Chose this blog because the title is still apt. I want my healthy life going forward to be filled with bottomless salads! My favorite food. So many possibilities.
I'm currently at the heaviest I've been in a while, about 165 lbs. It doesn't feel good. I had some tough stuff go down in the last year and it made it hard to get motivated. But I'm ready. And it can't be a "diet"; it has to be something I can sustain, because now that I'm 32, it's only going to get harder to lose weight, stay in shape, etc.
I'm not good at diets anyway. I've lost weight/gotten in shape two major times in my life (dropping up to 40 lbs.) and it was not based on any particular diet. The way I did it was: Eat less. Eat better. Exercise more (though sporadically). The first time I did it I was in high school, still eating my mom's dinners so I couldn't really control everything; I just ate about 1/3 of what I had in the past, and turns out, I wasn't hungry. Sometimes it takes me years to realize, "you know, hey, I don't really feel that good when I eat a whole box of mac and cheese!"
I'm lucky in that I grew up vegetarian (until age 12) and not allowed to eat sugar. I don't have a sweet tooth or crave soda. My vices are salty and carby: pasta, bread, cheese. I don't want to ever tell myself I have to give something up forever, but I'm OK cutting down.
It's just so hard to get started. It's funny because once you do, you feel so good! And it can be self-perpetuating. But you have to be in the right place. Springtime is always good for me--it's warm enough to be outside, things feel springy and lovely and inspiring.
My goals for the next few months:
- Make healthy choices for food, don't buy lunch (unless it's from Whole Foods); cook mostly vegetarian, avoid carbs (yay cauliflower rice!) and try new recipes;
- Indulge only once in a while in things like takeout and pizza, and eat those things with extra awareness;
- Drink plenty of water all day long, especially when I first wake up;
- Get some exercise. Baby steps. Use my pup Keema as inspiration, she needs exercise too! Trying to jog (slowly) to the dog park every morning that it's not pouring rain;
- Try some Pilates again, love the way it made my body look.
- IMPORTANT: Cutting down on alcohol calories. I'm never going to quit drinking, but not allowed to drink alone, and try to stick to a 2-drink max. Going to be tough!
Spontaneous Beyoncé dance parties on rainy days!
I'm going to be monitoring my progress on these pages, posting some photos or links to what I'm eating, and hopefully including some non-health obsessed stories along the way.
Today I did very well. Jogged for around 30 min with Keema, and ran around dog park with her.
Breakfast: One piece Ezekiel toast w/ butter, and a green smoothie.
Lunch: WF orzo salad over greens, with homemade dijon vinaigrette.
Afternoon snack: Prunes
Dinner: Lots of chickpea/onion/tomato/spinach curry (followed this recipe more or less), with full-fat greek yogurt and cilantro on top. Served over orange cauliflower rice, which was really good! Also felt hungry later and made popcorn with butter.
My yummy veggie curry dinner.
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