today's post is of a slightly different nature. i am going to step away from the usual posts of pretty interiors & wedding inspirations and speak on something a bit more personal. hope you don't mind!
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i have never been a particularly healthy eater. for the first 26 years of my life, i thought diet coke was an appropriate replacement for h2o, i was convinced i could survive completely off of baked goods (especially sugar cookies!), and usually, my march/april diet consisted solely of cadbury mini eggs. (i'm exaggerating, but not by much!)
being a dancer, i was lucky and always stayed super active. i could eat whatever i wanted & would stay relatively thin. when i stopped dancing/teaching full-time & moved to london, my activity level changed drastically, but my unbalanced, unhealthy diet remained the same... and let me tell you, my weight started to immediately pay the price. after realizing that my clothes were fitting a lot tighter than normal, i decided i would increase my activity level & train for that marathon i always wanted to do. while this did help a little, after six months of consistent training & completing a full marathon, i still had quite a few unwanted english pounds that didn't want to go anywhere.
i completed my marathon last may. between then & january both my activity level & weight stayed pretty consistent. i was working out regularly 3-6 days a week & was still not seeing any changes on the scale or in my body. i was rather frustrated. by december, with my upcoming nuptials, i became determined to do something more. when the new year came around, i decided that it was time to pay a bit more attention to what i was eating. ever heard the quote that it's "30% exercise, 70% diet?" well, i finally believe it. since january, my diet has been taken over by these healthy things called vegetables, i literally drink more water than dc (this is a first!), i write down everything i eat, and i haven't had a cheeseburger & french fries in months. amazingly, my body loves me for it. i can't remember the last time i felt that disgustingly full, i-just-ate-way-too-much feeling, that i used to have so often. i never would have believed it before, but eating healthy really does feel good!
please know that i am still in NO WAY a perfect little eater. i still crave sugar like it is no one's business. i still cheat every once in awhile and have a sugar cookie, a cafe rio pork salad, or a full on authentic mexican cheese enchilada. but, i have gained some control. now i have a much better chance of eating just ONE cookie, ordering my rio salads on wheat tortillas & using minimal amounts of that delicious dressing, and well... somehow managing to leave a few bites of the 'enchilatha' on my plate. i've learned that it is all about portion control, consistent & frequent meal times, that lovely thing called the food pyramid, and water, water, & more water. it's also about patience. real & lasting weight loss does not happen quickly.
i've also learned that it is about being realistic. i could never be a fanatical healthy eater. i've been dieting for a mere two months & some days i just want to throw in the stupid towel & eat whatever the crap i want. and you know what? sometimes i do. but what has changed, is that the next morning i am more determined to run those 7 miles, eat healthy & do better than i did the day before. every once in awhile i'm going to eat a stupid/amazing sugar cookie. and i don't know if i'll ever be able to give up diet coke completely. BUT, i have learned that it's about picking & choosing your battles with your cravings.
the last thing i've learned... is that once again i'm grateful for pinterest. with endless amounts of healthy recipes at my fingertips, i am able to make better decisions in my moments of weakness. instead of reaching for that full-fat, zero-health cookie/candy/cake/cadbury egg... i am learning that there are other options that truly taste (almost) as good. a cup of spinach will always be better for you... but if you have to decide between your typical butter, egg & sugar filled baked good and one with substitutes such as applesauce, honey, & whole wheat flour, you should obviously choose the later!
below you will find a few links for recipes that i have found particularly helpful with my sinful cravings... all found via pinterest!
3. dried strawberries... baked in the oven!
