Face it, even if you think you are eating well, you probably have no idea of the extra calories in your diet {I didn't}. You know, the ones keeping you bloated, and feeling unhealthy? The one thing I know for sure, is you can go to the gym for as many hours as you want, and if you over indulge in even what you think is healthy, you are setting yourself up for failure. I am living proof.
After having three daughters in the span of four years, let's just say my "last 20 pounds" did not seem to go away. Well, it did go away, a couple of times, then creeped right back on to my behind. Why? How could this happen? I felt like I was eating all the right things: protein powders and energy bars before (for stamina) and after workouts (for recovery), fruit and veggies, not too much pasta, and the like. I wasn't sitting around eating ho-ho's. It just didn't add up for me. The weight on my licence was more of a pipe dream than reality (and NO, I felt no need to tell the DMV of it's inaccuracy).
I don't mean to pull out the Oprah card, but I did see a show where her entire staff went vegan for a week. I was amazed at how they all were commenting on how fit they were feeling, and no longer had bloating issues. They seemed to have more energy, and said they felt better than they ever remembered. The best side-effect? Weight loss. Like, a lot of pounds dropped. So I started investigating... how I would even go about becoming a vegetarian? Would I even be able to figure it out, and still feed my carnivore husband and children at the same time? I should also tell you that my husband is a triathlete who competes in Ironman distance races, and the man can eat. How could I convert him as well, and still get him enough nutrition to get through long, vigorous workouts?
In my online hunt for all things vegetarian, I came across this site, No-Meat Athlete, where this guy hit the nail on the head for me. Not only was the site geared towards vegetarians, it was basically vegan as well. And the guy was an athlete. Bonus~that gives him instant street credit with my husband. It was full of recipes and ideas for leaning into this healthy change in lifestyle. But the best part about finding the No-Meat Athlete site was coming across the post he wrote about the Thrive books, written by Brendan Brazier. It's a great website, check it out.
Brendan, you made this lifestyle part of my everyday life, and I promote your book to everyone who asks, "Jenn, how did you lose the weight?". Because guess what? It's still gone. I've had to buy all new pants. All-new-pants....in a single digit size. Want to know the secret?
Stop eating crap.
By that I mean acidic food. The entire American diet is based on eating highly acidic foods, and until you start eating foods that produce an alkaline body, you are going to feel like crap, and not like how you look in pictures. It's just a fact. There is quite a long list of the crummy acidic foods we feed ourselves, and our children everyday in the book, and I will talk about them more as well. Basically think of everything that's in your pantry....about 85% of it is probably on the acidic list. Yes, I still have some of that stuff around, but we focus on it way less than we used to, before we knew better.
Please don't think that your family is all big boned and it's not going to work for you. Or that you have "bad genes" and you can't do anything about it. Just because your family might be bigger people, doesn't mean YOU can't decide to be healthy. They are probably eating many of the same foods that are producing crummy health for all of you. That's like saying that gravity only works for most people, but not for you. It will work, I promise you. I KNOW so {no, I'm not a doctor, but I can google like one}. I just hope you might be willing to lean into the lifestyle a little, and the results will come.
The weight on my licence is actually over what I weigh now...funny how now I am ready to march up to the DMV for the new picture and get the weight corrected on my licence now. When I was was working out like crazy, I was frustrated that I never lost enough weight~I know now it was my diet that held me back.
I'll be talking more about the Thrive books, and how they have changed the way I eat, and the way I feed my family. First stop? Breakfast. Stay tuned~it's not the "breakfast cereal" you're used to. And, yes, my husband eats it too!
Have a great day...and eat some extra veggies today!
{Jenn}
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