The Struggle is Real

I have the exercise part of getting healthy down pretty well, but nutrition has always been my downfall as long as I can remember. Beginning in March 2024, I planned to start conciously thinking about what I ate and trying to make some changes. March 1st fell on a Friday, and everyone knows that you start new things on Mondays, not over the weekend. (wink wink) What would a new eating plan look like for me? If you talk to me about micros and macros, how many grams of protein or fiber you should have, good carbs versus bad carbs, it will go in one ear and out the other. I do not have the concentration to try to figure all of that out. If it gets complicated, I give up. I've had an exercise and nutrition coach send me a list of fruits and vegetables with the instruction to cross off in red everything that I do not eat. I looked it over, made my marks and sent it back only to be told "that's a lot of red." Yes, I am a picky eater. I don't remember being exposed to a lot of different foods while growing up. I have expanded in some areas but there is a lot that I still won't eat and also a lot that I've never actually tried and just say I don't like. For instance, I realized over the weekend that I don't recall ever trying a blueberry, outside of a muffin, but I have been saying my whole life that I don't like blueberries. Needless to say, most healthy eating plans do not appeal to me at all. It doesn't seem sustainable for long term.

I guess before going further we should address what I consider my problem areas when it comes to my food addiction. I am going to try to be fully transparent even though my tendency is to keep it private because I am somewhat embarrassed by my food choices. My family of four has grown accustomed to eating out a lot. On weekdays, most breakfasts are eaten at home, although about once a week my husband and I enjoy a bagel meal from McDonald's. My husband and I are self-employed and usually justify eating our lunches out as well. Weeknight dinners are eaten at home, unless it's a special occasion. My pattern is to snack at bedtime, while watching T.V. If you think that sounds bad, weekends are where things really fall apart. I rarely cook a meal from Friday night through Monday morning. That's not necessarily bad in and of itself, but we go big time. High calorie, high fat meals followed with dessert of some kind, blizzards from Dairy Queen, sundaes from Friendly's, or perhaps doughnuts from a local grocery store. Another addiction I am well-known for is my fondness for McDonald's diet cokes. I justify it by the fact that it has zero calories. I know there have been different studies on aspartame and its effects on kidneys, but you can usually find research to support whatever side you're on. The thing that bothers me most about this, however, is the caffeine each soda contains, plus I am aware of the importance of drinking water, one thing I rarely consume. These are things I aim to get control of.

I realize I may get a lot of comments about this next paragraph, and that's okay. If you can teach me in simple terms what changes I need to make, I am more than open to listen. For now, for me, the easiest thing I could do was cut out snacking before bed. I set a 12-hour time frame where I will not allow myself to eat; intermittent fasting, if you will. No eating after 7 p.m. until after 7 a.m. the next morning. As far as choosing what foods to eat, first, I have counted calories before and have been successful in losing weight by doing so. Second, I know I need to incorporate more (at least one!) fruits and veggies into my meals. Third, I no longer want to obsess over what I am going to eat. For my daily breakfast, I decided I would eat a bagel with either peanut butter or butter and jelly, along with either a banana or an apple with peanut butter. For lunch, I decided to have a salad with which I could include grilled chicken or eat it along with something else; frozen pizza, a sandwich, something left over from the night before and also try to grab another fruit. The point was not to obsess over too many options. As a family, in the fall of 2023, we made monthly dinner menus. I decided I would stick with that for our dinners. They are usually decently "well rounded." Finally, my goal is to limit myself to two McDonald's diet cokes a day. I told you it was out of control!

So, as I write this, it's March 11th. How have I been doing? Fasting twelve hours overnight is going well. I have been sticking to that strictly, I would say. Breakfasts and lunches are okay, for the most part. In full transparency, we did eat out last week more than I had originally aimed for. Dinners are pretty good. We did eat out over this past weekend, but I was more aware of the number of calories I was consuming, and with the snacking at night being cut out, there was no ice cream or doughnuts. Also, I'm not partaking in sugary snacks during the month of March, with the exception of this upcoming Saturday, March 16th in which I am already planning to have cake. Stay tuned for more about the reasoning behind that. My diet soda intake has been much better. There have been days when I have had three sodas, but I know without a doubt that I am drinking at least 64 ounces of water per day which is a huge jump from the no water I was consuming before March. To sum it all up, I am reaching some goals and falling short of others. The struggle is real, but I am making progress.

"Don't you know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought at a price. So, glorify God with your body." 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 (CSB)

This is my main goal, may all else fall under this vision.