This weekend was one of those times. As I’ve said before, I do not document everything I eat on this blog. Sometimes I feel like I only cover 50 percent of what I eat in a given day! Though I briefly touched on my breakfast yesterday and my dinners over the weekend, I didn’t document the bazillions of cookies I ate, my latest obsession with coconut butter fingers or the nearly half of a container of cream cheese icing I consumed on Friday.
Truth be told, this weekend I felt like my ratio of healthy eating to unhealthy eating was 15 percent healthy, 85 percent unhealthy. Not so good!
But, what is good, is that I’ve recognized this pattern. It has been creeping up on me for a while now. Unhealthy weekend eats. I need to revisit my own tips for maintaining healthy eating on the weekend. Easier said than done, huh?
What I hope will keep me on a healthy-eating track is remembering how I feel after eating crap-tastic food all weekend. I am left feeling lethargic, bloated and just plain crabby!
It never ceases to amaze me that what I eat not only affects how I feel physically, but how I feel mentally as well. It’s no fun feeling drained. Fueling my body with nutritious foods makes me feel alive, energetic, healthy and happy. That should be motivation enough to remember that my body runs better on nutritious foods.
I’m feeling better already today after eating a healthy breakfast and a veggie-packed lunch.
Lunch
My mid-day meal included a veggie bacon sandwich served on a whole wheat sandwich thin with chive and onion cream cheese, spinach and tomato slices.
Veggie Bacon
Close Up
On the side I enjoyed a sliced orange bell pepper.
Oh veggies, I missed you this weekend.
Upcoming Wedding Q&A Post
I’ve received quite a few emails containing questions about our wedding, how we handled the planning process and more. I figured I would compile these questions into one big wedding Q&A post! If you have any questions you would like me to address in the upcoming post, please leave a comment below or email me at pbfingers@gmail.com.
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I have to ask (although off topic from your Q&A question)… what’s the texture of that veg bacon? it appears to be floppy and… chewy?
let me know if the pictures are totally different from the real thing. 😉
it’s actually crunchy!
Julie, THANK YOU for your honesty and posting this. I think sometimes in the healthy living blog world, it seems that we never admit that we sometimes indulge in unhealthy treats. I don’t find anything to be wrong with unhealthy eats at times, but the truth is, I am with you: I feel better when I fuel myself with good clean wholesome eats. After enjoying far too many Super Bowl treats, I am happy to be back on “schedule” with healthy veggies and fruits!
Weekends are tough, especially Super Bowl Sunday, what my husband and I call the Fatboy Holiday… I feel your pain! My workout this morning was roooough.
Word. I like to indulge every now and then, but I truly love how I feel when I eat a variety of healthy foods. 🙂 On a side note, I can’t wait to get home and make vegan brownies. 🙂
I always give myself “oh, it’s the weekend” excuse! It is so much harder to keep on track when you make excuses.
no kidding!!! i do this too. and then i end up eating cookies for breakfast. and lunch. and dinner. oof.
Weekends are rough. But your lunch looks fabulous! I love the way it feels to eat a big leafy salad after being less than good about eating veggies. Yum!
This post couldn’t have come at a better time. I was home Thursday through the weekend due to bad weather and it was like an eating free for all since we were cooped up all day!! I don’t normally keep that kind of stuff in the house but when it’s there, it’s gone quick!
I definitely had to nip it in the bud yesterday because the bloated tummy is not cute.
Just emailed ya some questions! 🙂
YAY! Cannot wait for the wedding Q & A. I’m emailing you right now some questions 🙂
Hi Julie! I know this is a couple days old, but I have the best recipe with fennel that you should definitely try out!
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/chicken-milanese-with-tomato-and-fennel-sauce-recipe/index.html
I have made this a bunch of times with different changes. Sometimes no bread crumbs, sometimes no mascarpone, but it is always delish! Also, fennel is much cheaper at trader joe’s (around 2.99 for 2 large bulbs!)
Those veggie bacon strips look so good. I always forget to pick them up when I am at the supermarket. I love how the orange pepper just brightens up your entire lunch. So pretty! 🙂
That was totally my weekend as well because we were celebrating our anniversary in Portland and going to some of my FAVORITE restaurants. And oatmeal just doesn’t sound too exciting when you can have pancakes or omlettes or cinnamon rolls. 🙂 But a new week means healthy eats and back to normal life at home. 🙂
Yes, weekend eating is definitely harder to stay on track! What an honest post, though. I think the most important thing during the weekend is to enjoy your food without guilt, but realize HOW you feel after eating some of it. Maybe try getting outside more on the weekends or packing healthy snacks instead of going out too much (b/c foods in resteraunts and on the run can be quite unhealthy). Or incorporating more salads into your meals?
