30 for 30 "How Many Is Six??"

Sesame Street...the number of the day..."one...two...three...four...five..six! six! six! six! How many is siiiixxxx?????" So as I was stretching out with Chandler at White Mountain Crossfit at the beginning of day six the conversation turned to this diet challenge. (orcourse!!) I was bragging about how my level of Crossfit Awesomeness was growing daily...(really, I am this pathetic!) I was also complaining that even though I had eliminated the bad foods I didn't feel like I was "doing it right". He looked at me in a puzzled way and said, 'what ever way you are doing it is right". (and this is what we love about Chandler...he just makes you feel better about things!)
My doing it wrong sentiments stem from one of my biggest excuses (formerly reasons) for not participating in structured eating plans. There always seems to be some magic yet confusing formula regarding how much of what exactly you are supposed to eat at a particular time in a particular way to maximize the value of the food you are eating....I think terms like amino acids and enzymes start to be discussed at this point and ofcourse lets not forget the good old glycogen, glucagon, glycemic index....bah! This counting of servings and measuring of foods and combinations of ingredients takes what ever pleasure there was in eating far far away...atleast for me...I can apply this very same exact mathematical process to determining a track work out for a 5000m runner with unabashed glee... so yeah...it's the food...so far I am just eliminating the bad...and replacing it with the good. I have not imbibed ANY processed food in six days...(although the roar of the honey bun singing "Call Me Maybe" from the counter in the pantry has me eating bananas like Curious George..) Day six had me serving Dominos Pizza (hot and yummy smelling) to my children as I rushed from a wake to tap class. My growling stomach was telling me to just eat the damned pizza and be done with it. But it was Gracie (my daughter) who offered support...(and handed me banana) as we rushed out the door. "it's okay Mommy, it didn't taste very good today anyway". I ended up having two pork chops, an ear of corn, and salad for dinner later on so the near disaster was averted.
I really do actually want to learn more about portion size and combinations of food and such, as well as how much I should be eating...but what gets me is that, as a mother of daughters, and a health teacher, and a coach of distance runners, dancers and gymnasts...one of the biggest messages I try to give to young girls is to trust their bodies, and to recgnize that they are FINE just the way they are...(meaning genetics, not poor eating habits). When my daughters ask for a sweet snack my first response is to ask them what they have eaten that day...if there hasn't been enough protein or healthy carbs they know that before they eat the sweet they need to have something healthy first. My youngest, Molly has these answers ready for me before she even asks...or will come in eating cheese and an apple letting me know that she has her eye on the butter crunch ice cream in the fridge so she is having a healthy snack first. What happens more often than not is thehealthy snack fills them up and they do not edd up eating the sweet...and when they ask me if they should eat less or more at a meal I ask them to tell me what their bodies are saying? My daughter Molly is a boredom eater. She opens and closes the refridgerator door all day long. She actually pointed this out to me and will often say "I'm not sure if I am hungry or bored". We get busy with something for a few minutes and then I ask her if she is hungry...again...she is learning about her body and it's quirks and needs.
So as I type this I realize that I do, actually, have a generally good grasp of what good eating habits look like, in a general way, just not in a specific way. I eat when I am hungry and I stop when I am full. (Actually, I don't always eat when I am hungry...this is a lie...I forget to eat all the time...) But I do not over eat and I don't eat just because the clock says I should...I let my body dictate that...(well, my body would disagree with me right now because as I write this my stomach is singing a lovely song remeniscent of a giant Venus Fly Trap singing "Feed Me" to Seymore in Little Shop of Horrors). SO aside from my own scheduling priorities I get it...and as my body gets comfortable with this new way of eating I imagine the details will come to me...and I will learn the magical number of the day and get more out of this than simply the elimination of the bad...Day six consisted of two protein shakes, lots of coffee, three bananas, some grapes, a 3 egg (quack) omelet with salsa, carrots, celery, peppers, mushrooms and cheese, two small bowls of trail mix (nuts and seeds) and the above mentioned dinner...and three bottles of water...no burpees however....it was raining out and when I do them inside my house things fall off shelves. Baby steps....