For me, fitness isn't about exercise...
I have always been a strong, hard working country girl. I'm not afraid to break a sweat or to push my body to it's very boundary. For me, fitness is less about working out, and more about ....
FOOD
FOOD! Glorious FOOD! I love food!And that right there is the problem. I was eating everything and anything with no regard to calories, fat, or sodium. I didn't know what most things did to my body. I didn't know what my body required every single day just to function. I didn't know the damage I was doing, day in and day out, eating processed garbage and stuffing in fast food on top of that when I "didn't have time." And quite frankly, I didn't care either... It was all too hard. Too time consuming. Too confusing. Too uneconomical. Too this... Too that... The truth is: I was too fucking full of excuses...
Enter last April. The April that I made a conscious decision to totally change my way of life. I would embark on the journey of a lifetime, make a commitment to my health, and spend every waking minute researching food and fitness to build myself into the strong, healthy, determined person I wanted to be! Here I am, nearly 60 pounds lighter and well on my way to being that person. And I've learned a TON along the way that I would love to share with you!
You see, the truth is, food isn't that confusing.... Not at all! These days you have great fitness apps like MyFitnessPal or Livestrong that can track all of your food FOR YOU. And it's FREE! You simply enter in your weight, height, and age, and it will TELL YOU what you need each and every day. And what you don't need, for that matter... Your only job is to write it down! (And if you can't make five minutes for yourself to do that, stop reading right now. I can't help you.)
For me, food was all about conversion. It was simply a matter of taking the things that I craved...and morphing them into another version of themselves. Let me show you what I mean.
Take soda for instance. I have given up soda cold turkey. Was it hard? Nope. I made the conscious decision. It was killing me. Will I have a root beer now and then? Sure. But I can count on ONE HAND the number of sodas I've had in three months. Many people say to me, "Well I gave up regular soda and just have diet soda instead." Are you kidding me right now!? Diet soda is not only worse for you because the chemicals are breaking down your BRAIN and your BONE (Yes! Research phenylketonurics or phenylalanine!), but it's full of sodium- which makes you retain water, raises your blood pressure, and puts strain on your vital organs! Diet soda is not good for you. Regular soda is not good for you. So, I found healthy replacements that would still quench my thirst for something cold and sweet...
Here's what I did:
What I used to love: Soda.
What I love now: Pasteurized non concentrated orange juice, coconut water, unsweetened iced tea, and good old H20!
-You don't want to load up on orange juice, but it is a hell of a lot better for you than soda- in moderation. We're talking an 8 oz glass per day here people----not an entire gallon. The vitamin C will help out your immune system, plus orange juices studies have suggested that it lowers your blood pressure AND decreases bad cholesterol! Coconut water is extremely refreshing and FULL of potassium, so if you're working out, it helps to replace what you're losing in your muscles and can take the place of Gatorade where potassium replacement is concerned. Add raw sugar if you must have it, but gradually wean yourself off. Make sure, by the way, when you buy the coconut water, you watch the labeling. The only ingredients should be coconut water & vitamin C! Unsweetened tea tastes phenomenal iced, and there are literally hundreds of flavors. Take yourself to a coffeehouse and ask to sample a few iced and find the one that work for you. It's super easy to steep and store! Nate and I take fifteen minutes twice a week and steep an entire pitcher for drinking! And need we say anything about WATER?! I mean, hello! Most Americans are dehydrated. Do you know that? Is your mouth dry right now? You're thirsty----which means YOU'RE DEHYDRATED! Do yourself a favor and grab yourself a glass of water RIGHT NOW.
These are super easy, inexpensive replacements for your favorite sugary garbage drink. Do you know that the average American would lose FIFTEEN pounds in one year by just giving up soda? Crazy! And the COST. Oh. My. God. How much are you paying these days for your soda habit? Exactly. I don't want to hear another nasty word about smokers. Don't even start....because if you're drinking soda, you're JUST AS BAD.
