There is jumping off the wagon, running in and grabbing some chocolate and hopping back on, and there is jumping off the wagon, turning around with a bazooka and blowing it up! Who would have known that you could get bazookas in Bali?
How it happened..
I could say that part of the reason that we have been eating non-Paleo food, is because being in South East Asia and eating new foods means (or in other words, here are a bunch of excuses):
- Not really knowing dishes well and their names or ingredients eg. if they come with noodles or rice and I am hungry, what is a girl to do..oops!
- Language barriers prevent asking for no sugar please, and other Paleo requests…sugarand milk in my coffee..oops again!
- Constantly eating out, who knows what is in that food and sometimes, I would rather not know. It is true I have missed my kitchen, but eating out is so relaxing…well most of the time, with a four year old it can be occasionally painful.
- and the lack of local knowledge, to find the right restaurant or supermarket to source out the good stuff, so we often settle for that nearby pizza place with the cartoons showing, from the projector..excuse me for wanting a bit of peace and quiet..
All of these things and basically a huge lack of discipline and loads of emotional eating (and just cos some of that other stuff just tastes so bloody good), have played a role in our family’s accelerated cheating.
Or maybe it is knowing that we will be doing the Paleo in Paradise in a few months!
https://www.crossing-bridges.com.au/paleo/30-day-challenge-in-thailand/
I kept remembering Michelle Tam from Nom Nom Paleo, when she was in Chiang Mai eating Kao Soi, which is a noodle dish, eating and loving it and then saying ‘ it’s not Paleo, but I am on holiday.’ I have to say that that kept my cheating going too. Using a well respected Paleo figure as a scape goat? Could I stoop any lower?
The three signs that show I have gone way too far…
- Weight gain and the return of the muffin top.
Everyone is different and it will depend on how much exercise you have during your cheating periods, but inevitably you will put on some fat or even a change in body shape – this is enough motivation to start building that new wagon and jumping on it..
I came on holiday with my favourite grey shorts, that have always needed a belt to hold them up, something I have always been proud of. BUT, guess what? I don’t need a belt any longer. Oops again!
2.That late afternoon energy dip has returned, together with grumpy me.
Not good for me, not good for the family. Worst part is, we all fell off the wagon together, limbs entangled and dust in our mouth. We all have grumpy spells and an afternoon dip – not fun. This in itself, should be enough motivation to get back on the wagon,just for the sake of family relations. BUT eating out, not having to cook for everyone three times a day…and the food here – oh my God to die for!!
3. Lack of sensitivity
This is the worst sign for me personally and when I know that I have gone way way way too far. And I mean to Jupiter or that new planet that was recently discovered, Kepler. It’s when I no longer have a reaction to the naughty food.
Normally, if I have gluten or sugar or processed foods, I notice it immediately in my gut. The bloating is painful and uncomfortable as my body effectively communicates with me and I am grateful that I know the difference. Now, pfff, after my Easter escapade I felt nothing, chocolate, croissants even pizza – yes I know, I am ashamed. The worst part was, I didn’t even feel yukky afterwards. The ultimate sign that I have gone too far.
Now that Easter has come and gone and we are heading home on Saturday to my kitchen, my Thermomix and my pantry, you will see me gracefully manouvering my wagon around town from store to store gathering all the necessary ingredients and then off to CrossFit I go.