My family and I moved to Louisville, Kentucky at the beginning of the summer. I had been in a funk…it was three months before my 40th… I had become overly-involved in my work and volunteering at our previous location…and I had gone into a semi-depression. We started really working on our new home to make it our own and I was very involved with hard labor ~ finally a job that was benefitting me and my family. My deflated esteem was steadily rising.
Three months ago, my health club announced that they were starting a Biggest Loser group. I signed up. My goal this time around was not to win, but to learn moderation and to understand what a “lifestyle change” really meant.
As far as exercise, we started with a bi-weekly Boot Camp (along with independent work-outs) and I almost died the first few weeks. Damn. I used to be strong. I used to be able to keep up. What happened to me? In about week three, I started to pick up. My strength was coming back.
Parallel to this workout regime, someone mentioned something about “eating clean”. What the heck was that? I immediately researched Tosca Reno and purchased one of her books. Brilliant!! Eat non-processed, whole, organic foods. No HFCS, no high-sugared foods…pretty much nothing with a bar code. Hmmm…shop the perimeter of the store. Fresh veggies and fruits, lean meats and organic dairy. Granted, I’m not 100% “clean”, but my frozen quick meals are Amy’s Organic over Lean Cuisine and Weight Watchers. The ingredients are organic and real as opposed to “what the hell is that ingredient” and “really, that much sodium???”
I didn’t “win” my Biggest Loser, but I definitely am a winner. I now eat real foods. We had our weigh-in tonight. I lost 23 pounds, came in fourth place and have a new lease on life. I don’t “journal” my food. I’m not afraid of eating anymore. I get it. I finally get it. I eat carbs ~ they are not all created equally (my favorite is the Quinoa/Flax bread from Whole Foods). I eat fat (avocado, nuts, olive oil). I even order a dessert to split on date night with my hubby (although I only have a few bites, it’s all I need).
Life is better. Sex is great. Is there really anything else that matters?
I love this!!! I also have Tosca's book and love her advice. I think I'm finaly going to ditch Weight Watchers (which isn't working for me anyway) and give Clean Eating a lot more focus. I eat a lot of clean foods but still too many processed foods. I'm going to cut out the processed and see how it goes. I love Amy's frozen burritos...have you tried them? Right now I eat Ezekiel bread but I'm going to have to try the quinoa/flax bread. Thanks for the inspiration!
ReplyDeleteI love that Renee ~ convo me on FB if you ever want to chat!!
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