start with the not-so-great news:

 

 

After four weeks comfortably in my goal range (115-ish), I gained two pounds this week.  Grrrrr.  But, I’m trying to remind myself that these things happen and that it doesn’t necessarily mean the world is ending.  😛 I didn’t really do anything different last week, and in fact I ran more miles than usual, but who knows why these things happen.  I’m hoping I can get back to normal next week.

So now, for more happy things!  Things like the word “epiphany.”  I love the word epiphany. Could it be because it sounds an awful lot like Stephanie? Maaaaaybe. 😉 (If you haven’t figured it out by now, I am nothing if not narcissistic. Still don’t believe me? Well, here, let’s insert a completely unnecessary selfie. )

 

 

Okay, anyway, there really is a point to this! A friend of mine has been posting on social media a lot about going to a specific nutrition store. It’s clear that she’s trying to start out the new year by making healthy choices, and I’ve been doing my best to support her every time she makes the posts. Last week, she posted that she was having a “chocolate birthday cake”, but the post was made at a nutrition store. So of course, I had to ask if it was a real cake, or some kind of shake. She replied that it was a shake made in that flavor, and that she wasn’t having any cake anytime soon, because she’s staying away from it for a long time. When I saw that, it made me kind of sad, because I personally would hate to give up cake, especially for my birthday!!

Now, for all I know, cake may not be her thing at all, and giving it up may not present a big issue for her.  I feel that way about pizza…it’s not something I like enough to waste all those points on, so I just decided one day not to eat it anymore.  But I got the feeling that she wasn’t all that happy about giving up cake, and yet, she felt she had to, to get healthy.  Which to me, is sad.

But you know what? I’ve been there. I have had my days and weeks and months where I have sworn off specific things, even though I love them, because I was trying to “lose weight” or “get healthy.” But I can honestly say that every time I’ve done it, I’ve been pretty unhappy, and very often, that thing that I denied myself ended up becoming something I longed for until it consumed me.  And we all know that situation rarely ends well. 😛

As I was thinking about it afterwards, I realized that I am not there anymore.  I don’t swear off things I love anymore.  I have learned how to balance the things I love to eat with the amount of food I should eat to stay healthy, and I’ve learned how to make exercise work for me.  Dessert and sweet treats remain among my favorite things.  I don’t want to give them up, so I figure out how to fit them in my plan.  That might mean I eat a salad for lunch, or run a few extra miles, but I have figured out how to make it work.  One of my favorite treats every year are pączki (what I like to refer to as Polish jelly donuts on steroids).  They’re really only around once a year (Fat Tuesday), so that’s the only time I’ll eat one (like last year).  I can remember many a year where I said no to pączki because I was trying to lose weight or be healthy.  But I also remember how unhappy I was about it, and how deprived I felt.  But now, I know that one won’t kill me, as long as I plan for it and run a few extra miles, and when I have one in a few weeks, I’ll enjoy every bit of it!

So that was the epiphany I had last week.  I’m not perfect, and I have my ups and downs like everyone, but I know that as long as I don’t go overboard, there is nothing I can’t eat.   I did forget it for a little bit, honestly.  I made some black bean brownies last weekend as an experiment (after seeing a lot of people raving about them online, including Heather at Half Size Me*).  I love brownies, and the black beans ones had chocolate and cocoa powder, and of course, they’re much lower in fat and calories when made with black beans, so I thought I’d give them a try.  And you know what? I hated them. 😛  So did my kids, and that was before I told them they had black beans!

After I pawned the rest of the brownies off on my husband (who, surprisingly, really liked them!), I realized that there was no reason I had to eat black bean brownies.  So the next day, I ran six miles and then made one of my favorite desserts:

 

 

Those are Ghiradelli Double Chocolate brownies, with Breyer’s sugar free vanilla ice cream and some Hershey’s chocolate sauce for good measure.  Oh yeah! Worth every point. 😉

 

 

Tomorrow, I’ll be running 9 miles, and I’m thinking about making these brownies again.  Because that’s how I role, baby! 😉  Actually, we have a hockey tournament this weekend, and I suspect we’ll be eating out more often than usual, so maybe I’ll let someone else make the brownie for me. 😀

Thanks for reading!

 

 

*Edited to add link, which I forgot yesterday.  I always try to link to sites I reference, just to be courteous.  I do love Heather’s site and podcast, and I get a lot of inspiration from her interviews.  Check her out if you haven’t already! 🙂

10 thoughts on “Epiphany is a Great Word

  1. MountainHawk

    Somebody once told me celery is a negative calorie food because you expend more calories eating it than you gain from consuming it. My response was I’d rather walk several miles. 😛

    I buy Ghiradelli Dark Chocolate brownie mix and often use applesauce instead of oil. Nobody’s noticed yet.

    Reply
    1. steph Post author

      LOLOL! I hate celery…you couldn’t pay me to eat it. :p

      I’ll try that applesauce idea–I love applesauce, so that sounds like a great compromise!! Thanks!

      Reply
  2. Aileen

    My boys hated black bean brownies! And my husband disliked them too, so into the trash they went.

    I am definitely willing to run for real brownies!

    Thanks for a great blog! I lurk more then I comment, but I really enjoy your blog.

    Reply
    1. steph Post author

      Thank you SO much for stopping by to comment, Aileen! I really do appreciate it. I’m willing to run for a lot of things, and brownies are high on the list, lol!

      Reply
  3. Jenn

    Okay, I confess to having 2 brownie bites, mini strawberry cupcake, and one bacon wrapped date at my co-worker’s going away party today. They were delicious. I couldn’t agree with you more, Steph. Life is too short to be miserable and I would be miserable with out my sweets, but I have learned (partly with your guidance) that treats make for a good life and they can be balanced. And my thought is that even if I have a bad week and have a bit of scale bump once in a while, my quality of life is worth something to and that includes friends, family and dessert. Love you, Steph, and darn if I don’t want another brownie now.

    Reply
    1. steph Post author

      Bacon wrapped dates don’t appeal to me, but wow I love brownies. 🙂 Don’t be miserable sweetie…take it one day and one bite at a time. {{hugs}}

      Reply
  4. Angela @ Honey, I Shrunk the Mom

    I have recently listened to a few Half Size Me podcasts while working out and am really enjoying her style.

    I understand what you mean about your friend denying herself something she might love. For me though, I am finding that if I give myself an inch (for me, it’s eating out and especially pizza) I end up taking a mile.

    For example, if I ordered a carry out pizza from my favorite, favorite place, I wouldn’t just enjoy a simple serving and feel satisfied; I would want more and I would end up going back to the kitchen and grabbing another piece, and then another… until I had eaten way too much of it.

    Doing that leaves me feeling worse than I do when I simply avoid it. Also, that feeling of knowing I “blew it” can often lead to even more over indulging. It’s a double edged sword! Damned if I do and damned if don’t. 😉

    Reply
    1. steph Post author

      That’s a good point, Ang…if it’s something you just know you can’t control yourself around, it’s best to avoid it. I don’t think I’ve found that item for myself yet. But I will let you know! (It’s funny you mention pizza–that was one of those things that was SO easy for me to give up!!)

      Reply
  5. Z

    hey, I agree. If I am off anything I will just eat away the whole day.
    Thanks for sharing your diet coke story with m,e, on my blog. I have warmed that thing in the microwave to sip it in winters :P.
    But I am trying very hard this time. Putting my health first.

    PS- I would love to be 116.8 some day. ( so just you know its a GW for some of us)

    Reply
    1. steph Post author

      Warm diet coke?! Really?! That just does not appeal to me at all! I hope you can kick it for good this time!!

      Reply

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