What in THE hell was that?!?! Hi, my name is Jennifer and apparently I’m a carbaholic. It was a real eye opener to me how easy it is to consume carbs and not even think about it. I’m one of the lucky ones who isn’t intolerant of carbs so I’m not in pain for days after eating them. If I were, I might not have slacked as badly as I did. Pho is my weakness and it has rice noodles. Pretty sure they’re not brown rice noodles. Sushi isn’t made with brown rice. Indian food isn’t served with brown rice. When you go to a barbecue, most people use buns for their burgers. It would have taken extra thought on my part to make myself a burger with lettuce instead of a bun and apparently that day I had used all of my mind powers on making a healthy quinoa salad, which by the way was amazeballz, so I couldn’t brain anymore.
As Nurse Jackie so eloquently put it, “easy with this new lease on life; this shit is hard to maintain.” Man, was she right?!?! This month has been really hard. Half way into August, the 2 year old Jennifer threw a tantrum but the 41 year old Jennifer suffered the consequences. I’ve been eating all the wrong food and about the same time I became really frustrated with the exercise portion of my plan that has become half-assed since the “sitting-down-and-crying-out-of-frustration-on-the-grass-behind-Harmon’s” incident a week prior. Where my frustration comes in is that since I incorporated exercise into this plan I haven’t lost any more weight than I did when I wasn’t exercising. I’ve lost 10 lbs since I started 12 weeks ago and excuse me for not being over the moon about it but I’m not. I get that it’s still progress in the right direction and that I didn’t start this program for a number on the scale but it’s frustrating as hell to put all of that work into it, miss out on social activities with my friends and family because I’m trying to stay dedicated and have it not even make a dent in my weight loss. I hope my excitement for this comes back soon but for right now, I’m going to piss and moan about it but I will keep doing it.
So, my challenge for September is inspired by the wellness program that I do not participate in at work because I’m sticking it to The Man. This is a two part challenge.
Clean Your Diet. Eating clean is a way of eating that stresses healthy, whole foods and relies less on packaged, heavily processed products. Eating wholesome, natural foods (like fruits, vegetables, whole grains and lean proteins) promotes good health and maximizes energy. In the Clean Your Diet challenge you’re encouraged to eat at least one clean meal or snack each day. A clean meal or snack means they contain healthy, natural ingredients.
Journaling Your Food. Whether you keep track of your food on paper or through an online or mobile app, being aware of what and how much you’re eating can help you know where to make healthier choices.
How the challenge will work: 2 points for eating a healthy meal (2 points max per day), 1 point for journaling your food and 2 points if you eat clean all day for a total potential of 5 points per day. Whoever gets the most points at the end of the month will get a prize from yours truly. I’m not quite sure what that will be yet but I just shaved my cat and still have the bag of fur so it MIGHT be a sweater knitted by me (I guess I need to learn how to knit) or maybe some of the homemade vick’s vapo rub I’ve made or maybe the half eaten bag of peanut m & m’s that still taunt me even though I’ve hidden them. I’ll set up an event on Facebook to help out with motivation and support so feel free to join in if you’d like. Good luck and stay classy.
