FOOD CHANGES BODY CHANGES

----Warning this is a long one, and nothing anyone will be interested in, but I'm posting for the purpose of looking back in a few months or years and remembering where I was---- (and maybe if someone sees this while in a slumpy state like me, they can think about ways to change for themselves)

I would say for the past 10+ years I've been eating healthier then many... My Vegetarian diet got me healthy in the first place.  Losing weight at a time I needed to, changing my skin tone, my monthly visits, losing headaches and allergies, dropping my blood levels to safe amounts.... Providing a healthy pregnancy and delivery etc. 

Soon I got complacent... I leveled out...

While I ate lots of Greens, Beans, Nuts, etc.  I also ate a lot of Pasta, Rice, Vegan snacks and goodies.. and my horrible recent weakness would be the Choco Coffee Beverages from a well known coffee chain.

On top of that I developed unhealthy habits of not eating breakfast, sometimes skipping lunch, snacking more, eating a HUGE dinner because I was so hungry from my day, and then snacking through the night while I worked late...

I told myself, all that was OK because I was working late after all and I needed to keep myself awake... I told myself I could eat lots of snacks because they were Vegan and therefore Healthy, and I was exercising several days a week so it didn't matter how many calories I took in.

Never did I count calories because, Who Cared!!  My thought was (and still is) that if I put in my body all natural whole foods that it didn't matter how many went in....  Never did I count Fat grams because anything I ate with Fat was the "Good Fat" and our bodies do need fat.  I had these talks with myself....

I continued to eat cooked Veggies or processed Veggie Meals, and less and less fruits because I didn't have time to wash an apple?  It was easier to grab a bag of chips or a Cliff Bar when I was hungry.

Fast forward to this year...I started training for a 1/2 Marathon, I aged a bit, got less and less sleep, and my eating habits continued to spiral.......... and something happened.  My body Rebelled..Genetics kicked in...... My skin was breaking out worse then ever, all my body parts started changing, my monthly visits got worse, and I gained over 10 pounds while training....  Thought, "I should be losing weight, what is wrong with me?"  But as time went on, I continued to gain weight... 

Now I'm at the highest weight I've ever been!   Seriously, I weigh more now then I did at my highest point of pregnancy... I am exercising more and eating less, why do I keep gaining??.  While I don't look like this anymore:

 

My body has shifted in different ways, I began to look tired all the time, clammy break out skin with wrinkles forming (all over)  Droopy eyes that go with 1/2 my family genes. None of my clothes fit, and I just stared feeling all around Yucky!!

I told myself, I needed a change... I told myself, I had to do something or I'll be bigger then Hubby on my 40th Birthday.. I'll need an entire new wardrobe by Winter because nothing will fit.  And I don't want to be feeling this way!!  Why should I??  When I know soo much now about healthy foods, WHY would I let myself get here? 

So I started the No Junk Food Challenge with my friend....  When I'm held accountable by someone else, I knew I could pull though.  I knew it would be easy for me to follow through with my Bet.  Much like the 1/2 Marathon... it started as an agreement, and I knew I would finish... The No Junk Food Challenge was much of the same...  Started as an Agreement and I finished....

30 days with no junk (vegan or otherwise) forced me to choose Veggies and Fruit for snacks.... And when the challenge was over, I had no desire to eat a Vegan Cupcake or Vegan Peanut Butter cups any time soon.  I was Junk food free... While I still lost no weight, I did feel good about my food choices.  I felt alive again and not draggy.  I stopped snacking at night and going to bed earlier... All changes I didn't expect when embarking on the challenge.

Then the exercise Challenge, some persistent co-workers, a new exercise machine at home, and a Personal Training Session... I'm now exercising consistently 4-6 days a week and LOVING IT!! 

Because it is so much a part of my routine, there is no "Work" involved. Its not "Something I have to do" it is something I want to do!

I'm sleeping better, feeling better, my strength is increasing every day, and I've made the decision that I want this to continue.  I'm making time for me, exercising RIGHT instead of pushing the un-natural.. and its making an impact on my family too.  Veg has done three 5K's now, he likes to exercise with me, and my time with him is High Quality because I feel good.  Hubby is slowly slowly as in turtle slowly considering getting on board as well.

