Tomorrow I start my new way of eating and new lifestyle. I am still a little unsure as to what that all entails. I did do a lot of research on the Paleo lifestyle and diet and there are so many different versions that it is confusing. I just decided to pick and choose what I think will work for me. So tomorrow I do away with hidden sugars like those in condiments and salad dressings, grains, and legumes. After a week or two I will do away with what little dairy I am still consuming. Some views of the diet say that raw milk and soft cheeses are still okay. I might add these back in at some point in time because I LOVE feta cheese. But for now I am going to wean myself off my feta dependance. I eat feta on my salads quite reguarly, and sprinkle a fine dusting on any veggie that is to bland for me to eat. I also will add some more strength training and ab work to my exercise schedule. I already get about 2 hours of cardio a day and pump iron for at least 30 minutes three times a week. With this new plan I will work on a different section of my body a day for at least 5 days a week.
I expect that eating cleaner and being more physically active will start to banish the last of my sluggishness. I have come a long ways in ridding myself of the sluggishness, bloating and just plain laziness that had taken over my life. Whats sad is that unlike a lot of the people in my weight range I did not suffer from most of the aches and pains that I hear about. I had some, but not the amount a lot of people complain about. I just was to tired and out of breath to get up and do what I needed to do. I just did not have the motivation to do what I needed to do when it was so hard to do. Something finally clicked in my head and now I find myself pushing past my limits and striving to do better. I want to go even farther and I think cleaning up my diet even more will do that.
I have also noticed in the three months since I started to clean up my diet that I have not been able to eat some of the things I used to because they taste rotten, smell or taste like chemicals, or are just plain unappealing anymore. One example of all three is velveeta. Now I never thought velveeta was exactly healthy for my family, but I used it to get them to eat things that were. Pretty much cancelled out some things didn't I? Now velveeta tastes so bad that I just can't even eat the shells and cheese I used to love. I can taste that its not natural, it has like a rotten sour flavor, the texture is gummy and that just makes it unpalatable.
Tomorrow does make me a little bit nervous. I haven't known a life where grains, dairy and legumes were not on my plate daily. We are always told to eat seveal daily servings of grains. The thought of doing away with such a big part of the American diet is daunting. Part of me scoffs at myself, this shouldn't be to hard for me. I have never liked pasta and only ate it when we were broke. I haven't ate bread in quite some time, and I dont' miss it. I still do eat cereal, grits, and oatmeal. I guess I will have to give those up. I love grits, the other two I can take or leave, but my grits... Thats gonna hurt. I will miss cheese. No other way around that one. Cheese is so good. I just don't think that large quantities of cheese are a good idea. I am not sure that even a small amount of cheese is a good idea for me. I love the stuff and I think a small taste would send me down the wrong path. Since I haven't consume much other dairy in months beside a dollop of sour cream here or there I won't feel deprived. How will I ever let go of legumes? Legumes have played a big role in my life. For a part of my upbringing my parents were vegetarian. I ate a TON of legumes. I learned many differnt ways to cook them and they are always something that I can feed my family when I have been to lazy to go shopping. I will miss lentils. I LOVE lentils and I think occasionally I will just have to break down and make a pot. Its interesting to note that some paleo diets say legumes are ok, others say in moderation, and some say never again.
And last but not least, my fat chick in a skinny world moment. Today I had my "last meal" at Chipotles. I decided that the last meal with grains, dairy and legumes was not going to be one that I had to cook. Well after going through line I sat down on one of their wooden chairs with the thin metal frame. The chair looked rickety to me and definitely felt that way. I am sure had I been at a proper weight I probably would not have even worried about the chair or noticed how unsecure it felt when I sat on the edge. Just another reminder that most things in this world are not made to accomadate people who are not at or close to a healthy weight. Just one more motivation to shed these unwanted pounds.
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