Making any kind of lifestyle change can sometimes be easier said than done. For me, it’s MUCH easier said than done. I always start with all these grand plans and ideas, and usually after about three days I drop my plans like a hot potato. After a lifetime of watching the women in my life start fad diet after fad diet, or making New Year’s Resolutions that they never follow through with, I have picked up these bad habits for myself. They are hard habits to break.
The thing about my eating habits, I am a comfort eater. Stressed? Have a snack. Tired? Snack time. Angry? How about a snack? Emotional? Snacks for days! For so many years, I have used food as a comfort to me. Now, I have to look at food as an energy source and not to comfort me in all of my (many!) moods.
When I stop and look at my diet, I don’t want to just hop on another “fad diet.” There are so many options out there: Keto, Whole 30, Paleo, Atkins, etc. Every time you turn around, there is another new thing it seems. With my diet, I wanted it to be more of a lifestyle change and I want it to be sustainable long term. Some of the diets out there are not sustainable for long term.
For me, I will be working on watching my carbohydrate intake. I get ZERO added sugars. And I am trying to stay below 150ish carbs per day. I am watching portion sizes, eating slower to avoid eating too much, and I am trying to eat whole grains only. Another thing that I will be doing is adding vegetables to my daily food intake. I STRUGGLE with vegetables. I hate most vegetables, and it’s hard to force yourself to eat things you don’t like. For this week, I prepped my lunches with broccoli, sweet potatoes, brown rice, and tilapia. Meal prepping is more ideal if you’re the type of person who doesn’t mind eating the same thing every day. I do mind, so I will have to find a way to mix it up next week.
Two weeks ago, I increased my water intake to 100 oz of water per day. Now some days I don’t get quite that, but I have been trying very hard to get at least 80 oz per day. It’s harder than you think, and I feel like I am going to the bathroom all day. Because I am! So, I added a new challenge to myself. Ten squats every time I go to the bathroom. Easy enough, small change. My muscles were sore for a couple of days with the increased activity!
Another goal I added to myself is a minimum of 30 mins per day of activity. For most, reaching step goals and activity goals is easy. For me, it is a struggle. I have a desk job, and I spend 90% of my day sitting. I struggle just to get my 250 steps per hour some days. I go straight home, eat dinner, and then my husband and I go check cows and do our evening chores. By the time we get done with that, it’s time to get the baby settled for the night and go to bed ourselves. This doesn’t leave much time to get my 30 mins in. It’s also a struggle because I need to be doing strength exercises in addition to my 30 mins of activity. When do people find the time to do all of this?
I am optimistic about my future, and I know that I can stick to this. I have to think about my own health, and what kind of habits I will be modeling to my beautiful baby girl.
Tiffanie Talks 