Healthy eating (sorry, long!)

Where to start. I guess at the very begining.

Growing up, we ate pretty well. My mom prepared square meals for us, we had fast food occasionally but not 5 times a week. We had some snacks, sometimes healthy snacks, sometimes junk. But all in all I think it came out even. I was fairly active as a kid, joined all the school sports teams, etc. But I guess, like all kids, I was self concious of my body. Who isn't? 

And then a strange thing happened when I moved out. I could eat whatever I wanted... Not being the best cook, my husband and I ate a fair bit of "bachelor food," as we call it. Not reading the lables (well, maybe the number of calories, but not realizing it was for only a fraction of a portion!) I gained a little weight. Not a lot. And I'm tall so perhaps most people don't notice. But one day my BOSS started commenting to my coworkers that I looked like I had a "baby bump!" A) How completely unprofessional. I could have probably had his job over it, and B) I worked as a lifeguard, parading around in a swim suit in front of literally hundreds of people each day. And he was going to give me body issues?! C) Everyone knew we were having trouble conceiving, rub salt in the wound, won't you? I could only wish that my giant fat belly was a baby bump.

I was peeved. I lost a lot of weight very quickly after that. But just a couple months later, I got pregnant with my son. I started eating whatever again. I gained your average amound of weight with my pregnancy. But by the time I had him I was just itching to see the scale drop again instead of rise. So, knowing what worked for me last time, once again, I lost a lot of weight very quickly.

I would have been proud of myself but I did it in all the wrong ways. I looked at only the numbers. I didn't think about WHERE these calories were coming from. Which, left me hungry a lot of the time, but I refused to go over X amount. And also I was eating a lot of prepackaged food, still. Special K bars? Oohh only 90 calories. Guess what. No protein. Tastes good but doesn't fill you up worth a crap. But I didn't care at the time. I just wanted the weight gone.

The only problem was that it's not maintainable. And that prepackaged food leaves you feeling like crap, with all it's preservatives...

So my weight fluctuated ever since. And like most people, I constantly fought the urge to eat a bowl of icecream, eat this, eat that. This past halloween? I don't even want to think about it. I literally had a candy hangover. I read somewhere that a woman's body can only handle a teaspoon of refined sugar per day. Well I was way beyond that. No wonder I felt like I was made of lead in the morning.

So one day I thought to myself "There's gotta be a better way." Cutting calories or even mild dieting leaves me feeling deprived. Eating whatever tastes good leaves you feeling like crap. What about just NOURISHING your body? What a novel concept!!" And that was just it. Something inside my head switched and I just havent gone back. I found this blog and it has really helped cement the idea. I think 2 of my favourite quotes are "eat food, not too much, mostly plants." (not her original) and "Had I never developed the notion to restrict what I ate, I may have never eaten myself into obesity." so true... We create this sinfulness about food. And it makes us just want it all the more. We deprive ourselves for one day and then we binge for 5 on more than we would have had we just had a little the one day!
http://notsobigk.wordpress.com/

I started looking up new recipes. Making more meals from scratch. Nothign insane but small changes, as much as I could. Listening to my cravings, because there's a reason for them! Having a little and putting it away. Eating when I'm hungry. Stopping when I'm full. Imagine that!

It feels amazing, physically and emotionally. I lost a lot of bloat! My tummy is so much flatter... Oddly enough, I think about food LESS in the day. I don't have that urge to binge at all. I don't even crave chocolate. Isn't that weird? Ok that's a lie. Sometimes I have a little. But it's nothing like it used to be. There isn't that regret or guilt that so many people have after eating  junk. Sure you can have a little treat, then move on with your day! The less junk you eat the less you will crave them. I crave much healthier things now. I surprise myself...

Anyways. Sorry for the lecture. Wow. Told you I was passionate about things...