Before I start, I just want to say that I am no by any means a professional in health care or a nutritionist. I eat what works for me and what I like. I also am active in my own ways.
I am not perfect. I struggle just like the average American with foods that arnt good for us. I did have to teach myself to look at ingredients and how much sugar, sodium and calories are in most items. I also learned what simple carbs and complex carbs are about and trans fats and saturated fats.
A struggle that I have faced majority of my life is indulging. I can go hours upon hours of not eating or drinking and then go excessive when it is time to eat. Once I learned to eat 5 times a day, I noticed how I was constantly fulfilled and never had to indulge. I also noticed how I was giving myself fuel to have energy.
I sometimes compare myself to a car. In order for me to go, I needed to fill my gas tank up. I didn't want to run dry and I didn't want to give myself bad oil and bad gas (no pun intended). Also, since I have had cancer, I really feel like God opened up my eyes while I was learning this new lifestyle of mine, of what really is in foods. There are alot of fake, man made ingredients that our body's really arnt made for. Since I have had cancer, I just visualize some of these ingredients "activating" my cancer cells. This is what works for me. My health is more important than a 10 minute cheap meal. That is only a temporary fulfillment. Now there are times where I don't have many options or I simply am human and sometimes I crave the worst foods, so I will "treat" myself.
BREAKFAST
My morning routine usually all the time consist of my Arbonne Protein Shake mix (vanilla) and I personally only use 1 scoop. I add ice, water, frozen fruit, banana and sometimes I add PB2. I sometimes make so much I give the extra to my grandpa, which is good. This shake mix is also considered a meal replacement, but its very fulfilling and delicious. If I have to get up and be out the door, then I take it with me, but if I'm at home getting ready for work, Ill drink it and then later cook lunch before work.
(Remember I'm an Arbonne Consultant, so if you want to know more about this product or any other products
let me know!)
LUNCH
So a couple hours later I prepare usually my lunch and 1st dinner. I will either cook grilled chicken with a vegetable (spinach, squash, zucchini, green beans, peas, asparagus, broccoli) or steak that I recently bought a package of. I also might make a spinach salad that consist of mandarin oranges, walnuts, shredded carrots and oil & vinegar dressing. I also have gone out and got some Pregresso Light soups for days that I don't want to cook or days that I cook only 1 meal before work. So when I go to my first dinner at work, I can just heat up a bowl of soup with some whole wheat crackers for filling.
SNACKS
While I'm at work, I will pack apples, grapes, celery, carrots, melon to snack on. I buy some of those fiber chocolate brownies for when I'm craving a sweet. I also have the Fiber bars for times when I know I wont have time to eat, but I can grab it and eat it real quick to keep my fuel going. I always tend to want to snack before bed. Something that I have been addicted to lately is Pumpkin seeds. I think its a mental thing mostly, that I'm chewing on something while I'm winding down from work at night, watching TV, but its not bad for me, its actually good for you!
SECOND DINNER
Why I have a second dinner is simply because of my hours. I wake up alot around noon and have breakfast, I then will eat lunch round 3 before work, snack a little and then at 7pm I eat my dinner. I take my "lunch" at work at 10pm, so I will either eat what I cooked for the day, or heat up a bowl of soup or sometimes I treat myself to a salad at McDonald's. Also sometimes, depending on my food intake, I might snack when I come home.
BEFORE BED
Now before bed, when I get home at 1am, I will usually snack on my pumpkin seeds or if I have beef jerky, I will eat a little bit of that for protein. Alot of people don't realize that when we are sleeping our body is restoring itself, so we need to eat a certain type of food before bed so it can be fed to restore itself properly.
WATER
Now this is my weakness. I don't drink soda, its been almost 11 years since I have, but I used to be a big juice fan. I honestly couldn't tell you the last time I had juice. My fridge is always stalked with water. I also have the 100% natural flavors that I add sometimes when I want a different taste. I also have the Propel water that I treat myself to every once in awhile. I know I need to drink more, but this is all that I drink.
