I have decided to make a BIG move for my health. I am ceasing to eat processed foods. I want to be healthier. I need to be healthier. So, I’m committed to eating clean–as clean as possible for the next 363 days (I already have two under my belt).
I thought it would be hard on vacation, but it’s pretty easy to eat fresh foods and protein. I’m not being a fanatic about it, but am being really careful.
It’s amazing how much better I feel even after just two days.
Got your attention did I? We have all been in a relationship that went on too long–even though it was over and so not good for you. But it was easy. So much easier than working at a real relationship. Well I am in one of those relationships right now. With Sugar and junk food. I beckon when it calls–regardless of the time of day or what I am doing. And I keep saying, “I am never going to see you again.” Well then it calls and I show up. Well, it just has to stop. I feel like crap and look a bit like it too. Just like with that bad relationship (if you can even call it a relationship), I have to respect myself and tell the sugar and junk to lose my number and stop calling me.
Then you see each other at a party and it makes perfect sense to “hook-up.” It’s just this one last time. Well, that one last time lasts for years and then where are you? Right where I am actually. So sugar and junk, I am breaking up with you for good. Maybe we’ll see each other around at a party or out, but you aren’t coming with me and I won’t be paying you any attention. You don’t deserve it. What have you ever done for me other than make my ass bigger and my clothes tighter?
What do you need to say good-bye too?
I will be 40 in just over 12 months.
I always thought, believed, hoped I would be in better shape and thinner by now. But the truth is I’m not. For the three of you who have been reading my blog for a substantial period of time know that weight has always been an issue for me and I am just now coming to grips with what that means in terms of my life and the choices I make. It means changing the way I see and think about food. It means changing my relationship with exercise (even if it’s 100 degrees).
I committed (finally) to being in great shape by the time I turn 40. That means eating a mostly whole food diet, exercising regularly and shedding on average 7 pounds a month. I am worth it and I owe it to myself and my family to follow the example I expect my children to follow.
Here is my second whole food meal-shrimp, quinoa, poblano chiles, edamame, goat cheese and cilantro.
Soda that is. I haven’t had a drink of diet anything since Sunday night. I am a religious soda addict drinker. I would often have multiple sodas open around the house so that I was never too far away from one. But as part of my whole food eating plan–soda and anything artificial is a no no. Sugar is too so there won’t be any real soda either. I have made a relatively slow transition to the whole food eating–that’s really to say that I have had a piece of chocolate each day. Today will be my first day without it. I haven’t been 100% religious as today I used bottled salad dressing that has a tiny bit of sugar in it. But I have been trying. It’s easier than I thought but really is time consuming and for someone like me who really is often crunched for time–it certainly would be a lot easier to pop a hot pocket in the microwave and eat that instead of eating a sweet potato at 9 after I put the kids to bed. But It is what it is and sweet potatoes rock.
One thing I have done to help is I ordered produce from a coop. Picked up my first order last night. Can’t believe what I got for $23:
5 apples
5 oranges
7 clementines
2 yams (about 2lbs each–they are huge)
2 heads of romaine (again–huge heads)
2 tomatoes
1 carton cherry tomatoes
1 carton mushrooms
1 bunch bananas
1 cucumber
2 grapefruit
4 pears
1 bunch cilantro
3 bunch green onions
2 broccoli crowns
1 dozen eggs
2 10# bags of red potatoes (if you live near me and need some potatoes let me know–I certainly won’t be eating all of these)
I know there were a couple more but I can’t remember right now. Anyway as you can see it’s a lot. I am not sure how I am going to eat it all but you can bet I’ll be looking for some recipes for potatoes–any suggestions? While ideally our coop would be organic (it isn’t) but I can make due. I hate the ideas of chemicals, etc., but the coops are hoping to move toward organic as they get more and more members. I’ll probably still by some organic produce (the stuff the kids really like to eat).
So, week one is almost done–my go to meal has become: quinoa, sweet potato, onion, mushrooms, spicy tomato sauce and a pinch of goat cheese–I either it it vegetarian style or will throw in chicken or shrimp. It is delicious. I try to make enough so that I have leftovers for lunch the next day–the kids like it too. I also love tossing some quinoa in my salads–nice added texture and flavor.
What are some of your healthy eating tips? Don’t forget about the potatoes–what am I going to do with those?
It is no secret around these parts that I struggle with weight and want to lost weight. There is this one problem–I absolutely love food. All food. I enjoy it and I love flavors and textures, etc. I love it all. I have worked hard at “dieting” and counting calories and exercising but have yet to find the approach that is best for me. It isn’t as simple as I want to lose weight–I have PCOS which screws with my hormones and with how I digest foods, etc. While in theory it is as simple as calories in vs. calories out–not all calories are created equal. Not all calories are processed the same in our bodies, etc. So, where is this boring lecture on food stuffs going you ask? Well, I am adopting a whole food way of eating.
I am cutting out processed foods and most meats–unless they are fish or lean grass fed beef or lean pastured chickens. I am going eat foods that come in their natural state. I am giving up caffeine and soda. I drink only diet soda–but as soon as my stash of soda is gone at home–I am done with it. I am going to eat better to feel better. I am going to stop counting calories as the way of losing weight (I’m still going to count to make sure I am eating a good amount of calories). I am going to treat food as fuel and recognize that the type of fuel I put in my body is important.
This change is going to happen over the next two weeks-so by the end of the first week of March, I have made the complete transition. I am looking forward to seeing the effects this has on me and my family. I will be slowing changing the kids over to a whole food diet–they eat pretty good as it is now–but there are some things that are not the best for them and I will be slowing ridding the house of those items.
Any of you out there eat a whole food (or clean) diet? How did it work for you? Any advice?
Embracing Imperfection 