I started this blog because I am passionate about nutrition and health. And, I am so tired of people telling me I look great and then asking me "what are you doing?" or "what's your secret?" I seriously want to slap them. But that is not fair. At some point in our lives we have been brainwashed into thinking there is some easy answer. A particular diet, or this awesome workout program (five minutes a day!) or magic pills that will melt the fat away. NO! This is stupid! Who knew that all you needed to do was eat right and exercise! I was even brainwashed. I used to tell myself "one day you will be fit" and that was it. I didn't tell myself that I would have to work for it or change anything, just that "one day I would be magically in shape."
In 2010, I decided I was not happy with my health. I was completely out of shape. I refused to buy clothes. I wore the same pants that were stretched out to fit. I wore dresses, because they fit. I was not obese, but I was overweight. It is hard to say my size because, like I said, I did not buy any new clothes. I just stretched mine out to fit. The last pair of pants I purchased were a size 14. I hated the way I looked, but most of all, I hated the way I felt.
I crashed every single day. It would be around 2 pm and my body would just give up. It was pitiful. I would be in the middle of class, writing notes and I would literally pass out. You could tell the exact moment that I crashed by looking at my notes, my writing went from coherent words to a line flying off the page. I tried blaming it on the class, but it happened every single day. I lived off of energy shots. It was the only way I could get through my days, even on the weekends. I cannot tell you how bad I felt! I am sure there are many people who can relate. At first I tried finding some kind of medical excuse. I heard about thyroid conditions and I swore I suffered from hypothyroidism, nope, my thyroid level was normal.
Things finally changed when I decided to join the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer with my mom. We started walking a minimum of four to six miles a day during the week and up to 26 miles a day during the weekend. We were doing this for a couple of months and I thought I was going to lose so much weight. Nope. In my dreams. I didn't lose a pound. It was irritating, but I did notice that I wasn't passing out during the middle of the day. While I was training for the walk, I counted every single calorie. I was eating around 1200-1600 calories a day, while exercising. Little did I know that this was why I was not losing weight. My body was pissed off. I was starving it. Oops.
As I continued trying to lose weight, I started educating myself. I started researching. I learned more and more about nutrition and portion sizes. I became obsessed with nutritional information at restaurants, to the point where my family was annoyed. It turns out, sometimes people do not want to hear that the dish they are eating has more than a days worth of fat. Oops, again. I was blown away with what restaurants could serve. I learned to shut my mouth unless asked, but I still researched every restaurant we visited.
Fast forward to today. I do not enter every item of food I eat into my many food apps (yes, I downloaded 11). I am mentally aware of what I am eating, but instead of meticulously tracking it, portions and healthy choices are ingrained into my everyday thinking. But, I do indulge. I believe a 100% that if you deny yourself the things you love, you are just torturing yourself. Everything in moderation. By changing my habits I find that I no longer crave certain things. I cannot stand donuts! I loved donuts, but after changing my food habits (not denying more cutting back) I do not like the taste. Sorry Shipleys! I also believe you can make healthy versions or substitutes for your vices.
This is where I am today. I want to share this with the world. I want to share my favorite healthy recipes, snacks, foods, and story. I want to be there for other people who are going through this. It is not easy to do this alone.
