It was a cycle: make dinner, eat dinner, clean up, and take the ice cream out of the freezer. I would certainly not eat a whole pint, or even a half of a pint for that matter, but just a few bites. OK, maybe 10. But this was happening every. single. night. Why was I doing this? Was I stressed? Bored? Emotionally eating? Whatever the exact reason, I needed to reassess my actions and bring myself back to a more mindful eating pattern and practice what I preach. (Amen). But this really got me thinking. I am not perfect. Nowhere near it! The fact I am a Registered Dietitian means I took nutrition and science classes in college, while others learned about business or criminology. We studied different topics and chose different career paths. What we have in common are cravings, mood swings, a little stress now and then, and point blank – hunger. Oh, and for all my ladies out there – men skip to the next sentence – during that special time of month I reeeeeaaaaaaally just want to have a brownie! (You can bet that I make a box of brownies once a month, so if you ever visit my house and see brownies on the counter, you know what’s up!) 😉
People often assume since I post a picture of a green smoothie on my Instagram all I do is eat like a rabbit and never enjoy dessert. If you think that about me, then you really don’t know me! But if you are a Dietitian or in the related field you know exactly what I am talking about. When you tell someone you’re going to grab lunch and they say, “Oh, what are you making? A paleo, non-GMO salad with gluten free croutons and a squeeze of lemon for dressing?” Hardy-har… [Tweet “I fell victim to cutting ice cream out of my diet for 1 month, and here’s what happened. Krollskorner.com”] All Dietitian diet judgement aside, I caught myself falling into an unhealthy pattern and wanted to make a change. Hence the 30 days no ice cream routine. I am not Catholic, so I do not participate in “giving up” something for Lent so I consider giving up ice cream in April my own “lent.” To be honest, it wasn’t even that hard. I was tempted a couple times (which is totally normal) – but I stopped the craving by enjoying dark chocolate or popcorn. Even having tea at night helped me halt the temptations. I am sure at some point in your life you have said or thought, “Oh, I could never give up cheese!” (or coffee, or sugar, or Facebook). This is how I felt… – Oh man, give up ice cream for a month? Nooooo possible way! That’s my treat at night! What about that birthday we’re going to? Or dessert on Easter?! Those thoughts ran through my mind and I was faced with a month of learning that perhaps none of that fear is even worth it. I think we can certainly give up things we hold dearly to and take that time to learn about ourselves and show others the initial reaction, “Oh I can never give up ice cream” is false. We can give it up.
During this time of no ice cream for 30 days I learned 2 main things:
1: Giving up ice cream was a great idea for 30 days. 2: I never want to give up ice cream for 30 days ever again.
Confused? I’ll explain. I think refraining from this treat gave me perspective, and I liked that I was so specific with my 30 day rule – “no ice cream.” Many people make a rule to “eat healthier.” Well what is that? Vague goals will give you vague results. I also think I had a compelling reason to give up ice cream for a while considering I was eating it every night. Ew right? Like, summer is totally coming. The reason why I never want to give up ice cream for 30 days again is simply because I don’t want to have that compelling reason to give it up. I need to get back to enjoying ice cream as it is intended – as a treat on a special occasion. Not because I’m done eating dinner and am bored. I want to be transparent to all my readers. I am not as perfect as the photos on my blog may seem and I face similar struggles relating to food just like everyone else. I want to be a resource and inspiration for you to achieve goals and live a healthy lifestyle. What have you given up for 1 month? Or 2 months? Or even a year? Would you do it again, why or why not?? I would love to hear your experience!
Also…TBT to this ice cream I enjoyed at Blog Brûlée 2016! I don’t think I have mentioned yet…but I am going back to Vermont for Blog Brûlée Masters! It is in Vermont again this year and I am SO excited to reconnect with friends I met last year, and meet up with new ones!! I think I know mostly everyone who is going via social media but some I just have not met IRL! Anywho, Dietitians who eat ice cream and network over wine are my kind of Dietitians! 😉
