Week 2 – Part 2
The “F” Word
Getting to the gym 4 times this week wasn’t as hard as I thought it was going to be for me. It was leaving the gym that became the challenge. I realized I didn’t want to go home because that is where the fat girl lives with the big “F” word, FOOD.
The funny thing about food is that it can control you physically, mentally, and emotionally. As women, we don’t always see the difference in which factor is controlling our intake. We eat because we’re happy, sad, miserable, bored or just because we already know we are fat. The reason doesn’t seem to make difference. Knowing this I started eating better when I started working out, or what I thought was better. It was on my fifth day that I realized my eating habits were so dysfunctional. Just because it was grilled or because I switched to small fries instead of medium, didn’t make a huge difference! I loved fast food and if it was processed, even better! My WHOLE diet needed to change if I wanted to be serious about losing weight and becoming healthy.
To give you a small idea of how delusional we are about food, let me give you a few facts. If you are moderately active, you should eat around 1800-2000 calories per day, as a woman. Again, this is what you SHOULD eat. The truth is that the average American eats about 3,800 calories a day and more than 800 pounds (about 360 kg) of dairy products a year — about half of which are neither milk nor cheese. Included in those figures are 24 pounds (about 11 kg) of ice cream per person per year and about 11 pounds (about 5 kg) of yogurt per person per year. Less than one-fourth of Americans report getting the recommended five servings of fruit and vegetables per day. (www.fao.org). With this, I took the walk of guilt again….right into Shaun’s office. “WE (I always say “we” because I don’t feel like I’m there by myself yet, and Shaun will allow a little co-dependency at the beginning 
need a nutrition plan, please”, I stated. There we started the next part of my journey.
The nutrition plan consists of a few small steps. The number one thing is that it is customized. I’m going hard-core but I still won’t eat cottage cheese or fish, so Shaun isn’t going to make me. The plan is about ME, so that’s how it is created. You complete a packet about your current eating habits, what you are willing to eat (likes), and what is absolutely not an option (dislikes)! From there, Shaun creates a plan that will tell you exactly what to eat and when. It’s a start because my normal day comprised of an energy drink for breakfast, fast food for lunch, and dinner about 8:00pm that consisted of anything fried or processed. Shaun wasn’t impressed, but he wasn’t discouraged either. Thankfully, that guy doesn’t give up on anyone and there is so much hope we still had left in me!
My new plan consisted of six (6) small meals and totaled 1362 calories per day. It was broken down by ounces and cups, and dictates the time I should eat. This plan also included protein, carbohydrate, and fat intake. The facts that were surely important and needed much explanation that Shaun was happy to give to me. I guess it’s not all about caloric intake. The only thing I really understood was the food item, I was clueless about what each contained in terms of ingredients. As each meal was broken down, I realized what I should and shouldn’t be eating through the day. It wasn’t as nearly as intimidating as I thought it was going to be. It actually looked reasonable. I had hope, I could do this! The best part about the nutritional plan was the “good” and “bad” foods list. It wasn’t just a list to me, it was my new kitchen. I went straight to the grocery store from the gym that night. I purchased everything on the list (chicken, brown rice, corn, etc…) and slightly veered with some items from the “good” foods list. The shopping trip wasn’t that expensive, it was just a huge change for me.
I got home that night and emptied out my cabinets and refrigerator. If it wasn’t on the plan, it had to go. You would be amazed at what one clueless person is capable of accumulating in their kitchen. I got rid of nine (9) bags of food that night. I took them all down to a family I knew that could use it and I refilled my kitchen with my nutritional plan.
No more cheating, this was it. Either I eat good, or I eat good. With no other option, I knew there was no turning back……..
