You Are What You Eat

Remember that song that was on tv when us old folks were little. "You are what you eat, from your head down to your feet, all you really are is what you eat!" We're talking School House Rock Days....The point here is that THIS MESSAGE IS NOTHING NEW. Even back then when we were eating Frosted Flakes and Pop Tarts, this information was readily available to anyone who wanted it. There have been trends over the years, and i have probably gotten involved with them all. (Remember the Oat Bran Craze that had me eating these humongous 500 Calorie Muffins (oh i miss those) and thinking i was doing something good for myself? Ane the low fat, avoid fat at all costs (but don't mind the TON of extra sugar that we added to make it palatable.) Or the grapefruit diet which of course would work....but definitely not a long term solution...

Which is why I love the plan we are on: CLEAN EATING. It just makes the most sense to me. If you eat overprocessed crap you feel like crap. If you are what you eat, then don't you want to be fresh, clean, healthy, all natural LIKE THE FOOD YOU ARE EATING? And your body responds to that because you are treating it right. You are respecting youself and what you put into your body. You are eating to live the best life you can, not living to eat what might give instant gratification but will also haunt you in ways other than weight gain. How you feel about yourself, your health overall and how it will be effected by the choices you make...

I can say with confidence that when i eat clean i feel my best. When i feel my best i feel the most confident in my abilities to get other things done. To do more. I feel more energetic, and happy. This morning i was thinking about what to write, and i thought well i will say i won't follow this to the letter for the rest of my life...well, maybe not to the letter, but i am hoping to strive for the cleanest eating possible for the rest of my life. In one week i have learned a lot. I want to bottle this feeling i have of hope, possibilities, joy, and i want to put it away for those days when i don't have that feeling and i need it. OH YEAH, IF I EAT AND LIVE THIS WAY I WILL HAVE THIS FEELING EVERY DAY??!! WOW. That is powerful.

So NOW THE NEWS YOU HAVE ALL BEEN WAITING FOR: I LOST 2 LBS. What did i do differntly? No wine last night, but i have done that before, and no luck. But that definitely contributed, so i will stick to that for now. One a week for now i will have some. I think I must be part French!!! (I was adopted so you never know!) But the idea of wine and cheese every day really appeals to me. Oh well. So, i stuck to the plan almost without liberties....but i did add kalmata olives to my tuna with salad greens...i took a potassium pill afterwards that is supposed to flush out extra salt...but i could definitely get used to the olive oil and balsamic vinegar only rule for dressing. It is very good especially with a little cracked black pepper and a tiny bit of sea salt (IF you don't add salty olives or capers)

BACK TO WHAT I DID DIFFERENTLY. I ate a bit less at dinner, but overall stuck with the plan, and measured my food (something i have never done in my life. I did kasha go lean cereal at breakfast with the eggs, snack was apple and nut butter, lunch salad with tuna, snack a glass of kefir pomegranate (highly recommend this before a workout...11G of protein, easier than making a shake, just pour and drink. I got the flavored, probably a no no, but it is all natural and GREAT for you. Dinner, shredded chicken about 3oz, with greens, and half a sweet potato. Whenever i can i try to add cinnamon or cayenne pepper which are Two ANTI-INFLAMMATORIES!!! THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT, MORE ON THIS ANOTHER DAY. READ ANYTHING BY DR. PERRICONE IF YOU WANT MORE INFO. Adds flavor too. then i had peppermint tea with lemon which i thouroughly enjoyed!!!

I have never been able to do a plan like this before, so i thank all of you for helping me, i never would have been able to without you all.

So, junk food is exactly that: Junk. And just like Junk Mail, you should GET RID OF IT, THROW IT OUT. Even those highly processed Fiber bars, etc. that are supposedly good for you and low calorie, in my opinion, are junk. Highly processed means chemicals, preservatives, etc. that were just not meant to be in your body. Don't we have enough chemical exposure without eating things that are clearly labeled as such? Pesticides, hormones, chemicals in the oceans that the fish are absorbing that we in turn absorb? I think it is wise then to avoid artificial chemical laden "treats" and foods.

That is my rant for today. I am feeling great, hope you are too. Thought for today: KISS Keep it simple Sweethearts, especially with the foods you eat. The closer to the natural state the better, period.