The reality is, your body isn't made to digest the crap we put in it. Your body isn't made to digest sausage in it's synthetic casing, or the acid in the cokes we buy 3 times a day (no judgement to coke drinkers......Coke is my all time favorite thing to drink). But somehow, we force our bodies to do it anyway. The idea behind this clean eating is not only to lose weight, but to cleanse my body in a way. I'm going to try to make a note of how my body feels, not how my mind feels. I know myself, and my mind is going to feel deprived and maybe even hungry (even though I'm not), but I'm going to pay attention to how my body is doing. Am I tired? How am I sleeping? How are my workouts? These are the things that I'm wanting to work on: my energy and my sleep. Of course weight loss is a goal, but not the only one.
I'm not going to lie and say that all of my meals are going to be 100% yummy or even desirable......but so far, today, it hasn't been bad. Here is a pic of what I ate for lunch:
Now.....I cannot emphasize enough how much I dislike fish. I truly do. However, fish is unbelievably good for you, so I am constantly trying to find a recipe that I can learn to like. On my plate above is tilapia, zucchini and brown rice. The tilapia was cooked in a saute pan with a small amount of olive oil (not on the plan, but a clean food, so I added a bit) with lemon pepper seasoning. The zucchini was sauteed as well, with a Mrs. Dash zesty spice of some kind. The brown rice was cooked with chicken broth (99% fat free) instead of water (again, not on the meal plan, but makes the brown rice edible). This lunch was AWESOME! I'm sure it's never going to be something I crave, but it's something that I'll enjoy, making this meal a keeper!
Luckily, on this meal plan, I get one cheat meal a week. PRAISE THE LORD! Having one meal (not an entire day) will keep me going. I used to have a cheat meal, once a week, and it was soft tacos at Rosa's on Taco Tuesday. Knowing that I could have lunch at Rosa's on Tuesdays got me through an entire week of good, healthy eating and I'm going to do it again! It's only for 6 weeks, and then afterwards, hopefully I will be in a good habit of eating fruit with every breakfast, veggies with every lunch and dinner and the knowledge that I don't have to eat processed cookies or cakes to satisfy my sweet tooth. I had blackberries this morning for my mid-morning snack and they were great! I had never had them before.
I'm not saying that after this 6 weeks I'm never going to eat another cookie or piece of cake, but I know that I'll remember how good my body feels when I fuel it properly. And when your body is performing the way God intended it to, there's no stopping us!
I am celebrating my last 20-something birthday this month. Everyone knows that when you turn 30, something happens in your body. Weight loss is harder (I hear) and muscle is harder to build and the calcium in your bones can begin to degenerate. I have one year: one year to get my body into great condition, so that maintaining it will be easier in my 30's. This is not to say that if you are over 30, it's pointless to try to get healthy. We all know that's not true. But in my case, I want to give my body the best chance to thrive that I can, and getting in shape in my 20's (even late 20's) will be easier than in my 30's.
I'm excited to see what my body can do. Wish me luck (and will power) and I'll keep ya posted :)
