Hey guys, remember me, the Nutrition Newbie? Well, I've been working hard at maintaining my new, healthy eating plan, which is high protein, low carb, low sugar and high in good-for-you fats. My program allows for a lot of flexibility and there's no calorie counting (score), just lots of clean, fresh meals. But I confess, I fell off the boat last week—and wow could my body feel it.
It all started with an unexpectedly insane work day—one that I didn't plan for in advance with homemade, healthy meals. (That was my first mistake.) I had a 5 a.m. wake-up call—earlier than I usually start my day—so I went right for a giant coffee with milk and sugar.
I managed a healthy breakfast later: a banana, almond butter and chia seeds, but I was out and about during lunch, so I ended up just picking at random things all afternoon instead of eating a nice square meal. Then, it was dinner time. Where even more of the trouble started.
More: The Diet Detective: Fall Into Healthy Eating Habits
The SELF team ordered takeout to the office for dinner (we were all staying late to finish up the March issue for you guys) and I originally only ordered a healthy salad. But since I was so hungry after my day of eating crappy food, I tacked on an order of sweet potato croquettes—and totally downed all of them when they arrived. And while yes, sweet potatoes are a superfood, the way these were prepared took any of the "super" out of 'em: These are mixed with cheese and then fried. I knew they were bad for me. But they were so good and I was so hungry.
And guess what? I felt like crap after I ate them. And I felt like crap the entire next day.
