Tuesday, January 03, 2012

A New Year - I Want a New ME!

It's the start of a new year, and I am going to try blogging again!  AND...I am really making an effort to start a "new me."  Previous efforts to get fit (lose weight) and get healthy (eat right) involved me jumping in 100%, with both feet, and usually ended up with me backsliding and then failing altogether.


However, I'm scared now.  I recently watched two movies - "Food, Inc." and "Forks Over Knives."  And this time, I'm going to start changing what I put into my body.  For real.


This is NOT going to be easy.  I love cheese.  And cheeseburgers.  And ice cream.  And cheese.  And cheesecake.  And cheeseburgers.  And fries.  This is no one-sided love - these things love my thighs, my butt, and my gut.  Unfortunately, they have made their way into my heart that is decidedly unhealthy.  Wait...did I mention that I love cheeseburgers?  Sigh.


I purchased "The Engine 2 Diet" by Rip Esselstyn.  It's a primer for change, and I am still reading and learning and scaring myself.  Day One involved going to my local grocery store, and being dismayed at what I COULDN'T find.  But there was success - I discovered I like the taste of vanilla almond milk.  Eliminating cow's milk will be an easy change.


Day Two?  I made my own hummus!  I am not a fan of plain hummus, but it's healthier than cheese dip or ranch dressing.  I want to wean myself off these things, and store-bought hummus contains olive oil or other fat....so I did an experiment with hummus, adapting a recipe from the book.  


(That is not my actual hummus pictured.  Mine had no garnish, and was in a Tupperware bowl!)


Here is what I used:
1 can chickpeas - rinsed and drained
2 cloves garlic
4 Tablespoons of lemon juice
3 Tablespoons of water
5 sun dried tomatoes
1 jalapeno, seeded and drained


I tossed it all in the food processor, until it made a creamy paste.  It was fabulous!!! It also tasted a lot better than store-bought hummus.


Baby steps.  I think I will do better that way.  Week one - I will eliminate all soda, cow's milk and beef, and do my best to avoid foods that are not whole grain or plant-based.  "DO MY BEST" being the key phrase.  I have to change my mindset, retrain my taste buds, and realize this is a LIFESTYLE change...not a diet.


And breaking up with cheese?   Oh, the agony.  You have no idea.  Wish me luck.

9 comments:

Pamela said...

olive oil, too? Isn't that good for you? Especially if you have to give up cheese.

I could eat this way if someone cooked for me. Don't have the energy to do it myself.

Tiggerlane said...

Well, I'm supposed to give up oil...and the Engine 2 book says that there are about 120 calories per Tablespoon of olive oil, its nutrient content is low, its saturated fat level is high - in fact 15% of olive oil is the saturated (bad) fat kind. It is refined, concentrated calories. :-( Plus, it's not considered a "whole food." Yeah - this is going to be tough. Cheese contains casein - which promotes tumor growth. It has almost no nutritional value...I had no idea.

Dawn said...

I eat a lot of cheese and won't be giving it up soon. Of course most of my dairy products come from our family farm. I will be making cottage cheese today from our milk. Good luck with your diet, it sounds tough but you gotta do, what you gotta do; just glad it not me but you ;-) . We all have to do what is right for our bodies and I am sure you will feel better (healthier and more energized) once you get into it.

Memphis said...

Well good luck with that. I don't know what to say, really. But I hope your new year is a great success for you. And I'm glad to see you blogging again.

Sandy said...

Good luck! and it's good to see you again!

mark said...

That's great that you're back and I'm impressed by your motivation to change eating habits! It's good to know which movies we need to avoid so we can keep eating poorly and not feel bad about it.

Tiggerlane said...

I HAVE moved to organic cheese and yogurt...but they are tough to find in my small town! And thank you all for your well-wishes. I promise I will blog about something OTHER than food, someday!

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As 2011 winds down, I reflect on the past year and its lessons, and then look forward to the new one, a clean slate. Will 2012 be my year to do yoga and Zumba (not at the same time,) meditate, save more money, be more patient, and (this one’s always on my list) lose weight? The new planner is pristine and full of possibility and promise. Yet time seems to speed by, along with my life. I want to use my time wisely. Do you take time to reflect on how you want to spend the 12 months, 52 weeks, 366 days, 8784 hours?

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I reflect on the past year and its lessons, and then look forward to the new one, a clean slate. Will 2012 be my year to do yoga and Zumba (not at the same time,) meditate, save more money, be more patient, and (this one’s always on my list) lose weight? The new planner is pristine and full of possibility and promise. Yet time seems to speed by, along with my life. I want to use my time wisely.