Before reading this post, please remember that I am not a health professional. I am blogging about my own experience and what has worked specifically for me. For concerns about your own health and diet, please contact your physician or dietician for specific advice.
Many times a reader will email me the same question: “How in the world do you do it?”
“IT” meaning — live a healthy lifestyle. How do I regularly exercise, eat well, and continue my other daily activities when life gets so busy?
(source)
I, like many people out there, have tried many different lifestyles in the past. I did not eat well growing up, and I know my mom has told me on more than one occasion how she wishes she fed us whole foods instead of prepackaged meals growing up. However, in the 90’s, it was all the rage — everyone was doing it. So, we did it too.
Fast food was a staple in my house as well. We frequented Wendy’s, McDonald’s, Burger King — you get the picture. In fact, growing up we went out to eat for dinner about five out of seven nights of the week. Not all fast food restaurants — but places like Chili’s, Olive Garden, etc. Not the exact perfect picture of health.
In high school, I was probably 10-15 pounds overweight, but I was also an athlete. Knowing this, I can’t even imagine the turmoil I was putting my body through each and every day by putting refined, overly processed junk into my body. I even did a Weight Watchers program with my mom when I was a junior in high school. I lost about 15 pounds, but low and behold, the weight slid right back on just as easily as it had come off. I don’t want to bash any weight loss programs in general, but what I’ve seen from all of them are the same:
They don’t focus on whole, natural foods.
They don’t have their participants eating enough calories.
They don’t show their customers how to eat “normally”.
They view their program as a diet.
I will be the first one to tell you I don’t believe in diets. I just don’t. After having done many “diets” in my day, I finally came to the point where I realized that diets don’t work. Cutting calories below the standard 1800-2000 calorie mark might work for a while, but eventually your body will end up storing its resources (ie: fat) because you aren’t fueling it enough.
So how does one do “it”?
One step at a time.
Slowly.
Inch by inch.
I didn’t wake up one morning and decide TODAY will be the day that I completely change my life around. I’m going to stop eating x,y. and z for good Life doesn’t work that way.
First, I decided that I was going to change my lifestyle for ME. In reality, that’s the biggest step ever. Eating healthfully for any other reason but yourself will not motivate you or keep you going very long.
Secondly, I educated myself. What are the best foods out there that will fuel my body? What foods are going to work against my body in the long run? I did a lot of trial and error. I don’t necessarily have any food “rules” — because let’s face it — that just makes eating seem boring and lame most of the time. There are foods that I avoid, however, based on nutritional research and the way my body feels when I eat them. Typically, I avoid the following:
- white sugar
- bleached, enriched flours (of course = gluten intolerance!)
- dairy (natural inflammatory)
- corn products (corn intolerance — but most corn is GMO anyways)
- high fructose corn syrup (also falls under the corn category but definitely deserves its own bullet point)
- artificial sweeteners or ingredients
Does that mean I always follow that? Absolutely not. There are times where I’ll eat potato chips that have been made with corn oil (yes, potato chips!!!). There are times (okay daily occurrences) where I chew 4-5 pieces of gum made with aspartame. Expecting yourself to follow this “perfect healthy lifestyle” 100% of the time is not feasible. I don’t beat myself up if I eat something I “shouldn’t” — food is meant to be enjoyed, so if you really want that dessert — just do it!
People tend to go extremist when dealing with dietary changes and lifestyle changes. Don’t try to do it all overnight. Look at this change as one meal at a time. If you remember my “dream jar” post — little things add up to something big. Changing your dietary lifestyle could be just that.
What I found works best for me is focusing on whole, unprocessed, organic (when I can!) foods. This means grocery shopping each week. This means making a meal plan during busy weeks. This means maybe cutting out an hour of something else each day because you have to cook. In the long run, it’s worth it. It’s worth knowing you are putting healthy and natural foods into your (and your family’s) body each day.
Stay tuned for how I do “it” — exercising style!
Question: How do you do “it” in terms of eating healthfully? What do you find motivates you the most?
PS: Go check out my post over @ Simply Life on using cookbooks with dietary restrictions!
{ 81 comments… read them below or add one }
{ 4 trackbacks }