Hi, glamazons! I wanted to change my regular diet to include more healthy choices for my everyday meals around February because I’m honestly overweight and just turned 40. If you know me, you know I love eating good food. I’m a live-to-eat kinda gal that loves to cook and I am most happy feeding people meals I’ve prepared with my heart.
I’m approaching things differently these days and am more conscious about gut health, nutrition and portion size for calorie intake. It would be nice to shed some weight and to get my body to a place that will be able to do more without asthma getting triggered or to simply go out without stomach issues bothering me. I’m trying to be careful this time around with myself.
In the past, when I was in my teens,I would go on crash diets, my goal was always to just lose weight which pushed me to develop an eating disorder that messed up how I viewed myself as a person. I would be 110 lbs and be so unhappy with myself. I would punish myself for a hotdog I ate (never mind that it was the only meal I had that day). Purging, diet pills, laxative teas, or starving myself and exercising like the demons from hell were after me, that was how I fit into 22-24 inch waisted clothes but it was never enough. It was a long journey and a lot of attitude change that came with so many pounds that got me to a place where I am ok with what I am. I am ok with how I look. The carefully built self-love was a long time coming and to this day, it still isn’t quite perfect. I doubt if it ever will be.
I still get upset sometimes when clothes don’t fit right or when stores don’t have my size. I still feel some kind of dread going on elevators and hearing that alarm. I’m afraid of one day not being allowed to go on rides for being too heavy. I don’t hate myself like I did before. I am afraid of disappointing my children if their classmates point out that I am fat. I still balk at how accepted it is in our country to neg you about your personal appearance and to flat out say how fat you are. Dude, that isn’t news to the person carrying the extra weight. They see and feel it more than anyone else.
That being said, while I know I shouldn’t let other people hurt my soul, being on the heavy side will always hurt how active I can be with my kids. It’s just a fact. You can rock what you have while also acknowledging the fact that it is bad to carry your weight on your tummy and how obesity opens you up to a whole host of health conditions.
I hate how hard it is to go up the stairs. I hate how hard it is to shop for clothes. I, however, noticed that nowadays, I hate the circumstances and the effects of being overweight but I can honestly say that a lot of the self-loathing I used to feel is no longer there. It may sound conceited but I think I’m pretty great. I tell myself the things I tell my kids everyday in essence— You are smart, you are beautiful inside and out, you are kind (sometimes), and on the days you are feeling extra, you are gorgeous and fabulous! Some days it takes a minute to get there but unless there are genuinely distressing instances in a day, I make an effort to get in that headspace.
I still struggle with working out as weight impacts your knees and back and a lot of times it would frustrate me how exertion would trigger my asthma. So I thought to myself, the one thing I do have control over is what I eat so that is what I want to work on for now. If I get discouraged for struggling with workout, I need to regain control over what I eat and stop letting it consume me as it did in the past. I would like to be mindful of what I eat without making the act of eating joyless.
I’m not gonna beat myself up for not losing weight as aggressively but I figured I can still benefit from cutting back on the excess. I can help my gut health and maybe not make it so hard to go out for fear of upsetting my stomach. These days, I am very much into looking at nutrition, glycemic index, benefits of protein, healthier options and taking in only what I need. I have decided to keep the weekend meals normal where I can fully enjoy delicious meals with the kids and they see me enjoying meals with them. I still try to be mindful of portion control and swapping out rice for quinoa whenever I can.
These days I usually have a healthy breakfast and lunch of either overnight oats, chia pudding, or my meal replacement shakes with fruit and almond milk. I then have a normal dinner with my kids but instead of rice I will have 1 serving size of quinoa. If I’m still hungry, I’ll have some nuts or tuna. So far so good. I don’t have episodes of the upset stomach as much as before and my skin looks so much better. I find that while I do still have occasional cravings for chips or noodles, my cravings for sweets have mellowed down even more. I tried having instant pansit canton and I think after a few bites the idea was better in my head. My tummy just wouldn’t take it. I’m consuming less of the decidedly naughty foods and trying to get more water, protein and fiber in my diet and I think that is great in itself. However small the improvement, I will choose to celebrate it. Baby steps until you can take off running and challenge your body more is what I keep telling myself. It’s been a month and I feel so much better about myself.
My favorite breakfast these days is the Chia Seed Pudding. I’m ending this little novela with this recipe my daughter has been enjoying with me since I started. I skipped 2 days without it and I immediately felt the absence of its benefits for my tummy. I’ve had tummy problems since I gave birth to my second kid and so far this change has really helped me manage stomach upsets.
Banana Nut Chia Seed Pudding
- 2 Tbsp chia seeds (make sure they aren’t expired)
- 1/2 Cup almond milk or nonfat milk
- 1/2 banana sliced
- 1 Tbsp mixed nuts (I prepared a mix of pumpkin and sunflower seed, walnuts, almonds and cashews that are roasted but unseasoned)
- 1 Tbsp of honey or packet of sweetener of choice
- Place chia seeds in a small jar or bowl. Add the sweetener and almond milk.
- Mix well, cover and place in the fridge overnight.
- Top with bananas and nuts and enjoy while drinking lots of water.
Easy peasy, right? I hope you get to try it regardless of the journey you are on because it is absolutely delicious. It’s so good that even my 4 year old loves it.
I am not a nutritionist or health expert. I am simply trying to make better food choices for myself by eating what I need and increasing more of the good stuff available to me. It may not be the same experience for everyone.
Going to a party? Or have some gathering with indulgent dishes? Eat and enjoy what is there. At the end of the day, the good changes you make on everyday meals is going to impact your life more than that one gathering. I just wanted to share this journey with you guys because it scares me to share stuff like this and I wanted to put myself out there and do something out of the box for me.
Are you trying to improve some aspects of your life this year? I’d love to hear about it. Thank you for dropping by and may the glam be with you!