Eating Habits

While reviewing my current lifestyle, I realize there is another change I need to make. My eating habits.  It is not a matter of what I eat, so much as when I eat.  Fact is, I frequently skip breakfast and lunch and only eat dinner, which is great while working out — NOT.

I like eating, and I love food, but I get so tied up in my day and the things I have to do, that eating does not have a priority.  My excuse usually is that a last minute fire needs to be put out at work, and once that is handled, its later in the day, so I might as well wait until I get home. Weak excuse, I know, but that is how my day usually runs.

So today, I am making the effort to take back my lunches.  I WILL EAT!!!  I will make that breakfast casserole or prepare that smoothie.  I will have those grits and bacon!  I will have that sub from Jersey Mike’s.  I will take back the time that I have given up to feed my body and my mind.  Then…

Once I eat on a regular schedule, then I will look into my diet. But for now… I WILL EAT!

Real Talk

Forming healthy habits should be simply a matter of saying you will change something and then implement that change.  You should be able to self motivate, set the alarm, visualize and make it happen.  You should…but, I don’t find that easy. Maybe some would say that I lack the incentive or whatever… who knows?

I have a wonderful husband, three beautiful children, and an extremely stressful job.  My husband and I talk about our day over drinks and cigarettes.  Bad habit, yes I know.  I am an introvert and in this bad habit, I find it easier to share my thoughts and feelings and vent about my day.  So I’ve come to realize that it is not a matter of breaking a habit at a time, it’s not as simple as putting nail polish on so that you don’t bite your nails.  It is a change of the mindset, of how I communicate with my husband and family, of how I relieve the stress of my day.

It is now Day 2 of my lifestyle change, and I have to say, it didn’t really go that well.  I got home, I worked out, had dinner, so far so good, then “How was your day?” “OMG, let me tell you”…followed of course by drinks. LOL.  Day 2 of this journey and already screwing up, wow.

Here is the thing, when I made the decision to get healthier, I thought it meant getting up earlier to fit in that workout or simply being able to communicate with my husband at the end of the day, same as always, sans the drink.  WRONG!!!  It is finding a healthy way to relieve stress and overcoming my natural introvert social interactions.  It is so much bigger than I realized! And on top of that, finding the time to exercise!!!  Wow.

So how the hell do I do that?  I guess, as they say, ONE DAY AT A TIME.  It’s going to be one hell of a journey.

Introduction

An intro… “I was shocked by how I have let myself go”

Today is the first day of the rest of my life… isn’t that how the saying goes?  Actually, the first day of the rest of my life began last weekend while shopping with my oldest daughter and I was trying on clothes… that mirror image sucked.  Nothing fit well and the way I viewed my body in the mirror was not positive, but more like “WTF??? Who is that?”.  I was shocked by how I have let myself go.  Yes, I knew that I’ve put on a couple of pounds here and there and haven’t been working out regularly, but…damn.  So now, I begin the first day of the rest of my life.

Let me tell you a little about myself.  I have been married for 15 years.  I am a mother of three beautiful girls, ages 13, 11 and 9.  I am 40 years old and a manager for an engineering company. I have some bad habits that I need to change.  I smoke cigarettes and I drink alcohol.   I eat way too much junk food.  I’m 5’6″ and weigh 185 lbs, which is appalling to me.  So, it’s time for change.

With this journal, my intention is to make myself accountable for the decisions I make in my health habits.  I want to journal the trials and setbacks as well as the wins.  I want to move my life into a more positive direction.  I am hoping that in doing so, other aspects of my life will be positively impacted as well.