See! Wasn't that easy? Eating is as simple as being educated and looking, consciously, for replacements. And remember, when you're at the store, just because something is labeled "low fat", doesn't make it so! For instance, I saw dried cherries today on the shelf. Awesome! I love dried cherries! So does Nate and so does Cole! The only problem: The first ingredient? Sugar. NO! Put that back! NOT OKAY!
Moving right along, let's talk milk. I love milk. I used to buy 2% all the time. So this dilemma is simple: Buy 1%. Less milk fat= less fat on your body! I am a stickler on the old adage "Milk does a body good!" Because it's true; hand to God. This farmer's daughter wouldn't lead you astray! Milk is great for your bones and teeth because of the calcium. You need it. Drink it!
However, I don't just drink lower fat milk. Oh, no! I've discovered this amazing, delicious, wonderful thing called almond milk. If you haven't tried it yet, you NEED to. It's great for you AND it tastes good! Plus, stores run sales on it often and offer discount coupons, so you can get it reasonably priced! And if you've never had a fruit smoothie made with almond milk, you don't even KNOW what you're missing! GO NOW!
Do you see how easy this is? I'm going to list pretty much everything that's in my fridge right this second just to show you how I do this. If you have questions, please ask! I can share with you the healthy options that I sub in and out to make my life a little bit healthier. It's not perfect. (Because I do dumb shit like eat an entire 146 calorie tube of Mentos in one afternoon; love those things!) But it is a FAR, FAR cry from where I once was. I hope that my experiences and changes can help to inspire your own!
What I loved: Doritos. Chips and dip. Cookies. Twix.
What I love now: Baked homemade chips, pita chips with hummus or salsa, dark chocolate nibs, blueberries, strawberries, bananas, oranges, grapes.
I love anything EASY to peel and to pop in my mouth quickly and on the go. Since I loved sweets, fruit was a perfect transition for me. It was just a matter of figuring out what I liked. And I don't care what those nut jobs in the health department say, fruit is good for you! There are so many benefits it makes my head spin, but because they contain natural sugar, these crazy people jumped off the deep end and labeled it harmful. WHAT?!?!? In my world, fruit & veggies are KING!
What I loved: Ribeye. Barbecued Ribs. Sausage.
What I love now: Grilled chicken. Lean pork tenderloin. Ground turkey. Fish.
It is so, so, so important to find healthy, low fat proteins! They rebuild and fuel your muscles. You need protein, people! What I remember is that any skin on anything meat is a bad thing. It needs to be removed. It's nothing but fat. I make our tacos with ground turkey---and it's GREAT! When I eat beef, the fat gets cut out or skimmed off and our serving sizes as far smaller. Instead of barbecued ribs, we put lean pork in the crock pot with seasoning; tastes just as good and is MUCH lower in fat! I like my meat like I like my men: LEAN!
What I loved for quick meals: Peanut Butter Sandwiches. Pot Pies. Frozen burritos.
What I love now: Eggs, fried in EVOO or boiled. Cottage cheese with vegetable or fruit. Grilled portobello sandwich on wheat toast.
Did you know that if you grill a piece of portobella mushroom, it tastes just like meat? It's true! Try it! I try to keep boiled eggs in my fridge for quick meals, but if not, I will fry one up in extra virgin olive oil. Easy AND fast! As far as cottage cheese, it rocks my world! I buy low fat cottage cheese and it keeps me full for a very low time, plus it's great for me. Pair it with your favorite fruit or veggie for a quick lunch!
What I loved: Potatoes.
What I love now: Sweet Potatoes.
What I loved: Pasta. ANYTHING pasta!
What I love now: Whole grain pasta. Spaghetti squash.
Spaghetti squash is AWESOME! Pick some up and try it with your favorite homemade spaghetti sauce! Use that lean ground turkey we just talked about.
What I loved: Sugary cereal with 2% milk.
