Life Changes...Am I ready?

Well, folks, it seems the time has come for me to jump into the blogging scene. I never thought I would join it..after my spin in high school...but I think  this will be a great outlet for me to share everything I've learned and how many positive changes I am making and awesome discoveries that I am discovering!

This is just going to be a blog about healthy things that I find work for me, or things that I am enjoying so I don't overload everyone in FACEBOOK or drive my family nuts!

My family and I have struggled...all my life...to find a balance between good food and healthy food. Yeah, I'm discovering that they don't have to be in different categories. I know it may seem cliche, but...I'm discovering that it's true.

I have been attending Weight Watchers and checking out websites all over Google...my most favorite, as of recently, has been http://www.hungry-girl.com/ It really amazes me all the awesome things she comes up with!

Why I'm Trying To Get Started On A Life Change

I have had people ask me, "How are you making these life changes? I can't keep on the wagon!" I tell them that, basically, I am tired of feeling gross after I eat. I served an LDS mission in the wonderful country of Italy. Si, la bella paese d'Italia! I came to love gelato, pizza (where I could eat a whole one by myself) and the smell of fresh bread on my morning runs with my companion. I also came to love Ecuadorian food, whether I wanted to eat it or not, and the amazing cooking of my African friends. Fufu? Ever heard of it? Basically, it is a dish made from the yucca root, and the people eat it with a hot and spicy soup. The purpose? You eat until you are full and then, it keeps you that way for the next three days. It's used in times of starvation...Nontheless, everyday was a sensational adventure. I learned that ice cream is really it's own food group and pizza is a daily consumption. As I came to the end of my mission, I became extremely sick. I was struggling with fatigue and severe stomach pains every day. It came to a point where I couldn't leave the house and had to come home early to get myself healthy. My mom still talks about how swollen I was and how I just didn't look like myself. The next few months of returning home consisted of me sleeping the days away until we could figure out exactly what was wrong with me.

The Problem?

I met my amazing husband just 3 days after I returned home and I remember going on dates fearing the dinner menus. I didn't know what would trigger the bloating, irritability, sharp stomach pains, and sometimes nausea. I remember on our first date, all I ordered was a piece of chicken, and I didn't even eat it all because I just didn't know when or where the attacks would happen. After much medicinal testing, and no success, I did much research and found that gluten sensitivity was my main culprit.

So What Do I Do Now?

Are you serious? I just came from the land of fresh bread and gelato and everything in between, and now I have to give it all up? I didn't want gluten sensitivity to be the answer, so I started listening to my body and placed myself in an environment where I could control the amount I ate, as well as WHAT I ate. I tell my family and friends, when they have cravings, thanks to the advice of Candace Smith, a former missionary companion, "What is your body telling you it wants?" As I started listening it would still crave breads, peanut butter, chocolate, ice cream and everything negative that I could possibly consume. But, with that listening, I also discovered reactions. Sicky, gross, yuckiness. They were hard discoveries, most of which I am still playing with today. But everything that I eat, I now seriously contemplate and pay attention to how I feel after I eat.

The Body Listener

It's hard to do sometimes...listen to your body. Candace taught me that sometimes you will be craving crispy tortillas topped with oodles of delicious cheddar cheese. In reality? You may just be craving something crunchy and salty. I know that if I eat that, I WILL regret it, so I have to learn to REPLACE IT WITH SOMETHING ELSE!

So What You Are Saying Is...

Well, let's start off with what I am NOT saying. I'm NOT saying to take away everything good in our edible part of life. Did I eat a pint of Sea Salt Caramel Talenti Gelato the other day? YES! And did I feel guilty? No! But here's the LIFE CHANGE: Could I have eaten that whole thing by myself? Yes! For example, one of my best friends Amber Hanni and I would go to the local grocery store and fix ourselves a date with Ben & Jerry, grab a spoon and watch a show. Yeesh...So, instead, THIS time around, each member of my family, all 9 of us, grabbed a spoon and passed the pint around...totally like 6 spoons to eat each. Maybe that's a little more than what YOU may be comfortable with, but it was a positive change for me. A step in the right direction...

My Goal

The purpose of this particular blog is not to convince everyone that they should neglect anything and everything that they love. But, I just want to share some small changes that I have discovered and things that have worked for me to help me feel better and get to where I want to be. I'll be including some exercise things that I have found to love and the proof is in the pudding! When I came home a year ago, I was close to 190 lbs...the heaviest I have EVER been in my life. Over the past year, with self-discovery and self-appreciation in tow, I've lost close to 30 lbs, with 10 more to lose to meet my goal...and I'm getting closer everyday.

What Do I Do?

So now it's your turn "to take it or leave it" with what I share. I just want people to learn "Self-Discovery" and "Self-Appreciation" and learn to live in the food world without feeling like a prisoner. Each day is a journey, and as Jillian Michaels says (a phrase I now live by) "Transformation is not a future event, but a present activity." Learn to accept SMALL CHANGES and pretty soon they will become natural and you will be on your way to a better and healthier life that you can enjoy!

Thanks for reading! Any questions? Go ahead, ask them! Send me a facebook message or leave a comment or something...I'm still trying to figure out this whole blog thing :)