Friday Confessional: Let them eat cake (or pie)

In my typical multi-tasking fashion, I am sitting (at work) working on month-end accounting processes, scrolling my Twitter feed, checking the latest posts on the Eat to Perform forum, trying to conjure up some near-term future fitness goals.. all while eating my second piece of pumpkin pie for the day, making my total slices of pie consumption for the week: 8. Maybe. Costco slices may account for more than one serving.

The way to my heart is with pumpkin pie. And then I’ll resent you for letting me eat a whole pumpkin pie. Not that I’ve ever done that..

— Jennifer (@winetoweights) October 30, 2013

This is on top the loaf of paleo pumpkin bread that I baked to divert my attention from this seasonal delicacy. And the snack-size Butterfingers that showed up on my desk twice this week. And four Oreos that fell out of that sleeve that has been safely secured in my pantry for months.

With everyone posting about how to avoid Halloween candy or healthy alternatives to traditional desserts or preparing for how to boost your willpower to avoid indulging around the holiday season, it got me thinking about my relationship with the “unhealthy” goodies. I recently started to believe that foods either make you more healthy or less healthy. And mowing down on pumpkin pie until it is either gone or until have a miserable bellyache does not make me more healthy.

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I am probably in the minority of girls who can live without chocolate, and perhaps one of the few people who could continue to live happily ever after if I never ate ice cream another day in my life. I have easily said no to bread and pasta over the past year (which were previously major staples in my diet), yet still have a major weakness for pumpkin pie.

Am I still able to hang with the cool kids in the healthy living community if I am currently considering a third piece of pie post-lunch? Can I still be concerned (and still borderline obsessive) about my health and fitness if I am drooling at the thought of the gourd-based dessert and give into temptation every time? Absolutely.

One of my goals over the past year has been to gain weight (I equate getting bigger as getting stronger), and doing it the cleanest, healthiest way possible is impossible quite difficult. I have been consuming nearly 3000 calories a day since I started upping my half marathon training and now that I am back Crossfitting 5x a week, it’s not like I no longer need that many calories. My weight has stayed virtually the same for the past six months, fluctuating from 132-134#. Now that my strength training is more consistent and less running-focused, I am thinking my body may start to adapt but I really do not think I am working off more calories than I am taking in. Thank you, high metabolism.

This is what 2700 clean calories a day looks like.

To stay in line with my goal to gain (or not lose) some weight, I am going to continue to eat the way I have been eating recently: lots of eggs, meat, veggies, fruits, healthy fats, and rice post-workout. I will probably still make some more paleo pumpkin breads because it’s delicious and my pantry is almost always fully stocked with all of the ingredients.

But I am also going to enjoy my pumpkin pie when it is presented in front of me at work. Or at Mom’s house. Or Granny’s. Maybe an over-sized pie may fall into my basket next time I am at Costco. And since it’s seasonal and a perfect time of year, I am going to indulge in some local hot apple cider and donuts as well.. and am fully looking forward to doing so this weekend.

Pumpkin pie, cider, and donuts may not ideally fit within anyone’s perception of ideal and perfect health, but as long as it is not preventing me from reaching any short-term goals (as in, if I start having major sugar comas or sleep issues or poor workout performance..), I see no reason not to enjoy while I can.