Lately, I haven't really given myself any cheat days, just because I need my gallbladder out. Since my last attack I constantly feel like its inflamed and a gallbladder attack pretty much feels like a heart attack and near death. In a way its been bittersweet, because I don't eat breads, starches, sugar, dairy, alcohol, fried foods, or high in fat foods. Weight seems to be melting off of me, which I'm not complaining.
My activity lately has honestly been non-existent. I lay down all the time, because a few weeks ago I was working out hardcore. In that time that I was working out, I gained 6 pounds of muscle. I stopped working out, because it was the only thing I was doing different and I lost 8 pounds. Since I have gotten lazy, I have lost an additional 5 more pounds since the 6 pounds, but I can tell that my back is hurting from laying down so much and my energy isn't like it was. I know I need to get more active and I plan on it before my surgery. Once I reach my goal, I plan on toning up for sure! But see how I have realized what isnt working for me or what is making me feel worse, I have to mentally and physically change. Just remember that we are all different.
My body is different than most people. Its one of those things you learn as you go. I had to look at my life when I gained 6 pounds and try and figure out what I did different. So I stopped working out and learned that in order for me to get to my goal faster, I need to stop working out. That might not be for you!
One thing that kinda bothers me with people, is when they make an excuse, "Oh I cant do that". I cant stop drinking sodas, I cant stop my daily coffee, I cant cook everyday, I cant workout, I cant drink only water, I cant afford that. So your telling me and yourself, that something has power over you? That you are already defeated, before starting!? Why would you want ANYTHING have power over you? I have gone 11 years without soda right? I NEVER think about it, because its not even a desire. I honestly would say back then I was addicted to them. My mother had coke in my baby bottles as a child and I have pictures of that. Yes, it was hard at the beginning, but just like anything else, its gets easier. It was hard for me to start this journey. It took me 4 months just to train myself, but I was still weak. I still have weak moments. I have gone on trips and slacked, but when I got back, it took a week to train myself back to eating right. Its all about what YOU want. NO ONE can change it for you. Your body is Gods body........STOP........think about that. YOUR BODY IS GODS BODY, IT IS
HIS TEMPLE.
1 Corinthians 6:19
Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is
in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own;
So when you think about it, how would you treat Gods temple? Financially, I looked at prices and thought, "oh my goodness". Let me say that God has taken care of me because I know He knows my heart and I want to take care of the temple that He has given me, to use it to glorify Him. The choices we make today, we are making for 10 years from now. Whether its our inner body, the hair, the skin, the eyes, the teeth. What do you want your body to look like 10, 20 years from now? Are things going to be rotted, damaged, skin damaged? Are you going to have high cholesterol, blood sugar, blood pressure, cancer? I'm 29 years old and I can tell my body is changing. Its the way of life, but its time that I take a grip and make my lifestyle change.
I'm a tough love kind of girl, but I honestly do it because I love you! I want to share what I know, what I feel is true and good and I want to see people happy and healthy. I'm here to encourage you and to show facts and truth about our health. I'm not forcing anything down anyones throat, but I just want share with you, my journey and if you want any ideas or share any ideas, then be my guest! I'm always trying to learn new recipes and new snacks. I hope this helps someone or encourages them to maybe make that first leap to maybe trying to make themselves healthy.
Just remember that I lost 34 pounds but just changing the way I ate. I didn't workout or do anything.....don't push yourself so much that you drain yourself fast. It takes steps and once you get something down, take another step. Its okay, we are not in a race, but just know, that I could be the same person I was 7 months ago or I could be the person I am today. So where will I be 7 months from now? I'm not going to waste this time and neither should you! :)
I look around and see so many people put so much dependency on their mate and I wish they put that much effort in God. It took me a long time to get where I'm at and I had to lose a great man to see, but I can honestly say that I wouldn't trade this season in my life. No one likes to go through the storm, but when you go through it head first and come out on the other side, your smarter and a better person that can God use you for. 
