Better (patent pending) in all areas, starting with my diet.But man, where the heck do you start? I mean, I have a serious love affair with cheese. And I have always put sugar in my coffee. I have an ‘addiction’ to Diet Coke. And I usually wuss out of cooking dinner now that Swiss is in the Sandbox… cereal or Mac ‘n Cheese anyone? I know I make plenty of suspect food choices… a sub without mayonnaise is sacrilegious, sour cream is sent from heaven and... really, I just rely on processed foods way to heavily in general. Shame on me!
I have decided to start sort of small… I’m not giving my diet a complete overhaul, nor am I out to count every last calorie just yet. I truly do love fruits and veggies, I think hummus is fabulous and as a certified carnivore, I love me some protein. I just need to weed out the stupid stuff.
Thanks to Amy (from whom I have stolen almost ALL of these ideas), I’ve taken her lead and have stopped putting sugar in my coffee. I found that if you buy good coffee (CARIBOU!) you don’t have to put the sugar in it. I’ve bounced back up to 2% milk and I am weaning myself off of Diet Coke (but I am not going to give it up completely just yet… one thing at a time folks!). I am buying fruit by the bucketful and trying to eat at least 2 serving a day. Lately cherries have been my snack and dessert. I am also going to buy more produce/perishables, I hate to see it go to waste so hopefully it will help me eat the good stuff! Breakfast is now going to be a protein shake with loads of fruit (which totally gives me an excuse to use my shiny red blender). Lunch will be Kashi (at least while I am working) frozen meals because they usually have lots of vegetables and their grains/pastas are always whole wheat (and the Mayan Harvest Bake is DE-freaking-LISH!). Dinner will be protein plus 2 veggies with a smattering of whole wheat carbs/grains. Snacks? Hummus and veggies, hard boiled eggs or more fruit. FO’ REALS! I mean it this time!!!
The hard part? Keeping this up when Swiss gets home. That man loves him some cheese (read: puts it on almost everything, even stuff that already has cheese on it) and isn’t a huge fan of all the veggies I usually feed him (unless covered in said cheese)... something about excess gas. Aren't you glad you asked? Side note: how he manages to remain so fit, trim and generally free of body fat I will NEVER know. He doesn’t eat fruit (too much work. Seriously, that is his excuse!) and prefers mostly proteins, virtually no carbs unless they are in the form of cereal. But then again, I am the cook so if he wants to eat, I guess he will have to get used to it!
Anyway, this is my plan. I figure that if I write it here, I have to sort of hold myself accountable and not be a flake about it. I've been doing it all this week so far and have noticed a difference in my energy levels and a little in my weight already. AWESOME. So, do y’all have any tricks to weed out the bad and find ways to eat more tasty & good for you foods? Let me hear ‘em if you’ve got ‘em!
6 comments:
OH man, I really think I could have wrote this about 4 months ago. I used to eat waaaay to much processed foods, and I love cheese SOOO stinking much. I started slowly too. Cutty back on sugar, especially in coffee, etc was hard but I hardly notice the difference now. I eat more veggies and I actually buy fruit and eat it.
With that being said... my husband sounds a hell of a lot like Swiss. He eats whatever the hell he wants and is still fit and trim. Makes me sick. But since I do a lot of the cooking (except on the BBQ) it has been easier for me to "force" my better habits on him. I only buy whole grain breads and pastas, and if he wants them thats what he eats.
It wasn't super easy, but once he was used to it, it was much better. And it has helped me maintain my weight. So win win. :-)
My only bit of advice, don't try to do too much too fast or you be scarfing down a piece of cake out of the fridge while no one is around and then run out of the kitchen when you hear someone coming like they are the food police or something. Not like that has EVER happened to me or anything ;-)
Good luck, Im sure you can do it!
Oh my goodness, I can so relate! Just a couple months ago I did the same sort of diet overhaul. I stopped getting frozen foods, I forced myself to buy raw fruits and veggies, I bought sugar free creamer for my coffee, etc. I still let myself eat potato chips every once in a while, because, well, if I didn't possibly the world would come to an end.
At the same time I started walking, just around the block. Now I'm actually jogging and walking, as well as working out upstairs in the bedroom. (I have a fear of the gym.)
I have thighs like sleek torpedos now. (I still can't find my abbs, I'm beginning to think that they're mythological.) I'm so dang proud of myself. However. When Keith gets back, it will be pizza four nights out of seven and hamburgers the other nights. There's nothing for it, I'm already resigned.
Ok, not trying to be a total downer here, but watching my dad go through his battle with colon cancer really demonstrated to me the value of FIBER. Fruits and vegetables, whole grains, nuts, legumes - learn to love 'em. They're good for you overall, they can help with weight loss, and they contribute to good colon health.
Colon cancer sucks. Bran muffins are yummy, especially if you use the kickass recipe I found - Srsly!! ;-)
Yep Kimba- those are GREAT reasons to stay healthy! And yes, fiber is good... I love bran muffins with a bit of honey on them.... you will have to pass that recipe on to me Lady! :)
yayayay! I have a coffee tip - when you make it, shake a little cinnamon in with the grounds, and it cuts the bitterness a lot! and it makes your house smell like cinnamon to boot. That's how I kicked sugar. You can do it!
God bless you for eliminating sugar from coffee b/c I can't do it. I don't like coffee by itself and I don't need it oversweetened, just a bit. I use light powdered creamer too but not too much.
I would weed gradually like someone else suggested b/c if you go full throttle and give up everything, you will be diving into a vat of chocolate (oh, that sounds divine). Sounds like you are on the right path trying to balance out your proteins, carbs, fruits and veggies. If I get a chocolate craving, which happens daily, I have a piece of dove chocolate b/c one won't kill me.
As much as I hate to say, keeping track of my food intake tends to make me stay on the wagon better. I find that when I don't keep track, I don't realize the calories and fat I'm consuming in relation to what I'm burning and it catches up with me. You may not need to go that route and if you are already losing some weight, it might not be an issue.
Good for you getting all healthy.
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