Ugh, I am so far behind in blogging! Not because I don't want to, but because I don't have a consistent internet connection in my apartment (because I "borrow" it from an unknowing neighbor...) and I can't access blogs at work.
First things first: I have lost a few pounds and I feel pretty good!
After two weeks ago when I ate like crap and felt close to throwing in the towel, I got back to planning, planning, planning. I spent that next Sunday grocery shopping my butt off, and planned a ton of healthy meals for the entire week. It's incredible how important this step is in developing a healthier lifestyle.
Through this meal planning, I have remembered how much I love salads. I have always been a big fan of salads, but I have had a mental block in making them because I "think" they take too much prep. WRONG. I made two salads for lunch this week and it took me less than five minutes. All that was in them were lettuce, tomatoes, garbanzo beans, avocado, and turkey. My dressing was a homemade vinaigrette with olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and lemon peel.
Salads bring me to my next topic: Gluten. Because I was tested for celiac disease a few years ago (which was negative), I never thought to further explore how I react to gluten. Turns out, I'm slightly/moderately gluten intolerant (for those of you keeping count, that now makes me gluten, soy, and dairy intolerant).
Before I cut out gluten, I thought it was normal for my stomach to stick out after eating. Not stick out from being full or fat, but my stomach has always protruded out a bit after eating. Now I realize that's called being bloated, and gluten makes me quite bloated. Since eliminating it from my diet, my stomach is much flatter after meals and I just feel all around lighter. It's hard to explain, but it feels like I've lost at least ten pounds just from not being bloated all day.
Now I haven't eliminated gluten from my diet 100%. I don't think that's realistic for me. However, I have eliminated about 90% of it from my diet, which I think it a good percentage for me. In the past month, I have had one piece of bread, whereas I usually ate bread on a daily basis. Instead of eating sandwiches for lunch, I have leftovers from dinner, or a salad.
The best swap I have made has to be at Subway. Subway is literally the only somewhat healthy place to eat within an eight mile radius of my work. On days that I don't bring a lunch, I usually go there. I have started ordering turkey salads instead, and because you can add as many veggies as you'd like, they fill me up as much as one of the sandwiches normally would.
I have realized that I'm thankful for all of the stomach pain I was in a couple of months ago because that was my big wake-up call to get my diet on track. It has led me to being so much more conscious of what I put in my body. Yes, it's a pain in the ass to be gluten/dairy/soy intolerant, but at least I have figured this out.
Morale of the story: never underestimate the blessings that may come from bad situations!
Saturday, April 20, 2013
Tuesday, April 9, 2013
practicing
It has been awhile since I last wrote, and not surprisingly, I haven't been eating as well as I was. One of the biggest reasons I started this blog was to have something to keep me accountable for my change in diet, as well as to get inspiration and support from others. Not surprisingly, I also haven't been reading my favorite inspirational blogs on a daily basis. These really help me stay in check.
Why the change? Complacency, I guess. I felt really good last week. I felt lighter and healthier. But I was also on spring break so I was able to take the time to prepare healthy meals and snacks. Now that I'm back at work, it's a little harder stay focused. I have been giving in to cravings. More specifically, I have been giving in to sugar. Fucking sugar. Excuse my language, but I fucking hate that shit. There are NO benefits whatsoever to eating it. It makes me feel gross and I regret eating it almost instantaneously after I do. It's a drug, really. And I'm an addict.
I am hereby vowing to eliminate it from my diet again. DID YOU HEAR THAT, FRUIT SNACKS IN MY CLASSROOM (which are for the students anyway)? DID YOU HEAR THAT, BAKED GOODS? Our relationship is destructive, and I need to be free from you.
Aside from sugar, and that angry rant, I am doing pretty well. I have been good at eliminating gluten from my diet, and eating more fruit and vegetables. I have also gotten into the habit of not only cooking, but washing the dishes. I typically let the dishes stack up until I can't take it anymore, but this is just one more habit that adds to my stress and frustration.
Why the change? Complacency, I guess. I felt really good last week. I felt lighter and healthier. But I was also on spring break so I was able to take the time to prepare healthy meals and snacks. Now that I'm back at work, it's a little harder stay focused. I have been giving in to cravings. More specifically, I have been giving in to sugar. Fucking sugar. Excuse my language, but I fucking hate that shit. There are NO benefits whatsoever to eating it. It makes me feel gross and I regret eating it almost instantaneously after I do. It's a drug, really. And I'm an addict.
