Snow "Pants" Day

So it’s been about a month that I have been eating clean! I have slipped a few times, not entire days worth of horking down McDonalds, chips and hash browns (but man I love hash browns) but just a few times over the month, which strangely (and out of character) I feel don’t feel guilty about.  And you know why? Well, I feel great and on track.  I have gotten numerous compliments on my hair over the last 2 weeks and I have done nothing other than wash it and condition the ends daily, and then brush and blow-dry it.  That is it.  No styling products, nothing.  Strange.

Second reason, I feel crappy all last week, sluggish a little, tired, just struggling to get to bed on time.  Well, last week, two people ask if I have lost weight, I don’t think I have; in fact, I actually was starting to wonder if only I could not lose weight eating so healthy.  Well on Saturday, as the temperature plummeted to -20 and kept lowering to what felt like sub-zero after a week of balmy 10 degrees days, I decided to try on my snowpants which as of the last fitting at Christmas did not fit.  And let me explain the not fitting, I do not mean the pants were tight or that sitting caused major pressure on my bladder and other bodily parts hidden inside my stomach area, no no, not fitting meant not EVEN getting them past my hips really.

Well, I tried those puppies on and much to my surprise and then even glee, I realized they fit and though they are a bit tight, they are totally wearable and enough so that as Ken and I went for a walk and made snow angels that night, (whilst going to check out the location of our nearby yoga studio) I didn’t even remember they were a little tight.  (Which with my continued eating well, the tightness should disappear soon enough!)

So the point of my little story? That even though sometimes you think are making no progress, that despite all your good efforts, planning and scrutinizing grocery store aisles you are stuck and feeling fat.  Well it turns out, you probably are making progress if you are sticking to eating clean (no chemicals, processed foods etc), watching portion sizes and eating less more often.

I admit this sounds a little fan-ish but I love this 

What it tastes good and you still want to eat it?

It started in September.  This disastrous downhill slope that I was sliding down so furiously fast that I didn’t even know until I hid a rock somewhere about 2/3 of the way to bottom.  I stopped rolling, shook my head and stood up.  Looking around and then slowly, almost as if afraid, began to give my self the once over, to assess the damage the fall had done.

I looked down, saw no broken bones or blood but what I did see was a broken soul, broken self-esteem and an extra lot of pounds.  I don’t mean obese pounds but a tire out of place around my waist and a few extra ones hiding here or there.  I saw skin that used to shine, but was now dull and tired.  And so dry, drier than ever before.  I saw hair that was full of static, hair that used to be so soft and lovely, was relegated to being tied back or in a hat, the owner furious at it’s lack of ability to look nice.

What was one to do? Well lucky for me, Christmas was right around the corner and lo’ and behold, I received a cookbook.  Not just any cookbook, a healthy cookbook that made sense.  What? Seriously, they exist, I know!! 

The book, The Eat Clean Diet Cookbook – Tosca Reno is marvelous.  It isn’t really a diet, the book title is misleading, it is about a lifestyle change. It is not about cutting food or counting calories, in fact, you eat 6 times a day, every 2.5 – 3 hrs, BUT in small portions.

It changed my life; I then of course went out and bought her book on the actual ‘science’ behind the cookbook and read it ferociously.  In this blog, I will talk about what I learn in this process while reading this book and following the principles.  I will talk about the change I experience, the changes I have been experiencing since following this new lifestyle change this month.

I also intend to cook a new recipe once a week and taste and test it out.  Hopefully I will have others test them out with me.

Cooking for me is a break from life, I love it, it has become a release for me and I hope I can share some of this love with you.