This is the first day I've spent on "the diet" not actually actively thinking about it. I got up, felt full of energy, took my ipod and went for a walk, not really because I had to, but because I had energy, because it was a beautiful day, and because I wanted to. I had a great time too. It's good to have time to yourself that's not spent sitting on the couch and wallowing. Having oxygen flowing through your brain is helpful and makes you feel like you can conquer the world, even though you may be underemployed, bills overdue, and stressed out.
I have felt for the past few months, like everything is an effort: getting out of bed, having a shower, making food, eating, watching TV, taking care of the cats, cleaning, washing laundry. Everything.
Yet in the past few days, since I started changing my diet, I have felt much more equipped to deal with the world. I have energy and have completed more in these days than I have in the past two months. It's a good feeling, and I think it is too big a coincidence not to be related to what I have eaten. My energy is sky high.
Here's what I've eaten today:
Pumpernickel bread (see yesterday)
1 tsp. butter
1 tbsp. Jam (all natural, local blueberry, from Franklin, TN)
Tea
Banana
Lunch
Tortilla Wrap
2 oz Turkey
Smoked Tabasco
Sprouts
2 thin slices avocado
Pico de Gallo
Cucumber
Spritz of olive oil
A couple of segments of a blood orange
A French Truffle from Trader Joe's (dark chocolate)
Dinner
4 oz Mahi Mahi (pre-marinated, seemed like the sauce had some oil in it)
1/2 cup brown rice/barley/wheatberry medley
1 cup zucchini/squash
1/2 cup eggplant
Spritz olive oil
Seasoning
3 1/2 glasses white wine plus good company (Carrie)
Posts
This is when it gets sweet...when you don't have to constantly think about food. Don't get me wrong, I love to think about food, but it's no fun when it causes you stress.
ReplyDeleteYou are on your way to what we dietitians call "lifestyle change". "Diet" is a dirty word to us in that it denotes something that is done in the short term, not something that you incorporate into your daily life.
I applaud you for taking on so many changes at once. Usually, I would say lets just work on one change at a time, such as start eating better OR start exercising OR stop smoking, but not usually all at the same time. But this is just the kind of extreme lady you are. The rationale is that when you try to take on so much at once, you are at higher risk for not meeting at least one of your goals. And, depending on the person, if you don't meet your expectations in one area, you're more likely to say, "Screw this, I just suck at trying to change my life." So, the thing to keep in mind is that you are making a lot of changes so don't be too hard on yourself. This is NOT to say that I won't slap a cigarette out of your face if I see one, but stay positive with yourself :)
You're right, it's becoming more automatic. I think I will always be one of those people who thinks about food - a lot. I'm an aesthetic in so many ways - I think about the senses, what looks good, smells good, feels good, sounds good, and of course, tastes good. What I'm learning though is that I can still satisfy those senses by cooking healthily if I embrace my ingredients and treat them with love and respect, if I think of these new ingredients as at least equal, if not superior to, the fattening ingredients I was using, and creatively think of ways to enhance their best qualities and combine them in new and adaptive ways. I look at this as a challenge, but one that presents opportunities and not restrictions. So many diets are about restrictions. You cannot eat this. You cannot eat that. Yes, that is true, but like a good assignment, narrowing the parameters produces a good, focused result.
ReplyDelete