I am hereby vowing to eliminate it from my diet again. DID YOU HEAR THAT, FRUIT SNACKS IN MY CLASSROOM (which are for the students anyway)? DID YOU HEAR THAT, BAKED GOODS? Our relationship is destructive, and I need to be free from you.
Aside from sugar, and that angry rant, I am doing pretty well. I have been good at eliminating gluten from my diet, and eating more fruit and vegetables. I have also gotten into the habit of not only cooking, but washing the dishes. I typically let the dishes stack up until I can't take it anymore, but this is just one more habit that adds to my stress and frustration.
Monday, April 1, 2013
checking in
My two week "cleanse" is over. So how did I do? Okay.
The first week, sans the bridal shower brunch, I stuck to all of the rules I made for myself. The second week, I started to eat sugar again only because I had a little bit last Sunday and it activated my craving for it. If I stay away from it completely, I'm okay. When I don't, want it all the time.
Yesterday was Easter, and for the first time in years I got an Easter basket (well it was for both Kyle and I) and I only had ONE Reese's Peanut Butter Cup Egg (normally I scarf these down), a small amount of M & M's and Jelly Beans. I felt proud of myself for not eating as much Easter candy as I usually do.
For dinner last night, I made a pizza with all of my favorite veggies and antipasta toppings. It was DELICIOUS, and I did eat a little more than I needed to. I had the leftovers for lunch today, and it kind of hurt my stomach. The only dairy that was on there was goat cheese, which doesn't normally bother me. I'm thinking it might have been the gluten? I just felt weighed down and my stomach was unsettled for hours after eating it. I have avoided gluten for the most part during these past two weeks, so maybe this was too much? I really really hope I have not developed a gluten intolerance, because that would be added to my list of dairy and soy intolerance, which is already difficult to stick to.
Anyway, I have learned two major things from this cleanse:
1. Cooking at home saves a lot of money.
2. All cooking at home requires is a chunk of time at the beginning of the week to plan out meals & grocery shop.
Even though I felt like I spent a lot at the grocery store buying stuff to cook, I only ate out twice in the two weeks and I spent way less on food than I usually do. Which led me to reconsider how much of my paycheck on food. Verdict: too much. Because I have had an actual paycheck since September, I have been less budget-conscious when it comes to food. Before I started earning a decent wage, I was so used to eating whatever and whenever I could because I was so broke. I think not being so broke has led me to feel like I can sort of celebrate this by spending whatever I need to in order to feed myself. Suffice to say, it's time to tighten the purse strings a little, and cooking at home is definitely a key to achieving this.
The first week, sans the bridal shower brunch, I stuck to all of the rules I made for myself. The second week, I started to eat sugar again only because I had a little bit last Sunday and it activated my craving for it. If I stay away from it completely, I'm okay. When I don't, want it all the time.
Yesterday was Easter, and for the first time in years I got an Easter basket (well it was for both Kyle and I) and I only had ONE Reese's Peanut Butter Cup Egg (normally I scarf these down), a small amount of M & M's and Jelly Beans. I felt proud of myself for not eating as much Easter candy as I usually do.
For dinner last night, I made a pizza with all of my favorite veggies and antipasta toppings. It was DELICIOUS, and I did eat a little more than I needed to. I had the leftovers for lunch today, and it kind of hurt my stomach. The only dairy that was on there was goat cheese, which doesn't normally bother me. I'm thinking it might have been the gluten? I just felt weighed down and my stomach was unsettled for hours after eating it. I have avoided gluten for the most part during these past two weeks, so maybe this was too much? I really really hope I have not developed a gluten intolerance, because that would be added to my list of dairy and soy intolerance, which is already difficult to stick to.
Anyway, I have learned two major things from this cleanse:
1. Cooking at home saves a lot of money.
2. All cooking at home requires is a chunk of time at the beginning of the week to plan out meals & grocery shop.
Even though I felt like I spent a lot at the grocery store buying stuff to cook, I only ate out twice in the two weeks and I spent way less on food than I usually do. Which led me to reconsider how much of my paycheck on food. Verdict: too much. Because I have had an actual paycheck since September, I have been less budget-conscious when it comes to food. Before I started earning a decent wage, I was so used to eating whatever and whenever I could because I was so broke. I think not being so broke has led me to feel like I can sort of celebrate this by spending whatever I need to in order to feed myself. Suffice to say, it's time to tighten the purse strings a little, and cooking at home is definitely a key to achieving this.
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