Hey to my people trying to do good in their health journey, but struggling to be consistent!
Each and every day I wake up and I make conscious and unconscious decisions that affect my health journey. I do like to make it a point that I believe when you know better you do better. I know how bad eating snacks is for me. I get along much better in my weight-loss journey by cutting out the majority of useless and unhealthy calories I put in my body. Instead, I opt for more healthier options. For instance, I love yogurt but I needed to at least attempt to add more protein in my diet. So what did I do? I switched my yogurt from regular Yoplait to Chobani Greek Yogurt.
My Arch Nemesis: Cooking
At the same time though I struggle with making good eating decisions when it comes mainly to dinner. Breakfast is a breeze. I rotate between four different items that are fast on-the-go options. Lunch is relatively simple with either leftovers, a packed sandwich, or a pre-made salad. Dinner is what gives me a headache. You mean to tell me at the end of every day I have to go home and make dinner? I have to, after a long day at work, take my dog out, change into some comfortable clothes, and then spend the next 30 minutes to an hour cooking? -- Okay let me interject by saying that my fiance is a weird person. He's not a fan of eating leftovers and I'm not a fan of cooking two separate meals throughout the week to accommodate his preferences. Therefore, we just cook enough to eat for that night night. In addition, making big items like pasta is a lot of carbs which makes it not a go-to item for me to cook these days.
But you know what's worse than having to decide what to cook and actually cooking each day? Having a partner who eats unhealthy in front of you while you''re trying to make good choices.
When I'm trying to be healthy what is my fiance doing? Oh he's making suggestions to go get fast-food for dinner because we're being lazy cooks. Or sometimes he suggests getting pizza or he does actually get pizza and then I decide I want pizza too! Then there's the fact that he grabs McDonald's or Chick-fil-a for breakfast every morning. Like yeah rub it in my face why don't ya?
I'm in control...always
At the end of the day I have to remember that only I have control over my actions. Although Kevin can influence my decisions and sway my decisions I have the ultimate power which means practicing self accountability. I have to pick up the slack if he decides he wants to get wings or Wendy's that night. So I need to figure out short notice meals I can make that are quick and easy. Or I need to do better and start meal-prepping to help me balance out not overexerting myself during the week. I have enough on my plate without having to add that on too.
Ya girl is trying to workout after work so sometimes I won't even make it home until 8:30pm.
Aside from that I do see a change in myself these days. I'm noticing that when I get the urge to eat a snack I first ask myself, "Have I eaten today?" or sometimes I ask myself "What time is it?". Often times I find that when I'm craving a snack it's because it's actually time for me to eat. With that knowledge I can make myself something healthy to eat rather than reverting to snacks.
Another pat on the back I'd like to give myself is how I've switched up my grocery shopping tactics. Instead of going to the grocery store I order my groceries online. I think this helps me a lot budget-wise but I also don't fall into the pitfall of shopping while hungry. Instead I get to go through the online website and pick out what I actually need, not what I'm craving in the moment. So long as I choose the pickup option from Walmart it's at no extra cost to me! I just hop in the car and they bring the groceries out to me. They'll even try substituting items if you allow them to do so. Then I just grab my own vegetables and fruits because of course I don't trust them to actually give me the good stuff but it's a great decision-making solution that I've found.!
One last thing I have to add is this app I've used called MyFitnessPal. Boy I'm telling you when Kevin was on his health kick with me I was so much better at this, but there's an app I used that allowed me to record what foods I was eating and it would calculate all the carbs, proteins, calories and other nutrition facts so that I could see my daily intake. I found it really helpful because I would include all the crap items I would eat like Bojangles fries. Let's just say, knowing how many calories are in those things versus a full and hearty homemade meal makes you rethink what you're willing to put in your body -- conscious decisions.
Hopefully you're leaving this post renewed.
To eat a healthy diet, you may need to make some changes. Remember that you can change your eating habits a little bit at a time. Small changes are easier to make and can lead to better health.
Here are some ways to make healthy changes in your eating habits:
Keep more fruits, low-fat dairy products (low-fat milk and low-fat yogurt), vegetables, and whole-grain foods at home and at work.
Focus on adding healthy food to your diet, rather than just taking unhealthy foods away.Try to eat a family meal every day at the kitchen or dining table. This will help you focus on eating healthy meals.
Download a recipe app like Yummly, and cook for yourself.
Chew gum when you cook so you won't be tempted to snack on the ingredients.
Pack a healthy lunch and snacks for work. This lets you have more control over what you eat.
Put your snacks on a plate instead of eating from the package. This helps you control how much you eat.
Don't skip or delay meals, and be sure to schedule your snacks. If you ignore your feelings of hunger, you may end up eating too much or choosing an unhealthy snack. If you often feel too hungry, it can cause you to focus a lot on food.
Eat your meals with others when you can. By relaxing and enjoying your meals, you won't eat too fast and your body will have more time to process the food you're taking in.
Try to make healthy eating a pleasure, not a chore.
Drink water instead of high-sugar drinks (including high-sugar juice drinks).