Step 2- no processed foods

My January 1 change was to eliminate processed foods. At first I thought it would be easy but it is way harder than I thought.

I still eat bread and dairy at this point but all others are out. Here are just a few of the things I am really missing right now:

• Croutons
• Triskets
• Ritz crackers
• Did I mention Croutons
• Lunch meat 
• Sweets
• Diet Coke / Mt Dew
• Cereal
• LUNA bars (my favorite)
• Ranch & Honey Mustard Dressing

Traveling is the hardest.  This past week I was in Chicago and while there are plenty of healthy choices at restaurants, there are a lot of unhealthy choices too.  I did pretty good sticking to my plan with the exception of a couple bites of cupcake.  I was working a booth (like at a trade show) and there was a candy bowl on the table - I broke down and had a TWIX mini and a Starburst!  I know, I know BAD!!!  I will be in McLean, VA and Houston, TX next week so I have a chance to redeem myself!  It helps I travel with my friend Kathryn who eats really healthy!

Here is what I am enjoying right now:

• Salads with vinaigrette dressing
• Carrots
• Cucumbers
• Eggs
• Cheese (I need to start removing it from my diet now)
• Beef and Chicken
• Bacon

My first goal of eliminating Diet Coke and sugary sodas was the hardest and if I am being honest, I haven't succeeded yet.  I have cheated and had a diet coke several times.  I will eventually get there and I go days without it but I would not consider it successful yet.  It is hard to admit failure!  But I don't see it as failure, I see it as motivation.  I am not one to quit or accept defeat so I have renewed energy and will keep striving for the end game.  The end game is to be free from food addictions!  

Let's get this party started!

Bring on the GREENS!!!

So I've been on this journey for almost 2 weeks now and I can say I really don't miss the soft drinks too much.  I know I can keep it up but I do crave them from time to time and I just have to tell myself no.  The same way I have to tell my kids no to ice cream for breakfast.  Ok so this is one step down and many to go.

This next week I plan to start to eat a salad for at least one meal per day - everyday.  There is no better way to eat healthy than to pile a bunch of leafy greens together and add some dressing.  I am not a fan of spinach or kale BUT I do like iceberg so here is the plan.  I will each day mix the 3 with the majority of it being iceberg in the beginning and slowly switching the ratio.  I hope to eventually eat only darker leafy greens in my salad.

A salad for me in my prior life consisted of lettuce, cheese, egg, carrots, cucumber, croutons, bacon bits and some form of meat (turkey, chicken, ham, etc) and of course Honey Mustard dressing.  This week I plan to change that up a bit.  I will drop the croutons, bacon bits, cheese and Honey Mustard for some type of vinaigrette dressing.

In my adventures of working out I have been searching for a good protein powder to put in my smoothies.  I came across a fellow Memphis Thunder Racing member who has been using a JuicePlus Complete powder in hers and she was telling me about it.  I had heard of JuicePlus before but didn't know much about it so she invited me to a tour of the company that makes it.  I was very excited to find a vegetable based protein powder and to be able to tour their facility.  Let's just say I was  BLOWN AWAY!!!

As we walked through the facility the tour guide was giving me the history of the company that makes it, how they support the community, how they are financially stable, and about all the research studies done on their products.  Besides the powder, I learned about capsules they have that are made from whole foods and put into the capsules to ensure you get the nutrients you need.  I know my body is used to living off sugars/carbs primarily so I decided to order some of their products and give it a try.  I am confident it will have an impact on my health.  I am so convinced that I have decided to sell it to!

The Headaches are GONE!!!

Everyone said it would happen and it is true.  I am on day 8 without any sodas and my headaches are gone.  The first 4 days, the headaches were really bad!  I took alot of Advil and it helped but I knew it was still there.   I just can't believe I have no headache anymore!  WHOOOHOOO  YIPEEEEEE

4 days of NO DIET COKE

So I have to say it is easier than I thought.  Ok, so the headaches are AWFUL but other than that, I'm doing good.  I had a small set back today though.  My 3 year old has had a stomach bug and decided to give it to me - UGH!  There was a moment this morning when I got a can of DC out of the refrigerator and almost opened it telling myself I NEEDED it to feel better.  It was in my hand and I had to talk myself off the ledge.  In 4 days, that was really my only moment of true weakness.  I am feeling confident that I CAN do this and I WILL do it.

