Day 20 to Day 23 - 24 Day Challenge

So there’s a reason they call this the 24 day CHALLENGE. It’s hard. It’s really hard. Taking the supplements on time, drinking enough water, staying away from white bread and alcohol and fried food for more than three weeks…

Before I decided to take this challenge, the longest I’ve even gone without cheating on my diet was like 8 days. On the 24 day challenge, I was able to complete the entire 10 day cleanse phase without cheating, breaking my own personal record and getting me to my lowest weight (that I know of) of 179.6.

Since then, while my energy has been through the roof and my workouts have been crazy intense, I haven’t been eating the best. Stress eating always has been (and probably always will be) a problem for me. So when my hubby was laid off on Day 13, I freaked out a little. When I was reassigned at work on day 15, I freaked out a little. And when I looked up on Day 17 and it was a week until Relay for Life, well, I freaked out a lot. I’ve still been working out like crazy at least every other day (mostly every day, but I’ve missed one or two days) because my energy level is in the stratosphere. But my eating has been less than great.

I’d like to take a moment to clarify that my eating habits are not the result of cravings. I have been craving free since like…day 8? Somewhere in the cleanse phase. I haven’t for a second thought  “omg McDonalds” or “omg Whataburger” or “omg Olive Garden”. None of that. Food doesn’t actually sound good to me. This is a stress eating thing.

And it’s not like I’m doing something omghorrible. I’m eating dinner. Something most normal people do! But in the last 14 months since I’ve started losing weight, I haven’t had dinner. Special occasions, cheat meals, yes… But I’ve never actually had a dinner meal consistently due to the fact that 6/7 days of the week I come home from the gym and pass out. But something about the stress in my life right now screams “eat dinner!” and so I’ve been eating dinner. It hasn’t been healthy, it hasn’t been cute. But it’s been helping me feel like an actual person. And that’s cool. Yolo.