Hope you have a healthy eatin’ Monday 🙂
Wedding Questions:
1. How did you decide who would make the “wedding guest list” cut? (we’re paying for it ourselves, so really can’t have more than 120 people… right now, we’re at 150.
2. How did you make your parents feel special before (and on) your wedding day? It’s nice to have my girls standing up there with me..but my mom is one of my BEST friends too, and I want him to know just how special she is.
3. How in the heck did you decide on a honeymoon destination? We won 2 free tickets to anywhere West Jet flies in that competion (thanks for voting by the way!! <3) and now we are having a tough time deciding where to go! LOL! (I know…not a bad problem to have!)
I think that's it for now.. luckily my best friend is getting married a month before me, so I have her to bounce ideas off of as well. I'm sooo excited you're writing another "wedding-related" posts. It made me sad when you posted the last recap 😉
Have a great afternoon!
4.
I can definitely relate to this post. While I think it’s normal and healthy to let yourself relax a bit on weekends, I also know that for me personally, it’s hard to stop once I start. I always try to remind myself how crappy a sugar hangover is, but since I’m usually drinking along with the eats, that tends to go out the window. It can be really hard to find the right balance!
How many dresses did you try on before you found “the one?”
I’d love to hear about how you handled the financial side of the wedding, setting & sticking to a budget, etc. I’m finding this the trickiest part, especially since my parents aren’t able to pay for it.
I can totally relate. The thing with me is, however, that during the week I live in a dorm and I eat really healthy – effortlessly, without stressing about it or anything. But when I come home for weekends, I’m surrounded by sweets (I’ve never had the habit of buying sweets, so I don’t have a problem with that during the week) and my mom’s baked goods. I think I’ve started connecting sweets with home (and home = comfort), so now I find it harder to stay away or stop once I start.
I don’t mind eating sweets, but I do mind eating them in excess!
I have been doing that lately too… Oh its the weekend so it doesnt count, or oh its Sunday dinner I cant pass it up… I’m getting serious about it this week!! I’m going to check out your tips!
Oh my gosh I’m always like that on the weekend too.
As much as I hate Mondays, I actually welcome them too as I know I will be eating whole, healthy food again, and working out regularly.
My teeth actually hurt so much yesterday from all the sugar I consumed this weekend!
Great post!!!!
Your sandwich looks amazing, by the way!
My weekend eats were getting out of control and then I decided to literally document every morsel food that went into my mouth for 2 weeks on my blog and that got me back on track immediately!
I feel the same way. If only I could remember how miserable my stomachaches are when I go overboard, I might do it less frequently!
I am getting married in December and I remember you said you printed your own invitations. I am trying to save money on this part of the wedding…can you go over the program you used to do this, and where you had them printed? Thanks!!! 🙂
Haha, black hole of eating…story of my weekend!! Seriously, I’m disgusted with myself!! Good for you for getting back on track, I’m hoping my back on track will start…tomorrow 🙂
Most weekends I have a blowout or a “cheat day” and I feel quite yuk the next day. Sometimes, by Monday, I am actually craving a salad. I don’t live with my boyfriend but I’ve realised that when we’re together I eat way more. I seriously think he makes me hungrier! (Or greedier – one of the two :-))
I do this just about every weekend and end up feeling awful to start the week! I visited my boyfriend in Clearwater this weekend and my goal was to not over-indulge in sweets…I actually didn’t a pretty decent job…minus 3 trips for frozen yogurt (with a multitude of UNhealthy toppings) in 3 days and a gazillion jelly bellies (an assortment of ice cream flavored ones of course) 🙂
I have a wedding related question…
How do you balance the expectations and wants of your families with what you want? And then how do communicate between the two families? For example, guest list, location, decor, etc. I’m not getting married any time soon, but I do know that when the time comes there will be drama! Almost seems inevitable…
Just found your blog–love it! I totally agree on eating healthy foods–I can absolutely tell a difference btw eating healthily and not!
