Food & Self Destruction

So I have not written in a while.  I have the urge to write now because I had a major epiphany.  Ready?

So I LOVE to shop at farmer's markets, Whole Foods, Lois Naturals, Trader Joe's....you get the picture?  I get some weird high off of buying local.  I am addicted to the feeling I get when I see all healthy, whole foods on the little conveyer belt at the grocery store.

HOWEVER....there is this little evil voice inside of me who sometimes says "You deserve a bagel damn it!" or "I am going to eat a whoopie pie today!"  And they shake their mean little fist in the sky.  Then I eat it. In the same fashion an addict would go after drugs.  Sometimes I think afterwards, "did I even taste that going down?!"

I wonder...who am I rebelling against?  I am only punishing myself.  I have no parental figure telling me what I can or cannot eat.  Matter of fact, I am usually alone when I do these destructive things.  I am only punishing my belly, ass and thighs....I am not "showing them" I can eat crap if I want to.  I am hurting myself.

Why would I do that?  I was asked recently how I felt when I took the Arbonne 30-day detox.  I reported that I felt amazing! I felt like the strongest, bravest, woman alive to give up cheese for 30 days.  I felt on top of the world when I proudly ordered my veggie burger wrapped in lettuce instead of a greasy bun.  I felt full of energy.  I felt less puffy and sluggish.  I could not report a single bad feeling.  I lost 15 lbs without exercising or counting a single point or calorie.

So why did I return to my old ways?  Why did I feel entitled to a plate of fries and chicken fingers?  Is this because society sells this stuff so much that I feel like I am missing out??  Maybe.  Is it some deep down anger towards myself that makes me sabotage myself?  Maybe - that is what I pay a therapist for.

I am sure many others have felt this way.  I am pretty confident I am not alone here.  So I am going to proudly and confidently declare - "I DESERVE WHOLE FOODS"  "I LOVE MY BODY & WILL NURTURE IT WITH CLEAN EATING"  "I DO NOT NEED OR WANT DAIRY & GLUTEN"  "I WOULD NEVER POISON MY BODY WITH PROCESSED FOODS OR ARTIFICIAL SWEETENERS"!!

I no longer will tell myself I deserve a dessert or a bag of potato chips.  That is a lie.  I deserve to eat like a queen.  I deserve to eat only the best foods.  Foods grown with love.  Foods that were protected from chemicals and pesticides.  Foods that were made with concern rather than harmful ingredients.  Foods that are fresh and clean.

Do you deserve the same? Or do you deserve chemically processed packaged foods?  Foods that contain additives that make you addicted to their nastiness?

I started my day with a Vanilla Arbonne shake made with almond milk, fiber powder and a mixture of frozen berries.  I had my Arbonne Omega-3 and a vitamin pack for women.  I have packed my Arbonne Nutrition Bar for snack as well as some gluten free brown rice cakes.

We need to change our mindset.  I need to create a new reality.  I hope you will join me.  I believe you deserve it too!

xoxo

Jess

Starting the new year with a CLEAN start

Today is the 1st of a new year.  I decided about a week ago that I would start the first month of the new year on a detox.  I am going to use Arbonne's 30-day healthy living plan.  I will eat clean, organic foods.  I will avoid allergens and addictive foods.  This means I will avoid dairy, gluten, soy, peanuts, coffee, etc.


I prepared myself by spending the 30th and the 31st skipping coffee and diet pepsi (my favorite things to consume).  I also attempted to avoid dairy.  I say attempted because I accidentally took a few bites out of Maya's mac & cheese.  Honestly, this is my problem - right?!  I stick food in my mouth without even thinking.  After I swallowed the bite I thought "WTF did I just do?!?!"  


I think I will give myself credit for 2 or the 3 days as dairy-free.  I am really proud of this because cheese is my other passion.


I planned to start to start this journey on the 1st with the 30th & 31st as a dry run.  Then I realized I did not have the food I needed to be successful.  I have my shopping list ready. I know what I need....I just cannot go shopping until I get paid. 


So....I am committed to a modified version of the cleanse.   I am not throwing out the idea because I do not have the food. I will have my 2 shakes, I am avoiding dairy, caffeine, coffee.  I am eating clean.  I did have peanut butter in my shake because I did not have almond butter.  


I am confident this is better than the eating habits I had 5 days ago! 


So....here we go.  Day by day.  I will be healthy.  I will avoid foods that I am clearly addicted to.  This is not a short term fix.  This is a new path.  I am ready to take it....

My friend Kelly started a blog - it is great!  Check it out at http://kellyannjarrett.blogspot.com/
She is hilarious and her blog today was very thought provoking! Since I was unable to comment on her blog for some reason I will post my thoughts here and encourage you to check her out and follow her.

Kelly encountered a man who would not push in his chair to let Kelly and her beautiful pregger belly slide through.  She was getting increasingly irritated with his lack of consideration for her.  She knew he was aware of her struggle to get through and so was his guests at the table.  Kelly later realized he was a disabled veteran with a bad leg (possibly a prostetic).  Her blog continues to share an additional story.  I love her post because it reminds us that judgments about others can lead to negative treatment.  Negative treatment can lead to negative attitudes thoughts and feelings from the receiver. All of the negativity is NOT GOOD! 

People need to first - mind their biz.  Second (if someone must make it their beeswax) they should think critically about the situation.  You see a person, paying with EBT (food stamps) buy food such as steak and lobster - would you feel better if that person loaded up a ton of junk food?  Because they may also be on state funded health care.  Do you really want them to add diabetes, heart disease, obesity, etc to their current hardship?  No!! Why not eat well with this "gift" (I call it a gift because I know I would feel blessed to have this option if I were in that situation.  I express gratitude for all such gifts).  If I was ever in the situation of needing food stamps I would not suddenly start eating poorly!  That does not make sense.  If anything, it is harder on this person to eat healthy on a restricted budget.

