I grew up in a small town and ate whatever my parents put on my plate. Well, mostly what they put on my plate. You see, I was a very picky eater so what the family had for dinner wasn't always what I had. I sometimes got my own meal because I didn't LIKE what the rest of the family was eating.
One of my fondest memories was in the 3rd Grade I had a teacher named Mrs. Walker. She was a very strict teacher and I was really scared of her. The way I remember it was that at lunch they were serving spaghetti and that was one of those meals I didn't LIKE. I remember her "making" me eat the spaghetti and I vomited all over the floor. I'm not sure if she actually made me or just suggested, I'm also not sure if I was already sick or what by in my 8 year old mind, the spaghetti made me sick and it was all her fault. So from that time I would use this to make sure I LIKED what was on my plate.
I can remember in High School, every day after school stopping at the local Hardee's and getting 2 cheeseburgers for the ride home. I was not a heavy child either. I was probably 5'5" and 115lbs so I didn't think it was bad. I would eat whenever and whatever I wanted with no regard to it at all.
When I got to college, I was danced on the POM squad at our school which was ranked number one in the country for the previous 7 years. This was the first time I ever heard that food wasn't just food but there were good foods and bad foods. I remember drinking a SunDrop and my coach freaking out. I never did that again. We had weigh ins every week so my diet soon became a combination of baby food, tuna fish and baked potatoes. This consumed my every thought. I was worried about what foods were going into my body. I probably only consumed 600 calories of "food" and the rest was from alcohol. Not to mention we practiced 3 hours a day and I usually didn't make my weight so I would have to run an extra 2-3 miles after practice. So I worked out approximately 3.5 to 4 hours a day / 5 days a week not to mention games.
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| 1.5 months after baby #2 and a long way to go! |
After my POM years I didn't really do much exercise wise. I would run 2-3 miles a couple days a week and ate whatever I wanted. My weight fluctuated between 120-130 for a good 10 years. Then I had children. With each of my kids, I gained 50-60 lbs. I was able to get the weight off after by exercising and taking Phentermine to curb my appetite. I also worked with a personal trainer 3 days a week. It was hard work but I loved it. I started getting into running marathons and triathlons. I have even competed in 2 half IronMan competitions since then but I always felt like I should look more fit than I do because I worked out so much.
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| After baby number 2 - starting to slim down |
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| Running and Running and Running but still looking flabby. |
I was forever changed when I saw a Facebook post by a coworker out of another state that said he felt better than an 18 year old one day. I started watching his posts and finally asked him what was up. He told me to watch the documentary "Fat, Sick & Nearly Dead" and that was it. I started researching and finding all kinds of information about our food supply and GMOs and wow was it overwhelming but I still couldn't MAKE myself eat better. I started buying organic veggies and fruits, grass fed beef, organic chicken, etc but I still made it back to eating mac and cheese, eating out, etc.
If I now know how bad our food is and that my eating is killing me, why can't I change? I know every time I drink a Diet Coke how bad it is but I can't stop. This is an addiction that is worse than any other. I am addicted to bad food. How do I stop?
I have made the decision to stop!
That is it - I have to want to and make the decision to so here is my plan. I am going to take out one of the bad habits and replace it with a good one, one month at a time. So I decided I need to write it down and hold myself accountable while sharing it with all my friends and family so they can hold me accountable too.
December 2012- NO MORE SOFT DRINKS and only drink water from now on!!! Wow, I said it, now let's see where I can take it.
January 2013 - cut out all processed foods - I already don't eat that much so this should be ok but this means for my kids and husband too. Fixing lunches will be a challenge so I will be looking for helpful ideas.
February 2013 - remove dairy - whew this will not be easy because cheese is my major comfort food. It is my "go to" food when nothing else sounds good. I each cheese on everything and with everything.
March 2013 - remove all breads and gluten. This is going to be a challenge and maybe even harder that the dairy.
April 2013 and beyond I plan to eat only vegetables, fruits and lean meats. It sounds so simple but I know it will be hard.
So, here I go!
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