We are approaching 9 weeks of a total diet, lifestyle turn-around. Yes-there have been days that I want to go back to and smack myself, and ask "what are you thinking?!". Overall, it has been a fun adventure for Kyle and me to rethink our way of eating. It has been exciting to teach the kids the value of good food choices, and how we can eat our way to a healthy lifestyle.
These are just some ideas and thoughts that I have had over the last few weeks :)
1. My horrible, excruciating seasonal allergies and eczema are 99% gone. At this time last year, I was on 3 pills, a prescription eye-drop, a steroid cream, and also had one cortisone shot to keep my eyes and lips from swelling. This year-I used a $3 bottle of Clear Eyes from Walgreens to help the tiny bit of itching I experienced. Totally blaming it on a change of what i'm putting in my body
2. After working diligently for 1 year to lose weight, I am proud to say that I have lost 55 lbs and 30% of my total body weight. Went from 179 to 124 in 15 months. The thing that sucks? You have to work at maintaining. Just hitting your goal weight isn't enough, you have to keep at it. Eating plant strong has allowed me to fill fuller, for longer. I actually eat WAY more calories, yet maintain my weight beautifully! It has been awesome :)
3. I taste my food! I mean-really taste it! My taste buds have matured over the last few months as well...I have gone from hating certain foods to CRAVING them! Bellpeppers are probably the one food I notice the most...love them now! I tried some non-dairy coffee creamer (in a pinch) and was disgusted at how "chemical" it tasted! Yuck!
4. My bowels are...um...VERY regular! :)
5. I see my kids making good choices and thinking about WHY we should or should not eat something...That should probably be #1. I was not raised on a healthy diet. I don't want to raise my kids on a typical, American diet. It scared me to read obesity rates in children; to see the instances of Type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure is terrifying!
6. I don't crave coke! Anyone that knows me (Ahem-Shelly...) knows that I was horribly addicted to Coke. Any kind-pepsi, coke, dr pepper, cherry coke was my favorite! I have done without and have no cravings for it anymore. I tried to take a small sip about a month ago, and it hurt SO bad to swallow the *fizziness* of it. Water or tea, please!
7. I just *feel* good. I had some recent health issues and found our that my iron levels were extremely low. My doctor threatened a blood transfusion if it got one point worse. I had all the typical symptoms: fatigue, sleepiness, feeling tired right after waking, difficulty swallowing, headaches, heavy cycles, and mild forgetfulness. All this was attributed to low iron, even though I ate lots of lean meats. When deciding to go veggie, I was really nervous about it. Without meat, we were forced to look at what we ate, and make each bite count. I eat waaaaay more green leafy veggies than before, which contain lots of iron. I feel a million times better, and have so much more energy than before!
8. The cost is worth it. Yes-we do spend more at the grocery store to eat like this. But-I have had to remind myself that it is either A-spend money on plant strong food now, or B-pay out the wazoooo for health procedures and medicines later on in life. I don't want my husband laying on that hospital bed, waiting for his next heart cath anytime soon. It was a real wake up call to us. Worth. Every. Penny.
9. Don't fret over bad choices. This is so much easier for Kyle than me. I am a total junk food lover. I admit-the Cadbury eggs were just too tempting this Easter. I ate my fill, and got back in line afterwards. Going into this not as a "diet", but a change of our lifestyle has made it easier to get back up, dust off, and try harder. I have not eaten meat or straight milk/eggs, but have snuck in bits of ice cream and cheese. Instead of beating myself up, I strive to do better. My dairy episodes are less and less frequent as we learn to replace our meals and snacks. A "horrible day" now is still better than a "good day" one year ago!
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