4. chocolate banana 'ice cream'... made with a frozen banana & cocoa powder
these recipes honestly help me... and i hope they can help you, too. this post ended up being much longer than originally intended. again, hope you don't mind the random health conscious post!
for those of you that have maybe gone through a similar thing...
what was the number one thing that helped you past your cravings/moments of weakness?
have any healthy tips/secrets/recipes you'd like to share?
if you do, please send them my way.
i'm still so new at this being healthy thing & would appreciate your help!
now, if you live in alaska, georgia, idaho, massachusetts, north dakota, ohio, oklahoma, tennessee, vermont, or virginia... go do your duty & vote!
after reading through this... does anyone think that i am craving sugar cookies, diet coke & mini cadbury eggs at this moment?
must be time to go eat a clementine. those things are almost as good as candy.
love. love. love. I seriously think you are the sweetest thing. And this post is me to a T. I can tell how hard you are working and I must say when I saw your engagements I thought how awesome you and your body looked! Really I am right there with you when it comes to food and I have been doing the same. A little cheating here and there is healthy and we have to remember that. But I love your pinterest ideas for a healthier (sweet) option. Keep writing, I am so moved and motivated by you!
ReplyDeleteI, too, love this! I think there are a lot of us women out there with the same problem...You already posted my tips: finding yummy substitutes, and working-out more/being more active...two things that can seem a little overwhelming at first, but if we all just do it, we will find that we love it! I just started making major changes in January as well trying to get these last 20 baby pounds off. I've lost five pounds in just over two months, which is slower than I would like, but as you said, the more gradually the weight comes off, the more likely it is to stay off!
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing! Love your blog!
i realized i couldn't eat whatever i wanted to anymore about a year ago and it was the worst. especially for this sweet tooth! but you've got it right - exercise and eat right, and treat your self every once and a while. my key to success with all the baking that i do is cutting down the recipe to a half or a quarter or give give give it away. my husband's work LOVES me. :) thanks for sharing these yummy recipes!
ReplyDeleteNUTS!! a small handful goes a long way, they're satsifyingly crunchy, healthy, and take the edge off cravings! just don't go overboard with them! and veggies dipped in a really good hummus.
ReplyDeleteI feel like such a creeper- I've met you like once, but I came across your blog and love it! I'm the same way- over the last few years it's like my metabolism just shut down- even running miles a day wasn't doing the trick. I really think healthy eating is the key. Good for you! And the recipes look fabulous!
ReplyDeleteI love pinterest! I think I use it most for recipes too. I'm now following your blog :)
ReplyDeletexx
Jen
I have found this amazing little recipe on pinterest for baked oatmeal in muffin tins. It is just sweet enough that it tastes like an oatmeal cookie or light cake! You can put whatever you like in them. Nuts, fruit, or even top with a few choc chips! It is fabulous for a mid day sweet snack without killing your healthy eating!
ReplyDeleteOk LOVE this post!! It's so hard to eat healthy but at the same time- if you put just 15 extra seconds into the decision to eat something, it makes all the difference! Loving your blog. Newest follower!
ReplyDeleteHappy to have stumbled onto your blog today. This year green juice made all the difference for me. Google it for lots of recipes, sweeten up loads of kale and spinach with apple and spice it up with ginger. You'll feel great, you'll crave sugar less frequently and the DC cravings fly away effortlessly. All the best!
ReplyDeleteWhat a fun post! I had to laugh though...I think you mentioned sugar cookies about 8 times :) Wherever in the world we end up, I'll always meet you in the middle to make our fabulous cookies (and cupcakes, and donuts, and cakes). Love you.
ReplyDeleteYou can also freeze drops of yogurt for a tasty sweet treat, and you can make tons of flavors; just don't use sugar-free yogurt, it's gross. And those grapes look awesome!
ReplyDeleteGreat post. I've lost 110 lbs in the last 18 months through diet and exercise. It's not about depriving yourself and eating nothing but salads and grilled chicken. It's about not eating all the food all the time. Indulge in that cake or burger, and then compensate with a lighter dinner. Make sure that most of what you eat is full of fiber, protein, or vitamins so that you're getting full with good nutrition to balance out that cookie here or there. One thing I disagree with is that it's always better to pick a healthy option. Sometimes you want good old fashioned chocolate cake without whole wheat flour or other 'healthy' changes. Enjoy it! But do so in moderation, and always keep track of what you are eating and how much so you can decide when you've had enough.
ReplyDeleteTotally random pinterest junkie here : ) loved ur post and agree 100%. Thanks for this mornings uplift!
ReplyDeleteGreat post, great recipe!! :)
ReplyDeleteWill try it out soon - thanks for sharing. :-)