I feel better about the pint of Ben & Jerry’s I had over the weekend. 🙂
I am getting married in August and things are getting crazy! I love your invitations! I think you mentioned that you did them yourself. I am also thinking of doing mine myself but I’m not sure where to start!?
I also find that after a weekend of not-so-hot eats, I really really do crave veggies! I can’t wait for your wedding posts… I still think your photos are some of the most gorgeous ones I’ve ever seen!
Ok, this is not related to your most recent post – But I just started reading your blog, and I am already addicted!!!!
Seriously, I love the way you write, your anecdotal stories, and I love all the pictures! Thanks for posting. I just added you to my Google reader…you are officially up there with my local news and local weather! 🙂
P.S. Sadie is such a cutie!
I’m going to start documenting what I eat this week. I hardly ever eat veggies – fruits yeah but veggies not so much.
Plus I’m going to try to working out really regularly lol.
It’s hard coz my family doesn’t eat lots of veggies & fruits – and I can’t cook meals for myself either! (I know you wanted wedding-related Qs but I was wondering if you did a post on how to eat healthy when the rest of your fam doesn’t reeeeally do the same? Thank you Julie! 🙂 )
I definitely know what you mean. I don’t believe in food guilt, but I have definitely felt physically and mentally ill from eating poorly and that bothers me.
I’ve never tried veggie bacon. Does it really taste like regular bacon?
This is such an honest and heartfelt post… thank you for being so open! Everyone deals with this, not just you! And it’s great that you recgonize the pattern, you know where your heart is and what is best for you!
PS.. can’t wait for your wedding recap post!!
Did you have a wedding coordinator? If so, were they hired on throughout the whole wedding process, or did you have a month-of or day-of coordinator? If so, would you recommend doing it that way, or do you think you could’ve gone without?
If you didn’t have a wedding coordinator, do you wish you had one?
I’m getting married in November and trying to decide if it’s worth it to get a coordinator.
Thanks! I can’t wait for your wedding Q&A post 🙂
Good post. It is so true about how it makes you feel after.
I ate okay this weekend, but we had a meeting at work today which meant an unlimited supply of cookies and brownies. I can NOT resist fresh soft cookies and the platter was right next to me. I ate a ridiculous amount, and now feel gross. Can’t wait to burn some of those babies off with Body Pump tonight, and counteract with lots o’ veggies for dinner! 😀
I can completely relate to this post after this weekend!! Super bowl sunday was a bad day for me!! I am absolutely paying for it today and healthy foods are the best fuel!
Good on you! I used to be in a huge rut with weekend eating where I was perfect (read: ridiculously controlling) in the week then just ate rubbish come Saturday. It’s good to nip it in the bud!
I ate pretty unhealthily this weekend, too (superbowl wasn’t a great influence) and am feeling crabby, too. It’s giving me some extra inspiration to eat healthily.
Why don’t you ever post any of the unhealthy foods you eat?
i do… if you go back through my blog, i’m pretty sure you’ll see a plethora of cookies, cake, ice cream, etc. i don’t post everything i eat b/c it’s really time consuming and i don’t want to promote comparisons.
I deal with the exact same thing – some weekends I go crazy and feel like I am starting at ground 0 on Monday morning.
Limiting the alcohol has really helped me control my sweet tooth lately, as well as eating big meals of HEALTHY food so I’m not as tempted!
Thanks for being so honest!
Mmmm…I like the idea of using veggie bacon for a BLT. I might have to steal that idea. *stolen!* 🙂
This says exactly how i’m feeling today. Way too many treats during yesterday’s football festivities. Yikes!
I definitely slipped into that black hole this weekend! I had a giant brunch on Sunday as part of our wedding “tasting,” but tasting isn’t really the right word, it was more like a gorging.
I look forward to reading your wedding Q&A , although I think I painstakingly wrapped up some of the biggest things this past weekend! PHEW!
Hi Julie…my comment below is the same one I emailed you 😉
I followed your wedding planning and you seem to have a balance with dealing with stress.
I am 4 months from my wedding and would like to ask newly weds like you what you would have told yourself a few months ago.
Does the veg bacon really taste like bacon? I have been interested in trying it. Do you recommend a certain brand?
I have been battling my own black hole of unhealthiness today…your post has officially motivated me! I see your Lazy Girl Treadmill Workout in my future tonight!
Haha this is the story of my life / past week! I love baking but have to try sticking with baking on the work days only because then I can take in some of the goodies and not accidentally gorge myself on them.