24 hours down and a lifetime to go...

So here I am 24 hours after the decision to quit!  Here is what it feels like:

• I was yawning at 6:30 last night ready to go to bed
• My head was throbbing when I would stand up
• I went to bed at 8:30
• Woke up at 4:30 am dying for a Diet Coke but chose water and green machine instead
• Went to the gym
• My head is pounding still 
• I'm eating everything in sight

However, I have already had 5 bottles of water today and am ready to fight this.  I feel this bad because I was addicted to the chemicals in soda.  This just makes me mad!  

I am more ready than I ever thought I could be to take on this challenge.  

Week 2 - Thanksgiving Week

Ok so this has been a tough week! I think just knowing I'm giving up sodas has made me crave them more. I have even had a few Mt. Dews which I gave up months ago.

The hard part isn't during meals. I am doing good drinking water with meals. It is when I'm at home or in the car that I want a soda. We did a lot of traveling this week.

I've come to realize too that it is the sugary taste that I'm addicted to. It isn't the carbonation. I've noticed if I drink some Green Machine by Naked Juice my craving stops. At least I know what I'm up against.

So, here is what I have decided. I'm am done drinking sodas as of right now. It is 12:26 on Monday 11/26/12. There, I said it and I'm done.

My sister and my 3 year old son on the Wed before Thanksgiving

I have also convinced my sister to do this with me :) YAY!!!






In the spirit of Thanksgiving I am thankful for:

• Family that supports me in cleaning up my diet
• Friends who spoke up about our food supply and led me to this journey
• Robyn O'Brien
• Farmers that grow healthy food organically
• The internet for providing us with access to Information - good and bad :-)
• All the documentaries that expose what is really going on that no one wanted us to know
• My boys are young enough I still have a chance to teach them the right way to eat real food
• Being healthy enough to exercise 
• Having the guts to try, I mean DO this thing :-)

Week 1 - Making Progress

So after that first day where I drank 1 water before I would have a Diet Coke (DC) it became harder and harder.  Day 2 was good.  I only had 3 DCs and 4 waters so I felt good.  Day 3 however, I rationalized with myself that I could have a drink of the DC then drink the water because I needed to wake up faster.  Well, let's just say that water tasted gross.  I had a really hard time getting the water down.  I finally had to just chug it down so I wouldn't feel bad about it anymore.

I spent some time cleaning out the frig and the pantry too.  I threw away a lot of "bad foods" and replaced them with the good stuff.  In this journey I know it is going to be hard and I planned to do this gradually over time but I just can't stop thinking about how bad it is.  I am not saying I am going ahead full steam but I am going to make smarter choices.  For example, I bought Almond Milk instead of regular milk, and I did get the yogurt again but I got plain and will add my own fruit to it.  I also got some Almond/Rice crackers vs my regular Ritz crackers.  The trick will be getting my kids on board.

As I packed my 6 year old's lunch this morning I kept thinking about how hard it is going to be to get them on board.  I put in his lunch Annie's version of Goldfish, Pretzels, Ritz Bits Peanut butter, and a turkey sandwich on whole grain thin buns.  I know it isn't as bad as it could be but I am not sure how I can get him to eat better.  I need to do this gradually as I know he will just not eat so any advice out there is welcomed.  You always hear, replace the sandwich with a salad - well, I've been trying for a while now to get him to eat a salad with no luck.  He acts like he is gagging - ADVICE???

Anyway, the rest of the week was fine.  I never had more than 3 in a day.  Progress!

I have gotten a lot of questions of WHY?  It is hard to answer but here are a few reasons:

1. I just turned 40 so I thought I should start to act like an adult and eat adult foods and take better care of my body
2. I know aspertame isn't good for you
3. I need to hydrate myself better
4. I want to be healthier to be on earth longer for my family
5. I don't want my kids to grow up with bad habits and I believe you lead by example
6. I don't know - maybe it is my mid life crisis to torture myself

So that is it, off to week 2 - maybe I can get to only 1 or 2 a day this week.  I only have 1 more week until I quit them forever!