What I love now: Oatmeal or eggs straight up.
What I loved: Bread.
What I love now: Whole wheat tortilla shells.
Virtually ANYTHING served on bread can be served in tortilla shells, folks!
What I loved: Sour cream- full fat.
What I love now: Greek Yogurt.
Greek yogurt has completely and totally replaced sour cream in our house! It has more zip, FAR LESS FAT, and is full of protein.
What I loved: Bologna or hot dogs in a bun.
What I love now: Lean sliced turkey and avocado in tortillas.
Avocados are full of heart healthy fat. They are NOT the devil, so stop believing everything you read....
What I loved: Ranch dressing
What I love now: Balsamic vinegar. Citrus vinegarettes. Bleu cheese.
What I loved: Butter
What I love now: Extra virgin olive or grapeseed oil
What I loved: Processed and/or fast food.
What I love now: Prepped food---fresh from my fridge!
See? Simple!
Here are some other shopping tips for hitting the grocery store:
-Research coupons online! There are LOTS of resources for some of the things you might like to buy and save a little money on! And I don't care who you are, eating healthier is NOT more expensive. Not by a long shot! Especially if you're eating out more than twice a week...
-Make a list! When you have a list, you're much less likely to buy junk!
-Never ever shop hungry! Impulses will kick in and you'll lose control!
-Experiment with healthy foods. What's the worst that happens? You don't like it. You're out three or four bucks. You'd have spent that on two bottles of soda in your previous life...
-Stay OUT of the middle aisles unless you need something specifically- like whole wheat pasta.
-Make the fresh food section your FAVORITE place.
-The frozen section is deceiving. Most of that stuff is garbage. Stick to frozen fish and that's about it...
-Don't ever sample. Ever. You'll buy something you most likely don't need! Unless you're at Whole Foods. Then, go nuts.
-Go online and cruise healthy foodie sites! Check out EatingWell.com or FitFoodieFinds.com (which my friend Lee writes!)
When it boils down to it, there are all kinds of ways to live healthier. And it's not as hard as you think. I promise! People like me are ready and WILLING to share our experiences with you, should you ask. I sincerely hope that you'll find yourself in the produce aisle soon, opening your mind to new things and fueling your body in a new way! I want that for you! I want health for all of us! After all, you are....what you eat. Right?
What healthy foods do you love? Have you found ways to curb your cravings? What are your favorite substitutions?
Sarah
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Remember, I am not a medical professional. These opinions are my own based on my own individual research. Always consult a medical professional before making drastic changes to your lifestyle!
9 comments:
I've made quite a few of the same changes you have over the last few years. I have a Coke Zero about once every 6 weeks. Its kind of a big thing when I let myself have it because its a treat, not the norm. I used to drink about 10 cans of soda every day. Eek!
My biggest hurdle is not stuffing myself. I've always preferred most healthier options, but I had no concept of portion size. That has changed, though I still do screw up sometimes.
Your post has a lot of info that a lot of people can make use of! And write it down! Once you see how much you really eat, you won't want to eat it anymore! LOL
amen sista! totally agree!
I like this post and a lot of it goes along with what I've always thought. Except on the beef. Beef (and pretty much any other protein) are almost the same in calories per oz. as long as it is all lean. Almost all 'meat' is around 100 cals/oz. What we do (and I know not everyone can do this) is we literally order half a cow from a local, all natural farmer. The beef is lean and the flavor is AMAZING. And the cost... oh the cost is oh so good! Now, I know not everyone can do that since you need to have a lot of money up front plus a deep freezer, but it works oh so well. And it is the best kind of red meat you can have since its nothing BUT meat! No hormones, antibiotics, etc. :)
Also, on fat. You said you replaced butter with oil. While that is good due to the Omegas, in reality a fat is a fat is a fat. All of them, like meat, have about 110 cals per tbsp. So while I do use better oils like olive and sunflower, sometimes you just can't beat butter! And butter is not bad for you! I'm a firm believer that old school butter is WAY better than any of that processed margarine crap that they try to get us to eat. No thank you - I'll stick with the real! lol
Now, why would you tell people to avoid the frozen section? Frozen has been proven to be just as good as fresh nutrient wise! I LOVE buying frozen and throwing them in the micro for some steamed veggies! It's perfect for those days when I'm low on fresh stuff but we're ready for dinner. And SO EASY! Same with fruits. You can throw some in a smoothie or throw them in a blender for an easy and yummy sorbet. Don't let the fact that something is frozen keep you from using them or dissuade those who can't afford to buy fresh. Frozen is an easy and affordable way to get in lots of fruit and veggies that otherwise wouldn't be bought.
