I went out of my comfort zone with this one but am glad that I did. I don't have the best eating habits, heck, they suck. I was drinking soda almost every day and eating chips and candy almost every day. While I'm not over-weight, I knew something had to be done. I had been trying to kick the soda habit for awhile, figured once I did that I would move on to something else. well..that didn't happen but I did lesson the amount of junk food I was eating. Then...I hurt my foot in August. For the last 3 years I have been working out 5-6 days a week. I was used to running 3 or more miles on my cardio days. I switched jobs and didn't have access to weights any more, so that meant I was running 5-6 days. Of course I didn't gain weight! So..I get a stress fracture in my heel and suddenly I can't run. Heck, I couldn't walk without lots of pain. As you can imagine, since I wasn't working out for several months and still eating the same, I gained some weight. This is what finally made me make the effort to eat healthy.
I had a Dr's apt a couple of months ago and mentioned to my Dr. that I wanted to eat healthier, she recommended this book. I'm so glad she did because it's really helped me. She said it wasn't a diet book...but it covers some of the super healthy foods and it helps you understand why they are healthy. That it did.
They book discusses foods like yogurt, nuts, and wheat germ. Wheat germ you say? I had never heard of it but it appears to be super good for you. I bought some about 2 weeks ago and I have been sprinkling it in my yogurt, stew, and some other items. There's no taste to it, but it can make yogurt a bit crunchy. It's really easy to add to things and if it's helping my body, I'm all for it.
I like that this book explains what is healthy, and why. I'm not a Dr...most of that stuff just goes over my head, however the book did good explaining that the foods contain X, Y, and Z, which studies show lower your risk of cancer, etc. The author also helps you add the foods to your diet. I loved that instead of saying to stop eating fast food all together, if you find yourself going that route try to get pizza since it at least has tomato sauce which is healthy.
Since starting this book I have given up soda. I last had a soda on 11/22, 1 month as of tomorrow. In the last 6 weeks I've only had two sodas (the other one was on 11/11). I swear my stomach is smaller - guess that was due to carbonation? Who knows. I could also be imagining things. I don't drink coffee. That means I am drinking a ton more water and I'm sure my body is happy with me. The longer I go without it, the easier it is to resist it when I'm out. I've been eating a ton of yogurt, usually 4-5 times a week. I eat more nuts, which are yummy. I'm also eating a lot more vegetables. I'm not a vegetable lover, rarely ate them, but now I'll eat a decent amount and even take the leftovers for lunch.
The biggest changes I have noticed are that I think my stomach as gone down, not by much and I could be imaging it, but I think it has. I feel a bit better. And the most noticeable change..I'm sleeping more. I used to go to bed around 9pm and I was up between 4am - 5am. Perfect for working out in the mornings. However I was also one to wake up constantly throughout the night. Now I'm sleeping till 6 or 6:30 most mornings and I'm not waking up a lot, I'm actually get a decent nights rest.
I'm not finished making the eating changes in my life, but I'm working on it and I've had a good start. Some days I still eat some chips and maybe some chocolate, but it's rare. I know I can eat the bad stuff once in awhile and knowing that has helped me cut back on it.
I definitely recommend this book to those who want to eat healthier. It's a great beginning and I think it will help you make the changes you want to make. I think, for me, it helped me realize how much my body needs those types of foods and the harm I was doing - even though I didn't see the harm or even gain enough weight to make me over-weight.
3 comments:
Its funny you talked about all of this, I was just looking at this book and now think I might pick it up! I attempted giving up Coke...and failed. :) My weight is piling on again because I haven't been able to go to the gym since I've had my foot surgery :/ Good luck with everything! keep running :D
Congratulations on kicking the soda habit. Not only is it healthier, but I'm sure it saves you tons of money!
Bermudaonion - Thanks! It does save money..I never bought soda for the house, so I drank it at work, and it doesn't seem expensive but when you think about it..I was spending over $5 a week on soda, or roughly $260 a year. Yuck!
Shalyn - Sounds like we are both dealing with injuries! I hope your foot heals soon! I had a stress fracture and those take awhile to heal, I'm hoping to run again in spring...slowly increasing my pace and mileage via walking. The way I usually did well giving up soda was to slowly get off of it, I would get to wear I would drink it on friday's only...and then eventually stop that..but since it was a comfort food for me I always picked it up again when not feeling well.. I hope I have finally kicked that. I think this is the longest I've gone with no soda in years. Definitely check out this book from the library! I think you'll like it. I might even look for a used copy to keep at home for reference.
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