Things that have changed...

“Those who have no time for healthy eating will sooner or later have to find time for illness.” – Edward Stanley

I have been considering recently about all of the things that have changed in my way of thinking since starting this healthy(er) lifestyle.(Notice how I did not say "Since dieting") It is a HUGE difference in how my mind worked before. Here are some examples...

At the Grocery store:

Instead of loading up on Little Debbie Snacks or remember those Personal Ice Creams I talked about? I instead found myself searching the store for Rice Cakes last night. No...I didn't find them, but I still managed to stay away from the Snackies. Instead, I remembered my Low Calorie "Ice Cream Sandwiches" that I made the night before, and decided if I had a sweet tooth, that one of those would suffice. (Those "sandwiches" are 1/2 container of Light Cool Whip mixed with either Fat Free Sugar Free Vanilla or Chocolate Instant pudding. Put a spoonful between the squares of graham crackers and freeze. Yummy snack for right around 100 calories!)

I used to have popcorn covered with butter at LEAST 3 -4 times a week. It would give me horrible stomach aches the day after, but I never cared. Now...I completely avoid that section of the store altogether so that I 1.)Don't eat that heartattack in a bowl anymore and 2.) So that I can avoid a stomachache that affects my run the next day. 2 years ago I would have laughed if someone would have told me that last one.

Instead of grabbing the regular hamburger, patio steaks, and pork chops from the meat department, I scoured the section for lean meats. Last nights choice was Sirloin Steaks(that I cut up and added peppers to for fajitas...without the tortilla! No added Carbs!) I also threw in 2 servings of Tilapia. Excited to try it! For the longest time I have only eaten "muddy water" fish, so it will be something new!

And finally, instead of the normal plain Wheat Bread, I bought myself a loaf of Whole Grain Sara Lee Bread, for those times that I just need a darn ham sandwich or piece of toast. At least it will be the healthier option!


A vigorous five-mile walk will do more good for an unhappy but otherwise healthy adult than all the medicine and psychology in the world.” – Paul Dudley White

At the gym:

The 2 previous times I have payed for memberships, I went an average of 3 or 4 times and stopped. This time, I am now going on month 4 of going at least 3-4 times a week. I am getting my money's worth and then some!

While at the gym I would always do the bare minimum before. I would think "Oh 10 minutes on the Elliptical? I worked hard! That's enough for today!" Well sometimes, for some people, that may be all that they need. Not this girl...not even close. Now I will do close to 45 minutes on the treadmill which between my warm up walk and cool down walk will usually get me 3.5 miles. After that, I will then go and lift weights. Big difference

When lifting, I would do the least amount of weight that I thought I could get away with before. Now? I want results. I will do the max amount that I know that my body can handle, and do 3 sets of 12-15 reps each. No excuses.

At the Daycare:

I would eat EVERYTHING in sight. Made extra breakfast? Gone. 2 Chicken Quesadillas left? Yes please! And on top of that...I would then make myself more for lunch after the kids went down. It was horrible! I would chug pop after pop after pop, stuff my face during nap time. It's actually a wonder I didn't gain 10 lbs/week. Yuck. Now...I chug bottle of water after bottle of water. I try not to make too much extra of lunch so that I will not be tempted. I keep a bag of frozen chicken here so that for lunch I will just boil one and eat it with some veggies. AND I do 30 Day Shred while the kids go down for a nap.

At home:

Honestly, I try to stay away from home as much as possible. When I am at home, I eat. So this requires me to go to the gym, take Lenae over to see Nana and Papa, or find errands to run. I try to wait until at least 7 or 7:30 to go home(Yes I do feed my child before leaving, or if she stays home with her dad or grandparents they feed her). Staying away for that long leaves me just enough time to eat supper before I need to start the bath/bed time routine for Lenae. I will have a quick "Ice Cream Sandwich" to satisfy my sweet tooth, and then call it a night.

I wait to have my 1 allowed Diet Coke until supper time. I know, this is crazy because of the Caffiene at night. Sue me. At least I have gotten down to just 1 a day! For some reason...I'm not willing yet to give up that one vice.

I feel bad for Shelby because as they say "When Momma's on a Diet...so is everyone else!" It reminds me of that commercial where the 2 kids are worried because they see their mom with her earphones in and doing her "aerobics", so now they know they will all have to eat healthy too. Well for a little while he will have to fend for himself, until I can find some good healthy recipes that he will eat too. Sorry Dear!

Lastly....On Pinterest:

In my past life I would pin every Cheesy, Creamy, or Sugary recipe there was. I would make a couple of them...and yes they were AMAZING. Yesterday, I caught myself glancing at one wondering "Good Lord...how many calories are in that?!" It literally clogged my arteries just looking at it. Instead, I have been in search of good healthy meals that also include Lean Meat. Am I going to go completely 100% clean eating? Uhhhh...NO.  There's no way I could ever physically, mentally, or taste buddedly(I just made that up to make it flow with the sentence) do it. I would feel deprived and about a week into it would give up completely.

I'm not really certain that there was a definite reason, or point to why these thoughts started to take over my mindset. The only thing I can think of is that I believe that it has to do with the "Waterfall Effect." One healthy choice one day....could lead to 2 the next day...and so on. I started out this journey by making the choice to start running, and because I wanted to have energy and feel good when I ran, I slowly began to want to eat right. I would replace one meal of crap with Lean Meat and veggies. I cut out 1, then 2, then 3 pops from my normal 4 a day. So while I am not 100% Healthy...I would say this new way of thinking has put me at a comfortable 75%. I can live with that. Trust me, I still and will make unhealthy eating choices, I have bad days, I have days where I am so physically and mentally exhausted that I know it would actually be unhealthy for me to go run. I am just taking this one day, one pound, one workout at a time. That is what has helped me keep my motivation and not get burned out.

"If you don't take care of yourself, the undertaker will overtake that responsibility for you" - Carrie Latet

Some other happenings...I was able to cut my BP med Dosage in half!! Holla!! I WILL be off of them in the future...mark my words. I am also down another LB...making it 3 more before I hit the 30 lb marker! And thanks to Jillian, I am down another inch in my waist and hips. She's tough...but Lord does she know what she's talking about.

And at the end of every single day...all that really ever matters to me is that I get to come home to this

And all is right in the world.
P.S. After proof reading this...I realized just how disgusting and piggyish my eating habits were. I am appalled. That is not an easy thing to admit to.... Pin It