Remember how I said I really only have two resolutions this year? Finishing the rough draft of the current WIP and losing some weight. Well, I really am working on both of those things, but for tonight I feel like writing about resolution #2.
Outside of pregnancy, I'm the heaviest I've ever been. Not an easy thing to admit, not even to myself. Between moon-faced pictures and an uncomfortable wardrobe, though, there's really no denying it. It's time to make some changes in my life and take a serious look at my food choices, all of which were terrible.
With a new year ahead of me, I decided this time there's no trying; this time I'm doing it. I'm going to make some significant changes and stick to them. Of course, I know how hard dieting is because, believe me, this isn't the first time I've attempted to shed a few pounds. I also am fully aware of how difficult it is to get rid of old habits and create new ones.
This isn't going to be easy.
But it doesn't have to be painful. I can't expect to drop the weight overnight or even in the first few months. It took a long time for me to get to where I am today and my metabolism is acting its age, the bitch. This means it's going to take a long time for me to get where I want to be.
So, after hearing a few rave reviews about incorporating raw foods into your diet, I decided to look into it for myself. For the most part, I like what I see. Here's how I plan on starting:
Also, milk. Not sure I can completely give up milk, either. I justify this (during my first week of attempting to go raw) by rationalizing that I hardly ever drink milk anyhow.
I realize this may sound crazy and extreme, totally off the deep end, but I'm really hoping it works. I'm hoping it not only works, but that I enjoy the variety of foods I'm going to be sampling.
Outside of pregnancy, I'm the heaviest I've ever been. Not an easy thing to admit, not even to myself. Between moon-faced pictures and an uncomfortable wardrobe, though, there's really no denying it. It's time to make some changes in my life and take a serious look at my food choices, all of which were terrible.
With a new year ahead of me, I decided this time there's no trying; this time I'm doing it. I'm going to make some significant changes and stick to them. Of course, I know how hard dieting is because, believe me, this isn't the first time I've attempted to shed a few pounds. I also am fully aware of how difficult it is to get rid of old habits and create new ones.
This isn't going to be easy.
But it doesn't have to be painful. I can't expect to drop the weight overnight or even in the first few months. It took a long time for me to get to where I am today and my metabolism is acting its age, the bitch. This means it's going to take a long time for me to get where I want to be.
So, after hearing a few rave reviews about incorporating raw foods into your diet, I decided to look into it for myself. For the most part, I like what I see. Here's how I plan on starting:
- Buy Complete Idiots Guide to Eating Raw & The Raw Food Detox Diet (information and recipes!)
- Bookmark sites like this, this, and this.
- Introduce more salads and fruits into my diet. The fruits should help with the cravings for sugary sweetness.
- Cut out processed food, including prepackaged lunches and junk food of every variety.
- Figure out what grocery items I can't live without. Cacao may be the most expensive item I'm considering tracking down because I can have desserts as long as they're made from raw ingredients! That being said, I'm not going to purchase it until I've made up my mind on the likelihood of this diet sticking around for longer than a month or two.
- Remind myself that this isn't a diet. I'm changing my eating habits to include more healthy choices.
Also, milk. Not sure I can completely give up milk, either. I justify this (during my first week of attempting to go raw) by rationalizing that I hardly ever drink milk anyhow.
I realize this may sound crazy and extreme, totally off the deep end, but I'm really hoping it works. I'm hoping it not only works, but that I enjoy the variety of foods I'm going to be sampling.
Awesome!
ReplyDeleteOne thing I would suggest is to focus more on what you're adding (fruits, veggies, raw stuff, etc.) than on what you're giving up. I have made literally zero effort toward giving up any kind of junk food, but I've found that by starting my day with a green smoothie and having a salad as the main course of my lunch, I just don't want sweet stuff nearly as much. When I do eat sweets, I find that I have much better self-control.
We started seeing results pretty quick. It turns out your body really does hate processed crap.
I'll echo a lot of what Stanmatt said.
ReplyDeleteWe haven't really tried to give up things, so much as we've added things. Just starting out with the green smoothie makes you think "wow, I started out this good, I don't really want to (for instance) eat a doughnut now"
You can still *have* stuff, but if you're adding a lot of raw fruits and vegetables, there's just less room for the other. So don't beat yourself up, because it makes things harder to digest, I learned.
Also, if you can't pronounce it, chances are your body won't know how to digest it, so it'll just stay in your body - not garbage in, garbage out, like you'd think.
But yeah, concentrate on what you're adding at first, not what you're giving up. If you give up too much, you're going to resent it and not want to stick with it.
You can do it Krista! Slow and steady (like keeping those things that make you feel comfortable) is the way to go. :)
ReplyDeleteYou've got me cheering you on my dear! :D
Hopefully you won't have to try the stomach flu diet I have been forced to try. I know giving up sweets is hard, I have tried and never win. Good Luck
ReplyDelete