Playing with My Food

Make good choices. This was the first January in a long time where my resolution wasn’t to lose weight. I wanted to feel better. I wanted more energy during my work day, and more energy at home for my running. I kept it simple, focusing on being three things this first month--- intentional, consistent, and enjoyable.

Be intentional.

 

I needed to run my race at my pace. I was a lay athlete as well as a corporate one and I needed energy to do both. I wasn’t dieting, I was fueling. I wasn’t exercising, I was training. Our sports nutritionist told me everything we put into our body has a positive or negative effect; so I focused first on what I was taking into my body.  I meal planned and included as many nutrient dense foods as I could. Planning wasn’t comfortable for this well-seasoned procrastinator. I set my bar low … just start, I told myself. I planned and shopped for a week at a time, concentrating on balance, portion size, and variety. I used the Weight Watchers app to help me track my progress. It helped me gauge portions and track what I was consuming. Sure, I paid for the app; but, it was more about accountability. Calories in and calories out. If I paid for it, I was going to use it; besides, I was a sucker for checking things off and smiley faces.

 

Be consistent.

I chose an eating schedule and stuck to it.  I always ate breakfast and never ate lunch at my desk. I included a piece of fruit and vegetables at every meal. At least half of every lunch and dinner plate was covered with vegetables. I noticed my energy maintained its level during the day and at night, and I also noticed my compost bin filling up with color. I was also consuming most of the produce I bought at the grocery store, nothing was spoiling.

Be enjoyable.

 

I bore easily, so, I couldn’t feel like I was depriving myself. One of my favorite scriptures is “oh taste and see the Lord is good.”  I needed variety and color. I never wanted to feel as if my eating was austere.  I was also a kinesthetic learner. I learned best hands-on. As I cut up and prepped my meals, I began enjoying the process more and more. My cuts were cleaner and more uniform. I liked playing with my food, much like that possum that explored my compost bin. I worked to make my meals, ‘gram-worthy? I asked myself if I’d like to share what my meal looked like. Sometimes, people would walk past my office and say that looked and smelled good; and, these were meat eaters.

There’s still much to work on to do. January is just one of month of twelve. Soon, the gym will be less and less crowded and all the January kick-start program enthusiasm will have faded. Mark Twain once said, “The secret of getting ahead is getting started.” I’m just getting started, making one good choice at a time.