3 years ago,
I started to teach myself how to eat.
Seriously. I thought I would be
even happier if I was skinny. I learned about counting calories and
understanding that you must expend more calories than you take in to lose
weight. I found there are two ways to
reduce your calorie intake.
Artificially,
by eating reduced calorie processed foods or by eating naturally low calorie
foods such as fruits and veggies. Not
wanting to give up the things I love, I started out with reduced calorie
versions of all those yummy things. They
turned out not so yummy. Did I lose some
weight? Yup. But then I discovered I got more bang for my
buck eating naturally low calorie foods.
Even better, I discovered that I felt better, both mentally and
physically, when I ate unprocessed foods.
Five years
later, it’s 2013. I feel pretty darn
good. Many of my previous health
problems are non-existent. Have I lost
weight? About 55 pounds and counting.
But on this journey, I discovered a few things I wasn’t expecting…
•Skinny does
not equal healthy.
•Healthy food
does not equal low fat, low calorie
•There are
lots of weird, scary things in processed food
•When I feel
good, I actually enjoy physical activity
•My taste
buds are trainable
•When I feel
good about myself I don’t care what other people think about me
I still
struggle every day. 2013 has been
particularly difficult for me as I try to deal with some digestive issues since
getting a stomach virus over 6 months ago.
I haven't lost any weight. There are points where I want to give up and
go back to my old ways. Trying to be as
healthy as possible can be exhausting at times.
Sometimes I wish I could hit up the closest fast food restaurant rather than
spending an hour in the kitchen cooking a meal. However, I know I can't
quit. Quitting means returning to the
life I left behind. Quitting means
getting sick again. Quitting means being miserable. I won't go back.
There are so
many ups and downs when you take the first steps to getting healthy. In the end, the ups are WAY better than the
downs. I may take a few steps backwards
every once in a while but I will always make sure I have more steps forward in
this journey.
Mandy
Website: fatgirlgonehealthy.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/findvitality
Twitter: https://twitter.com/fatgirlhealthy
Instagram: http://instagram.com/fatgirlhealthy
-wonderful story of the struggle that so many of us deal with! Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteJane
Read your post. Thank you for being honest that it’s not easy and that you struggle everyday. This is what our life looks like. We struggle everyday.
ReplyDeleteSo many people who want to lose weight fall for the reduced calorie marketing. Thank you making the distinction between natural low calories foods and reduced calories processed food. I struggle with weight loss for ages, and it took me a while to realize what you posted here.
ReplyDeleteI loved reading your post because I can relate. I have had an issue with about 30-40lbs for many years. I have done diligently what I'm supposed to do to obtain results, but it’s on and off for me. Sometimes I lose more, sometimes I lose less. Sometimes I gain! It’s so frustrating.
ReplyDeleteAmanda, good for your for recognizing that processed food is actually "crap"...yes your taste bud are very trainable. I wish everyone would realize that "low fat/low cal" does not mean it's good. The best eating we can do is clean and real food...get comfy in your kitchen and start creating and cooking with fresh, raw and real..You think you feel good now? You will feel even more amazing...great job on your journey. We all take a few steps back and when that happens..I tell myself and others to "re-group"...just stop, look around, check yourself and re-group...:)
ReplyDeleteThanks Mark for sharing my story! Lots of great feedback! Makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside : )
ReplyDeleteYou’re welcome Mandy. You are inspiring and your strength is amazing. Thank you for sharing your thoughts. I really like your post.
DeleteGreat post! It is true that so long as we feel that we are adequate we tend to care less about what others think of us. More often than not we imagine others having similar opinions about us as we do, and if you feel negatively about yourself then you presume others do too.
ReplyDeleteSomething else that I would like to highlight is what you said regarding processed foods, and how you felt better when you do not eat them. Personally, whilst I may crave the taste of a good McDonalds burger from time to time, nothing beats the satisfaction of knowing that you've eaten something healthy and avoided the temptations around you.
Your story is inspirational and very helpful. And that thing about feeling happier and better when eating unprocessed food is very true. I have come to experience that myself.
ReplyDeleteYour guest posts are always amazing. The list of findings is an eye opener. I am going to reduce unprocessed foods as well. Thanks a lot for this brilliant post.
ReplyDelete