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WE INTERRUPT YOUR REGULARLY SCHEDULED BLOG POST TO BRING THIS IMPORTANT INFORMATION....

I had my regular blog post all written up and ready to go....until last night.

I was headed out the door, and just wasn't feeling right. I've been going through perimenopause (SO NOT FUN!). Hubs was feeling a little under the weather for a few days. I've been refocused on my eating habits since Thanksgiving because I ate whatever I wanted for those few days.

I felt off. Not good. Not SICK, but not good.

I've been focusing on water and green tea, cutting back on sugar, eating whole foods, getting my body gently moving again (walking, toning, stretching) since the beginning of the week.

Logically, I'm thinking, "I should be feeling pretty good. I've been doing all the 'right' things. Unless I'm coming down with whatever Hubs had, I should NOT be feeling so crummy. What gives?"

It took me a couple of hours to realize this was just my body going through the process of adjusting to not having to deal with all the excess crap I was shoveling in my face for 3 solid days, and then going back to healthier eating.

Don't get me wrong. You should have the ability to eat what you want and if you go all out over a holiday, it doesn't make you a bad person or anything else. It's fine to celebrate and enjoy yourself.

But there is a price to pay for that, too.

There is a LOT of metabolic science involved, but the GIST is that when you eat excessively, eat too much "junk", and overload your body with too much sugar and fat and other caloric garbage, those calories don't get burned right away.

Your body stores them in the adipose tissue as fat.

Most of us know this.

What we don't always consider, I know I don't always remember it, is that when those substances get stored in the fat cells, ONCE YOU ARE IN A CALORIE DEFICIT AGAIN THOSE SUBSTANCES ARE UNLOCKED AND RETURNED TO THE BODY TO BE PROCESSED AGAIN!

You eat cheesecake, mashed potatoes and gravy, and processed-cheese dip. Anything the body doesn't burn for energy after digestion, absorption, and distribution of nutrients and "fuel" throughout the body (I am keeping this VERY basic, please don't come after me about not getting super specific about the metabolic process!), it goes into the fat cells.

NOW, you're eating better, moving more, and your body is having to unlock the energy stored in the fat cells. But that means all the "crap" you ate (the chemical by-products of those foods) is now back in the blood stream, being processed by the liver, being transferred to your cells, sorted out again, the metabolic junk is rejected and sent back through the blood stream again to be filtered and dealt with.

THIS IS WHY PEOPLE WHO ARE TRYING TO LOSE WEIGHT FEEL TERRIBLE SOMETIMES. Your body is dealing with the unhealthy substances that have been stored in the fat cells.

The GREAT news is - this too shall pass. Your body will get through it. 

The best things you can do:

1. Keep Drinking LOTS of Water! It helps keep the metabolism working, the filtration process running, and helps your body flush the excess by-products out of your system!

2. Focus on Fiber. Whole Grains. Fruits. Vegetables. Beans, Lentils, Peas. This ALSO helps do a "deep clean" of your body, attaching to the by-products and cleaning out the junk.

3. Keep Moving. But also be gentle. You don't have to go crazy at the gym unless you just WANT to! This keeps the metabolic process humming, deceases insulin resistance, helps to continue the filtration process.

4. Don't Forget Your Protein. Proteins are the building blocks of ALL parts of the body. So don't skip or skimp on Protein. Animal and plant sources are all acceptable. It helps keep your metabolism working, keeps your body burning calories, and also helps with filtering out the junky by-products that are released from the fat cells as the energy is being unlocked. (Again, the simplest explanation, the process is more complex than that!).

So, if you're getting back to healthy eating or are just getting started, please know that if you feel kinda crummy during the first few days or weeks it won't be that way forever. Your body will adjust, you will process through the junk, and your metabolism will continue to run and make adjustments as your body works on the "clean up". Stay steady. You've got this!

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