And pasta... yeah. I hate whole wheat pasta. I just try to buy good quality semolina because I eat lots of whole grains so in pasta, I just let it go. Not a huge difference between them to warrant the change, IMO. I do, however, add more veggies to the mix like chunky tomatoes. For me, it wasn't really about the pasta, but the quantity. If you add more whole veggies and some good cheese, you don't NEED a huge plate of the pasta. One of my fave cheeses is a merlot flavored one and you only need about 1tbsp. of it on a pasta dish and it is SO flavorful! NOM
And I totally sample! It's how I found roasted pine nut hummus and greek yogurt spinach dip! YUM! I ALWAYS do a sample if possible! Especially at Costco because ours goes by serving sizes, has the package right there so you can see what you are sampling, and a trash can close in case you don't like it. I say sample it for free once you've looked over the info so you can find new foods you LOVE but don't want to spend say $6 on to get it home and hate it. I loved the hummus -- my Dad did not. Glad I didn't buy him a tub! HA!
Sorry to write a huge response... just feeling talkative today, I guess! LOL
You so smart! I love that you shared all that you learned. I sooooo agree on the diet soda. Honestly - I'll drink regular before I use artificial sweeteners. I swear some day soon they'll prove they cause cancer or something. Glad you are doing so well and learning so much! Must be cuz you live in Wisconsin (like moowah)lol.
This is awesome! Love it!
Another thing that I like to drink instead of soda is sparkling water. There's tons out there that are all natural and have nothing but natural flavors and fizz. And they are soooo good. There's a lemon lime flavor that tastes almost like my beloved Mt. Dew.
I've been slipping on the eating good thing, but I want to get back into it. Not only for my health, but the baby's and my hubby's!
Thanks!! love this!
It's cool that you are sharing all your tips with the masses. What you have learned is obviously working for you. I completely agree with you about giving up soda. Why do so many people think that drinking sugar water (or calorie free salt water) all day long is a good idea? I gave up soda right after high school, and that combined with some other changes helped me lose a whopping 45 pounds in no time.
Water is my drink of choice. We make iced tea (without sugar) in large batches in the summer, and drink hot herbal tea in the winter. Now and again I'll have a bit of juice mixed into a smoothie. All are wayyy better than soda in my opinion.
I stick to whole foods and keep the portions normal. We don't keep any kind of processed snack foods or pre made stuff in the house at all.
I still love me some butter, but I measure out my portions and track them so it doesn't turn into Butter Fest 2013.
didi http://driftwoodandsealingwax.blogspot.com/
Great post, Sarah- thank you.
I substituet Perrier for coke (sometimes- pout). I love it but it is costly compared to soda.
I need to take a page from your book and go cold turkey. Again- however many tries it takes because my health is worth it.
Great post!! I love that you compare smoking to drinking soda. I tell my BFF Robyn that all the time because she cannot understand why I (very occasionally) want a cigarette if we're out with friends that smoke. I tell her, "I feel the same when you drink a Coke." I cannot understand the soda thing.
My tastes and preferences really have changed too. I used to drink nothing but Coke, and now I mostly drink water (and coffee, and wine/beer ...).
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