I really encourage people to think more critically.  Think beyond the obvious.  I would have most likely made the same judgment about the gentleman not pushing in his chair so I know that I need to keep my judgments and actions in check.  We all have judgments but we need to be aware of how those judgments impact others.  If we do not think critically we could have given that man less than stellar service, assuming he was a jerk.  Maybe left his food a little too long in the kitchen, did not come back to refill his drinks, etc.  This negative thoughts resulted in action.  His reaction could be to feel discouraged, underappreciated and frustrated - that could carry on to 10 more people who share that negativity with 10 more and so on....

Pass on positive loving vibes, even when people are being jerks - because what you put out in the universe you receive.

Kelly got my heart and mind racing today.  I want to go share love with everyone right now.  You never know what is going on in their world.  Treat each person as if they are wearing a sign that says "Make me feel special".  It WILL come back to you!

Now....go pay it forward!!!

I am a social media COMPULSIVE!

Yep, I am in love with social media.  LOVE IT.

If you do too, why don't you connect with me?  I share tips, videos, health & wellness news, info about products and I give away products!!

http://www.linkedin.com/in/jessicafaircloughphr

www.facebook.com/jessfarbonne

www.twitter.com/jfairclough

Just click the link and you will connect to my network!!

YAY!!!

My Arbonne site

I am so excited because I took the next step to open my online store.  With this store you can have direct access to me!  You can sign up as my customer (this way I can support you with all of your Arbonne needs) and you can have items shipped directly to your door.

I will also have my events posted on the webpage!

Please take a moment to check it out.  I am really excited about offering this to my customers.  It will make your shopping experience much easier.

If you are an Arbonne fan and you have re-directed your spending to Arbonne you may have core products that you order every month.  For me, the specific items change every other month.  For example, last month I got a jar of vanilla protein shake mix, 2 boxes of vitamins, my face wash and some renewal serum, and my hand soap for the bathroom downstairs.   This month I do not need vitamins but I do need more vanilla and chocolate protein powder, my day cream, my body wash and I think I will get a shea butter hand wash & lotion set for the upstairs bathroom.

Why am I telling you this?  I signed up for the special delivery.  Each month I go in and update what I need.  As long as I do it within 5 days of the ship date (the 5th of the month for me) I can make changes.  Those items are ordered for me and shipped out automatically.  My best practice is to update my special delivery throughout the month as I run out of something or notice it is getting low. This way I never run out.  If there is a special (vitamins were buy 1 get 1 half off) I order a few.

The coolest part?  If my order is $150 (retail value) a month, I will be awarded a virtual voucher for $125 every six months!! It is Arbonne's way of thanking me for signing up for special delivery.  So I do not need to go to the store, I plan ahead, everything is shipped to my door each month AND I get $250 in free products every year.  Yep....that's what I said.  "No Brainer".

Let me know if you need help setting this feature up.  When you click "shop online" you will see "Arbonne Special Delivery" to the right of the search button.

See below:

Thank you all for your support and PLEASE do not hesitate to ask me any questions!!

Arbonne Essentials Video

I love this video!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This looks a lot like my life (the product usage at least!)

Bento Boxes filled with nutritious and delish lunch. What's for breakfast?!

I have had a terrible time getting Zanayah to eat a proper breakfast.  We went through a stage when she refused any food in the mornings.  Then the stage when we would discuss AT LENGTH which breakfast she wanted.  Now we have it down pat.

I don't want to be a broken record here but Zanayah loves an Arbonne protein shake in the morning!   I feel great giving it to her because it is vegan, no artificial sweeteners, flavors or colors.  It has 20 grams of vegan protein (cranberry, rice and pea protein) and the vitamins and minerals she needs to get her through the day.  She specifically loves when I make a chocolate Arbonne shake with a scoop of organic peanut butter (our favorite was the fresh pressed honey roasted PB at whole foods) and a half of a banana.  I make her half a serving size because it is a lot for her in the morning.   I blend it with ice in our blender but I also have a great Arbonne cup with the blender ball if we were in a rush.  She could just have that with the protein mix.

I have also made her protein bars with the Arbonne protein powder, organic honey, organic peanut butter and rolled oats.  It is a no-bake recipe and DELICIOUS!  Sometimes I put a bar in her bento box as a snack with some fresh fruit.

My niece has started having a daily shake as well.

So I am really moving my girls over to a more healthy lifestyle and doing my best to remove the chemicals from her life.  I am a busy, working mom with two jobs, two girls, a house and a husband.  I cannot make all of our food from scratch.  I cannot spend a gazzillion dollars on food.  But I can make as many changes as possible in hopes to give my girls a safe and healthy life.  There is so much more pollution, hormones in our food, radiation in our homes, then we had growing up.  I want my girls to get a break from all of it and every change helps.

I also started Arbonne vitamin chews for Zanayah.  They are soft, individually wrapped vitamin squares.  They have a cherry taste.  She likes them and they are (again) vegan!  No gross stuff in there.

So, my promise when I started this blog was to share my tips for raising healthy babes in a busy world.  I am an independent consultant for Arbonne but this also what I chose for my children and myself.

Please feel free to ask questions.  I love sharing my love of Arbonne with people and all that I have learned!

Message me if you want the ingredients and nutritional info for the shakes.  A big jar with 30 servings is just $59 RV. If you sign up as a preferred client you would get a 20% on your products!

Mamas - the Arbonne fizzy tabs are my life saver.  They are individual tablets that you put in a bottle of water.  They are amazing and keep me going all day!!!

I add a scoop of the daily fiber powder to my shakes in the morning, it keeps me full longer!