Food

I couldn't think of what to title this post...in training, eating healthy, new adventure.  Blah... who knows!  All I know is that I'm learning and practicing some new habits with food.  I've said for awhile that I am a healthy eater which really meant that I ate decently healthy meals and then loved a dessert afterwards.  :-)  My meats were always lean and prepared well and I ate lots of fruits but my veggie intake was seriously lacking.  When I bake I like to use wheat flour, that's healthy right?!  Seriously, I have been trying to take care of my body for awhile now but I recently have a renewed interest.  I think it's called "baby weight."  YUCK!  The first time the weight literally just fell off.  This time it has hung around a bit too long.  Along with the baby weight I have been doing some reading and we have watched a few food documentaries on Netflix. 

I have made a few changes...

1.)  Thanks to Forks Over Knives I have decided to start a little vegetarian adventure.  I'm not saying that I won't ever eat meat again (I may eat it tomorrow) but my meals for the last 3 weeks have been meatless and I've really been enjoying it.  The really exciting part is not just that I'm not eating meat, but I am eating a TON of vegetables, which hasn't really happened before.  We used to have our 1 token vegetable at dinner and sometimes lunch would be a salad.  My lunch and dinner plates are now full of veggies! 

2.)  I have kicked a lot of processed foods out the door.  No more crackers, chips, cookies, etc.  I am still eating cereal/granola for breakfast because I can't find much else to eat (any whole food/plant strong suggestions?).  I am also still doing whole wheat pasta and the occasional slice of bread but that is pretty much it. 

3.)  This kind of goes with the above statement of no processed foods but desserts have been limited to one visit to the frozen yogurt store a week.  No more dessert after every meal. 

There are a couple of issues that I am still struggling with though...

1.)  I'm still learning what is healthy and what is not healthy.  The internet is full of information but it's the sorting of it that is the problem.  I recently read that Olive Oil was bad for you.  Everything I have ever read before said it was a healthy fat... that you should not over do.  This article said to stay away from olive oil like you stay away from sugar!  I've read a few other conflicting articles about other "healthy" choices. 

2.)  I'm also learning the difference between eating healthy and eating to lose weight.  Nuts and avocados may be really healthy and I happen to love them both but I'm not sure that they will help on the weight loss journey.  Since I have been eating so many fruits and veggies I have not started with the old standby of counting calories.  However, that may be happening soon..

3.)  I'm also having to acknowledge once again how many of my eating issues are born out of our culture and how I was raised.  Food has always been a reward, used for a celebration or even to make a bad day better.  If I am going to live a healthy lifestyle I can't continue to make food the focus.  We even caught ourselves tonight doing it.  I mentioned our recent trips to the yogurt store.  After dinner Mark spontaneously said we should go get some yogurt.  On the way over I asked him what had spurred the trip and he replied, "It's been a long week and we've both worked hard."  How do we avoid it?  What other ways can we destress/celebrate?  I'm thinking new clothes or pedicures for me!  :-)

I've lost 5 lbs since New Years (bye bye baby weight) and am hoping to lose some additional.  Even if I don't lose more, I'm enjoying the new foods and am hoping to stick with the veggies for awhile...we'll see.  I'm really wanting to do it for myself and my family.  I couldn't stand feeling like I didn't take care of myself so that I couldn't see this sweet face everyday!