Nourishment

If you have been paying attention lately, you may have noticed I've lost about 30 pounds in the last six months or so. So many folks have asked how I did it, I thought I would share with you all as it is something I have become quite passionate about.

In May of 2013, I started a brand new job as a Wellness Coordinator. I didn't know much about Wellness but I can coordinate the heck out of just about anything so I was ready to jump in with both feet. Here is a pic snapped on my first day at Southwest Key and I was about 172 pounds:

I had bought that outfit special for my first day, the pants were a size 14 and the shirt a large. I'm about 5'4" so that put my BMI at about 29.9, the very top edge of overweight, about to topple into obese.

A few weeks later was one of those moments that change your life forever. I had had several glasses of wine and had a xanax on board as well. I was trying to dull the ever present anxiety that I simply wasn't good enough - not a good enough mother, co-worker, wife, PERSON. In a fight that ended my marriage and changed my life forever, the beginnings of a new life were born. That was the last day I ever took a drink.

So you see, I have a leg up on all you suckers. In one fail swoop, I dropped approximately 450 calories from my daily diet. Need to check the math? Thats 3-4 bottles of wine and 4-6 cocktails a week. Sometimes more, sometimes less, but we are just looking at averages here. Boom. 450 calories. A DAY. That alone put me in a place to lose a pound a week without even thinking about it. Come to think of it, I should be GONE by now . . .

Kidding aside, that drastic change did indeed jump start my weight loss. But something else happened as well. I changed the way I looked at food. If you truly want to lose weight, you really have to change your relationship with what you put in your body. Suddenly, it was nourishment, not just something to make the hunger pangs subside. A lot of what I learned last summer I have to credit my boss at the time. He exposed me to resources, ideas, and ways of thinking about food that have changed my life.

I cut out white sugar and white flower almost 100%. I won't go into why these two staples of our diets are just plain evil, please just take my word for it. The time it took to grocery shop doubled, I was obnoxiously reading the labels on everything. That's when it hit me. The best food for us DOESN'T HAVE LABELS! Meat, fruit and vegetables. When I told people how I was eating inevitably they would say, "Oh, you are doing Paleo" and I'd roll my eyes and groan. The Paleo diet is BS and here's why: Paleo Diet is Stupid if you are interested. No, I'm not Paleo, or vegan or "in the Zone" or on Atkins or any other crackpot diet. I eat REAL FOOD. Period. Simple. Easy. If it comes in a package, box, can, or wrapper, I eat it very rarely. I only eat whole grains and dairy sparingly.

This was a pretty big change for me, french bread with a block of cheddar was pretty much my favorite thing in the world. And chips and cookies? Oh yeah. But in September I started living alone and only had to shop and cook for me. If it isn't good for me, I don't bring it into the Sanctuary. Done.

Green Smoothies!

I add honey and almond milk to my coffee. I make green smoothies. I eat a lot of quinoa. I'm experimenting with lentils and kale and nutritional yeast. I make my own granola and trail mix so the bulk bins are my new favorite place in the grocery store (as opposed to the wine section!) When I cook, I cook for 6 - eat it once and freeze the rest for lunches. And if it sucks, well, no one needs to know. I drink a lot of water, still and bubbly.

Home Made Granola

Another thing that I'm sure helps a lot is I make sure I get enough sleep. I need at least 8 hours, which may seem like a lot but if you are constantly tired your body just doesn't work as well. I've kicked the xanax and take melatonin at night instead and hardly ever have trouble falling asleep. Sleep is important if you want to lose weight.


Today? Size 8 pants and medium everything else. 138 pounds, BMI 23.9, a respectable healthy weight.  I'd still like to get off another 15 or so, but I know I'll have to start exercising to make that happen. But overall, I'm pretty happy with it.

And you know what else? This last year has sucked balls. I mean it. But I'm OK. And I am 101% sure I wouldn't be doing so well if I was still filling my body with crap. Nourish your body, you deserve it and it will change your life.