Now there is the Raw Food Challenge, started for the purpose of Raw foods.  Thanks to my recent obsession with Blog Land Recipes, hearing a radio show at the right time, and going to a book fair just when I needed a new book, then seeing how much Good foods are out there, I quickly realized this is the change I've been looking for.  Its what I've been needing...  TO EAT!! 

Not to mention when the signs and tools are in front of you to make a change for the better, choosing not to shouldn't be an option. 

So Eat Well... and Feel Well....is my new motto!  I need breakfast, Lunch, Dinner and snacks.  My Body needs fresh Fruits and Veggies EVERY DAY! 

I need some uncooked meals to mix in with my cooked ones.  My body doesn't have to eat at midnight to stay awake.. It should be SLEEPING!  I do need High energy snacks during hard work out days and that is OK.  I'm thirsty and when I'm thirsty I should drink something.  Don't put it off until a conference call is over or one more issue is resolved....Keep water with me all day, and guess what, I'll drink all day!!  

And yet again my family is changing as well.  Veg ate his first Date this week and LOVED it.  Hubby, ate Hemp Seed, Dates and Goji Berries (He is LOVING the Goji berries)...  We are all eating fruit every day, and all having breakfasts now to start our days. 

If what I do positively affects them, imagine how what I do negatively affects them?  I'd much rather stay on the Positive side of that fence...

Its only been 2 weeks since I started down this path and only one Full week of the challenge.  This morning Hubby noticed that my Back had lost all its marks, and my face was "glowing" he said... Really, mentioned that my complexion was a much better color and I had a glow.  I've noticed things tightening up a little bit, even lost about 2 pounds.  My hair is Fluffier (not that I needed it fluffier)  and I just feel good.  Tired when I'm supposed to be (like now) and sleeping well almost every night (soon, I will be)...

My appetite has shifted so much since that first challenge a couple months ago..  And now even more so... Today we spent 3-4 hrs outside mulching our front and back yard flower beds. (5 scoops of mulch) along with filling up a $9 pool for Veg to play...  I had energy to do every bit... and when I was hungry, I didn't want chocolate or sweets, I just wanted a cold refreshing Apple. 

While I always split a cookie with my vegman at our fav. veggie place, now I only have a bite.  Sweets of the Junk food variety do not even Tempt me anymore.  A tiny bag of Vegan animal cookies at work lasted me all week.  And when I didn't finish them, they went in the garbage (wasteful yes.... but I also won't open a bag now for that reason, and save them for my comrades).

Even the Vegan blueberry cobbler that Hubby made last weekend.  I had a small bite each day.  The sweetness was overbearing....

Trying new foods has been soooooo much fun!  I feel like I did when I first became Vegetarian.  This is like a whole new eating world, just when I thought I had it all figured out... I was missing sooo much good stuff. 

Hubby said today "There is just something different about you?"  I'm smiling more, being silly more, I FEEL GOOD!!  I'm rested...... YES work is still stressful, YES I still have a full plate and not always getting it all done, YES, my house is a tad messy, and I'm not doing everything I could be doing.

But I FEEL GOOD, and there is always tomorrow to get the rest done.  If there is NOT a tomorrow, then at least I had a good day today!

Amazed if you actually read this far.....  Stay tuned for your regularly scheduled Vegmom programming (it won't be so serious, I promise)

Comments

[NEE NEE]

Wheww!!! That was a long one but I got through it and I feel that the most important thing is you are feeling good and if daughter is happy then Mom is happy.

[NB]

"If there is NOT a tomorrow, then at least I had a good day today!"

Love that! What a good motto to have. :-) Soooo glad you're feeling good.

[Isha]

As the primary caretaker so much of what I do directly influences my family. I really liked your point about that, how what we do--positively or negatively--affects them. Since I've been a mostly stay-at-home mom, one thing that's made a huge difference is that I have more time to cook & prepare meals, which means a lot less eating out (not that we can afford it anyway!), and just that one thing has helped us maintain our weight better. Now, when hubby wants a snack, he sees more choices around, and though he'll choose the worst one, it's not as bad as it was before. Anyway, great post! I need to think about making some eating habit changes too.

[A]

GREAT post!!! So uplifting!! I love hearing about changes in people's lives. Oh and when you said
"If what I do positively affects them, imagine how what I do negatively affects them? I'd much rather stay on the Positive side of that fence..."
It hit home!! I've got to take a look at the things MY kids might be seeing ME do! Thanks again!
-A