I understand all of this, and have been tempted myself to go down one path or the other. I have swallowed a few Hydroxycut in my time (which promptly made me feel like my heart was gonna explode out of my chest!) , but in the end, I just don't have enough discipline around food to be successful at any of the above.
Because I love food. More correctly, I love to eat food. Luckily, I like almost all types of food- both healthy and unhealthy. I tell people all the time that my main motivator for exercise is the fact that it allows me to be more liberal with what I eat- because I just don't have a lot of willpower. If there is a bag of Oreos in the pantry, I will eat it-plain and simple. The whole bag. In one sitting. It's true- I've done it.
I have resigned myself to the fact that I will never be "skinny". In fact, I don't want to be skinny. I want to be healthy and strong- two terms that don't necessarily line up behind the words "skinny" or "thin". I know that I will never have a bikini body, but I have the heart rate and blood pressure of a 20-year old and a cholesterol that will keep me far away from the cardiologists I work with every day.
Many people state that it is too expensive to eat healthy. And I agree- it can be. But when I go to the grocery and look around, I can see why people struggle. Junk food, processed food- it's everywhere. Screaming at you from the endcaps or with flashy "sale" signs to lure you into purchasing them. And we do. I am a self-admitting grocery cart snoop- I like to look at other people's grocery carts to see what they have in them. And most of us have junk that our bodies just don't need. Pop, mac and cheese, chips- even pretzels- are not necessary my friends.
Believe it or not- by focusing only on healthy, necessary foods, I bought 2 weeks of groceries for about $15 under my usual budget. And that was even with all my fruits and veggies being organic- something I don't always do. I spent some time before going to the store looking at both what I had already and reviewing recipes. I also took coupons, which shaved a few dollars off. But overall- by cutting out the junk, I was able to save my thighs from the after-effects of Oreo slaughter and actually spent less money!
Today I rounded out my shopping with a trip to Earth Fare. My husband and I are self-proclaimed foodies, and we look at it as an adventure. There are still plenty of places to trip up a diet there- I myself had to put back the bucket of organic chocolate covered cherries that I had placed in the cart. But overall, there are lots of options here to be both healthy and earth-friendly. We bought things that we can't find at our local store too easily- Goji berries (antioxidant), Maca powder (for energy), dried vegetables to eat instead of chips, steel-cut oats (help lower your cholesterol better than regular oats), and wild caught fish. Sounds crazy, but I swear we use all those things as part of a regular diet that most people wouldn't blink at.
So start small if you need to. Put the Pop-Tarts back on the shelf (OMG have you ever looked at the label?!) and grab oatmeal instead. Mix in fresh or frozen fruit with either agave syrup or stevia. Need something you can take with you? Get out the blender- it's not just for margaritas. A scoop of protein powder, natural peanut butter, unsweetened almond mild, a banana, and a handful of ice equals a protein shake that tastes like dessert on the go. I swear little changes like this will do amazing things for you!
Ok, ok I'm done. I'm no fanatic trying to push stuff on people. Like I said, if there were Oreos in my pantry right now I would be eating them. I just love seeing the poeple I care about take care of themselves though- I guess it's the nurse in me. So go ahead- make one change this week, and stick with it for a little bit before taking the next step. Before you know it, I'll be running into you at Earth Fare in the Goji Berry aisle :).
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