Day 19

This is so very hard after a lifetime of unhealthy eating! I have been just trying to work on changing a few things at a time. This seems to help...but it is still very hard. You'd think living here in Hawaii that good food would be so very easy to find...NOT. But i have worked on changing things like eating more veggies and fruit instead of candy and soda.  I have really been working with my FitBit to improve my steps and distance goals. For those without a FitBit take a look www.fitbit.com. There is a new tracker call a ZIp that is more affordable. The products are wonderful tools to help you track weight, steps, sleep, stairs climbed and calories burned, and the website has apps for iphone as well as android devices. Keep going everyone!! we can do this!!  

The long weekend is over!

     I don’t know about anyone else, but I am glad the long weekend is over. I think the hardest part was trying to find things that are not processed that the whole family will eat.  I found sea asparagus and love it.  Nobody else does, found passion fruit spread, nobody likes it.  My bread making skills are getting pretty good, but I am the only one eating it.  The bread comes out pretty and tastes pretty good too! I do think for my honey wheat bread I will add more honey and less bread flour it is really dense and heavy. Practice makes perfect!

     Today is my veggie day and I have a big salad planned for dinner. I have to put meat in the boys salads but mine will be just veggies, nuts and fruit, with a piece of my wheat bread. I sat down last week and gathered recipes and planned meals so when my grocery buying experience would be a little more smooth. Did pretty good but my next bill should be cheaper I had to buy all the stuff for bread making.  I Keep my receipts and this helps me to budget my next trip to the commissary. This has saved me at least 20-30 dollars each time.  For you on the mainland grab several different store circulars and don’t be afraid to ask for a price comparison what’s the worst that can happen they say no. 

     Coupons are hard here because there are not many that work for my new way of eating so I just use them for paper goods, laundry and cleaning supplies, every little bit helps. Here’s another hint when you go to the farmers market remember to take some reusable bags with you. I never felt so silly as when I am trying to leave a smaller foot print and I am carrying plastic bags away with my market fair.  

     Keep up the good work everyone, remember that just a few small changes are always better than none at all. Have a good week!        

First day!

Well the first day was hard!  It seems like everything that I started to eat was processed.  I know Baby steps, but I wanted to be able to just jump in with both feet.  That’s a tall order, but I at least did not eat a lot of bad food.  I did seem to get some good food cooked I made a loaf of honey wheat bread that tasted really good, and some Banana Nut Muffins Yummy. I went grocery shopping and found that our commissary here does carry a lot of good organic food.  However the milk here is $9.00 a half gallon.  So, I will wait to change that over when I get back to the states.  But I do get 2% and skimmed so I guess that better than nothing.  I also found our farmers market here are a great source of many things.  I found nuts (fresh and locally grown), of course fruit and veggies, but they also supplied honey, salad dressings, some fresh breads and all fruit jams.  So I am very pleased with the trip.  Spend 40 dollars and got a supply for a week, once I get the family on board I will start to freeze what I get from the FM.

I find it funny that I have watch calories for years (with no real success) and suddenly, when I figure up my calories (somewhere in the perfect range) I feel so full that I did not need a snack after dinner! That’s the first time in a while that there was not snacks!  I think this plan will help me out a lot. Tomorrow I will work a bit harder to stay within the real food guidelines, I think this is the plan that we all should adapt to. 

My next goal is to fine a melamine dinnerware set that has 8-9” plates so I can visually feel that my plate is full.  I measured my plates and the dinner plate was 11 ½ inches that’s crazy!  

Have a great holiday weekend everyone and keep trying to eat real food!

Five Days!

Tips for everyone

I think everyone needs to set a goal, it not only focuses you, but it helps to keep you moving in the right direction. It can be a small goal something like: I will drink more water, or I will only eat farm fresh organic veggies. It doesn’t need to be cold turkey on the challenge, a little at a time is good too.  My goal for the first 10 days is to eat fresh fruits and veggies with each meal. The second goal in that 10 days is to walk every day and stretch.

Stretching: Stretching helps to make your body limber, and staves of soreness that can come with new exercise.(Self. 2012) There is no equipment to buy and you will see a difference right away. Self has a great magazine and you can view it online at: http://www.self.com/fitness They have everything from diet to running tips so take a look.  A great stretching routine for you is:  http://www.changingshape.com/how-to-stretch/#2 this site has three levels of intensity so there’s fun for all. For those of you that do yoga great for those of you that want to try yoga great. This would be a great time to start. There are so many different kinds of yoga there has to be one that’s right for you, just keep trying until you find the right one.  I have tried Hot Yoga and nearly lost my breakfast, however I did feel good afterward. I try to stretch and do my yoga on the Wii every morning and I have noticed that I am not as sore and stiff when I get out of bed and I sleep better.

For all my runner friends Please read www.runnersworld.com there is an article from Dr. Liz Applegate Ph.D. “The Healthy Runners Diet” it’s a good read and it can work for you if you are or aren’t a runner. Here’s a sample:

“While a vegetarian lifestyle can be quite healthy, studies suggest that diets balanced with fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and lean cuts of meat, including beef and skinless poultry, help lower blood-cholesterol levels, blood pressure, and heart-disease risk. Sticking to lean meats, however, is key, so consider foods from animals raised in open pastures that graze on grasses. Compared with their stockyard-raised, corn-fed counterparts, free-range, grass-fed animals may contain more omega-3 fats and less artery-clogging saturated fats due to their healthier diets and higher activity levels.” (Applegate, 2007) 

Her rules are simple: 1. Seeds for food made from seeds. (nuts, beans, and whole grains) 2. Eat different color fruit and veggie every day.  3. Eat the skin (peeling fruit and veggies rob you of the vitamins and nutrients your body needs).  4. Drink milk and eat products that come from animals.  5. Eat food that come from cold water. (fish and seafood).  6. Eat meat, poultry, and eggs that come from grass feed or free range fed animals.  Don’t they sound a lot like our challenge?

Okay I think that’s enough information to bombard you with for one day. Please remember read the labels!, set a goal!, and stretch!

Good luck all and I will check in on Wenesday!

One week to go!

One week to go! Clean your cabinets! Find a local grower, read, read, read! For those of you who want to start slow look at www.100daysofrealfood.com There are ideas and links that can help anyone with the new way to eat! Start walking everyday for at least 30 minutes. you will notice that your sleeping better, feeling better and enjoying the hunt for real foods. I encourage you to blog with me I can't wait to hear all the things that you will find useful for everyone! I will try to post every week or more often if I find something good. Good luck everyone!