A past co-worker dropped 40+ pounds in 6 months without exercising. I was worried that she would be emaciated if she lost more than 10 pounds because she looked slim and heathy to me. This just goes to show you that we don't always see what is there. I didn't see her very often so the tranistion was evident when we met next, although she was slimmer she was also glowing with health. Her skin was smooth and pink and her hair shimmered. Her secret - Before you even get out of bed, drink a large glass of water. This starts the organs moving and doing the job they were intended to do.
"Water is your body's principal chemical component and makes up about 60 percent of your body weight. Every system in your body depends on water. Water flushes toxins out of vital organs, carries nutrients to your cells and provides a moist environment for ear, nose and throat tissues." (from a Mayo Clinic article).
While I don't have a glass before getting out of bed as I am usually in too big of a hurry to eliminate the water I had before bed, I do drink 32 ounces of water before I eat breakfast. By 9 AM I have finished my second 32 oz glass of water and 15th sprint to the bathroom. Hmmm, I could count those trips to the bathroom as exercise. How many calories are burned running to the bathroom, sitting down then standing up?
Besides trying to have 51% of my food intake as fruits and vegetables, I am drinking water with every meal and in between to carry the good nutrients to each cell. Nice plump cells filled with good nutrients equal a healthy me.
Today, I have almost gotten back my "eat right to get healthy" momentum. Along with a glass of water, my husband and I had an egg sandwich and an orange for breakfast. Lunch was chicken chili, made with shredded chicken, three kinds of beans, diced tomatoes, and bell peppers. An apricot, and celery sticks completed the meal. I am trying a new recipe for dinner tonight, Swiss Chard and Garbanzo Beans. My best friend provided the Swiss Chard from her abundant garden, the recipe and a raving review of the meal. I am looking foward to dinner tonight.
Eat healthy, stay healthy
Showing posts with label weight loss. Show all posts
Showing posts with label weight loss. Show all posts
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Welcome
Three years ago, my husband and I decided to get healthy and lose weight. We purchased the most recent get healthy, lose weight book on the market, made a grocery list, went shopping and spent lots of money to buy all kinds of food we had never heard of let alone knew how to cook. That lasted for two weeks and we reverted back to our old eating habits, ignoring the original reasons we wanted to change our lifestyle, binging on sugar products and gaining more weight.
A few months later we would start again only to repeat the same cycle, spend, let food spoil, and gain weight. What is that saying "Stupidity is doing the same thing again and again, expecting different results”?
Family pictures at Christmas opened my eyes to how heavy I had become. The few times I did a full assessment of myself in the mirror I would tell myself that "I don't look that bad." and that "the scale must be broken". But the pictures taken at Christmas portrayed me as a wall with a nose and lips, and that was only my face; I couldn’t deny any longer that I didn’t have my 19 year old body anymore. I won't describe what I thought the rest of my once slim figure had blossomed into.
In addition, my husband and I watched Food Matters and Food, Inc. which put the resolve in us once again to eat healthier, even if we didn't lose weight. We had already started attending some Permaculture classes and planning how to implement their philosophies into our daily living when we would be able to move onto a larger plot of land. But the movies encouraged us to begin now.
December 31st we finished up all the sugar products in the house and set a plan in motion to succeed in maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Instead of buying books I checked books out from the library on healthy eating and nutritional supplements and once again headed to the grocery to buy vitamins, fruits and vegetables and grains. Starting January 1st, 2011 we have been trying to eat 51% of our food in fruits and vegetables, either raw or cooked. We have made that part the focus of the meal and any meat eaten that day as the complimentary part.
Two weeks ago I purchased a juicer at a garage sale for $5. (what a find) and we have begun a regiment of vegetable/fruit juice each morning. This is still a work in progress. Next will be making our own bread using the pulp from the juiced vegetables/fruit and healthy grains.
Last week we started a vegetable garden in some tree boxes made from recycled wood and are praying that something grows. We have also planted apple, plum, peach and apricot trees; although these will take about two years to produce fruit we are still on task. Our next step is to plant some grape vines and nut trees. I am going to need a bigger yard.
We have also re-evaluated the amount of money we were spending on paper towel napkins, plastic baggies, and other disposable products and switched to cloth napkins and re-usable containers.
Our goal is to become "Sustainabillies", growing our own food, re-using or recycling, living in an energy efficient home and so on.
A few months later we would start again only to repeat the same cycle, spend, let food spoil, and gain weight. What is that saying "Stupidity is doing the same thing again and again, expecting different results”?
Family pictures at Christmas opened my eyes to how heavy I had become. The few times I did a full assessment of myself in the mirror I would tell myself that "I don't look that bad." and that "the scale must be broken". But the pictures taken at Christmas portrayed me as a wall with a nose and lips, and that was only my face; I couldn’t deny any longer that I didn’t have my 19 year old body anymore. I won't describe what I thought the rest of my once slim figure had blossomed into.
In addition, my husband and I watched Food Matters and Food, Inc. which put the resolve in us once again to eat healthier, even if we didn't lose weight. We had already started attending some Permaculture classes and planning how to implement their philosophies into our daily living when we would be able to move onto a larger plot of land. But the movies encouraged us to begin now.
December 31st we finished up all the sugar products in the house and set a plan in motion to succeed in maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Instead of buying books I checked books out from the library on healthy eating and nutritional supplements and once again headed to the grocery to buy vitamins, fruits and vegetables and grains. Starting January 1st, 2011 we have been trying to eat 51% of our food in fruits and vegetables, either raw or cooked. We have made that part the focus of the meal and any meat eaten that day as the complimentary part.
Two weeks ago I purchased a juicer at a garage sale for $5. (what a find) and we have begun a regiment of vegetable/fruit juice each morning. This is still a work in progress. Next will be making our own bread using the pulp from the juiced vegetables/fruit and healthy grains.
Last week we started a vegetable garden in some tree boxes made from recycled wood and are praying that something grows. We have also planted apple, plum, peach and apricot trees; although these will take about two years to produce fruit we are still on task. Our next step is to plant some grape vines and nut trees. I am going to need a bigger yard.
We have also re-evaluated the amount of money we were spending on paper towel napkins, plastic baggies, and other disposable products and switched to cloth napkins and re-usable containers.
Our goal is to become "Sustainabillies", growing our own food, re-using or recycling, living in an energy efficient home and so on.
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