I don't really want to make this one of those blog posts about losing weight but I guess it is probably going to become one. Like many women, I'm not terribly happy with my body the way that it is. I've carried around some extra weight for a number of years now and I just don't like that. I felt this way as long as I can remember. I even recall feeling fat at seven years old. When I was in high school I would do these crazy diets where I would skip meals and eat a snack bag of chips (now that's healthy!) and call that good for the day until supper. At 16 years of age I may have been the youngest subscriber to Prevention magazine because I figured if I could somehow do that "lose 10 pounds in 10 days with this ONE secret," then life would be better.
Nutritionally, my family functioned on Hot Pockets and dollar menus. With seven children running here, there, and everywhere, food was about surviving and filling hungry tummies. Unfortunately I fell into some of the same habits as my family after leaving home. Prepackaged dinners and cold cereal made up most of my meals through college. It wasn't until I married my sweet husband that I realized that food could be something fun, enjoyable, and best of all--homemade! While it's taken me a little while to find enjoyment in cooking healthy, nutritious, and delicious food from home, it's now something that I feel really passionate about.
The other day I was reading a book about clean eating and my first thought was, "Oh, it wouldn't even be possible." See, when I lived at home with my parents, it really wasn't very possible. You eat what they eat or you don't eat, you know? I didn't have the financial means as a teenager to supply all, or even most, of my dietary needs. And so I felt a little trapped and even though I've been away from home for a number of years now, those same feelings of being trapped have continued with me
But, the other day as I was reading and thinking I was struck with an understanding--I can choose! I can choose what goes in my body. I'm the one doing the grocery shopping, I'm the one who makes supper, I'm the one who gets to have control. It's amazing to me how liberating that was. I could stop eating white flour if I wanted! I could douse every meal in butter if I wanted. I have the control! Boy, does that feel good or what?!?
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You know, maybe that's why I so enjoy making my grocery list and going grocery shopping. It's one place in my life where I can really have control. (Of course I also think it's the excitement of spending money, which produces endorphins no matter what I'm buying!). Isn't it fantastic? And then to add to that that you get to control what the rest of your family eats too -- such power, in a good way! I love finding new ways to cook things or finding a better recipe. Sometimes I do recipe cookoffs (mostly for cookies/breads) where I'll cook two different recipes for the same thing back to back so I can see which one is better and dump the other one.
As far as dieting goes, it sucks! I have such little self-control when it comes to food. The only diet that I've been able to stick to and that's worked for me is called the Serotonin Power Diet. Yes, it's a horrible name, but a fantastic diet. There's nothing that you absolutely can't eat; it's based on the Food Guide Pyramid (or whatever you Canadians use . . .lol). Anyway, the premise is that in order for your body to create the chemical that essentially tells your brain "hey, I'm full, you don't need to keep eating!", which is called serotonin, you need to eat both carbs and proteins but not generally at the same time. Basically, your body needs stuff from each in order to create serotonin, but if you eat it all at the same time our bodies for some reason won't produce it. Anyway, it's all about eating good foods at good times, if that makes any sense at all! And of course there's an exercise component. It's pretty well backed scientifically, complete with research at MIT. Interestingly, serotonin is also the chemical that you don't have enough of when you have problems with depression/anxiety/OCD (I struggle with the latter two). Ok, I'm about done :). Anyway, it's a fantastic program, and other than when I was pregnant with #2, I've kept the weight off for the last two years or so. Oh, and I used to be hypoglycemic, but now that I eat in the way they recommend, I'm not. Crazy, huh? Ok, sorry for the freaking book!
Isn't that soooooo liberating?? I remember when we finally made the switch to healthier eating, going to the grocery store was so much more enjoyable because I could walk right by 95% of the items and only pick up the things that actually made our bodies better for eating it. Then our grocery list became a standard list of whole foods that I would cook with over and over again and we actually saved a chunk of money. Before that, every trip to the store was stressful because I would worry about getting the best prices on all the prepackaged foods and which ones were better quality and where I could get the best price for each and if I would regret buying something unhealthy etc etc etc.
That whole struggle came back again when I got pregnant, though. All of a sudden, I just couldn't resist buying velveeta cheese, frozen pizza, french fries, and poptarts. I also couldn't make myself buy the usual 1 lb a week of green beans and broccoli. Poor Jeff :). But I'm slowly gaining control over my body again, so I know exactly how you feel right now. Good on ya, Amy!
I think that is a great thing to realize! I started liking a podcast from fat2fit.com because they give realistic healthy eating advice that works and they say you NEED to eat the "bad" food occasionally Just try to eat good food most the time. It is so much easier than trying to stick to a strict strict diet, that i quit after a week
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