Day 50

Happy Hump Day, everybody!  Although this particular Hump Day is extra hump-y for me, because it is Day 50: the mid-point of 100 Days to Great.  (If you giggled at the word hump-y, I salute you.)

Mid-points are awesome.  They signal the moment you become closer to the end of a journey than the beginning of it.  That being the case, it's dawning on me that before too long, I will leave the safe confines of this program.  Right now, eating as healthily as I ever have is easy in part because all of my decisions are pre-made for me.  I don't have to think much about what I'm eating (or not eating).

In another 50 days or so, however, the choices will be all mine again.  In a recent post, I mentioned that my current nutritional regimen has grown to feel natural and unforced.  That remains true, and will make transitioning back into the wild a little easier.  With several weeks left to prepare, here are 5 lessons from this program I'll take with me after all is said and done:

1. I don't know if I'll ever eat fast food again.  Between a hectic job and crazy fast schedule between work and school, fast food was creeping into my eating habits and becoming a regular thing.  Now, just thinking about the way my body felt after eating it is enough to dissuade me from wanting to do it again.
2. Eating every few hours has definitely helped regulate my energy throughout the day.  Again, that hectic schedule can be a pain, but I've noticed a serious difference in my energy levels between eating 3 large meals (600-700 calories) at roughly 8AM, 1PM and 6PM compared with eating 3 snacks (250-300 calories) and 3 small meals (400-450 calories) at roughly 7AM, 9:30AM, 12PM, 2:30PM, 5PM and 7:30PM.  I feel much better with the latter.
3. Eating the right snacks also helps me feel more balanced energy throughout the day.  Gone are the days where I run to the vending machine for a bag of peanut M&Ms and convincing myself that's the best option given limited time.
4. Not having a veggie and/or fruit present in virtually all snacks & meals feels weird to me now.  This is the polar opposite of where I was when this started, when having a veggie or fruit felt forced.
5. I miss alcoholic beverages, but in the way I thought I would.  Early on, cravings were definitely dependency-based.  Somewhere along the way, though, the cravings became sensory-based - taste and temperature.  It also became not just about alcoholic beverages, but other caloric beverages like milkshakes.  When this journey ends, all these "caloric beverages" will count one and the same as something to be enjoyed on special occasions, and enjoyed well.  No more cheap stuff.  I'll want good stuff I can savor nice and slowly.