If someone had to tell me that in four months I would have ditched junk food, exercised regularly and lost 19 kilos I would have laughed in their face and asked them if they were on something. I didn't think I was doing anything wrong but my new lifestyle makes me feel so much better; physically, mentally and emotionally. When I compare my new life to my old one, I realized what a difference the food I was eating made to my overall well-being.
Before, I felt tired and sluggish all the time. I ran out of breath when climbing the stairs or running for the bus. It wasn't that I was really fat or anything but I was unhealthy and close to becoming overweight. I'm not even 100% sure why I suddenly decided to change my ways; I just came to the realization that at some point in my life, the food choices I was making were going to have a negative impact on me, my weight and my health. (Duh! I tell myself now.)
Just to give you an idea of how I ate before, this is what I would have ate on a typical day:
Breakfast: Sugary cereal with lots (I mean lots) of chocolate sprinkles and full-fat milk. I sometimes had double servings if I woke up really hungry.
Mid-Morning Snack: 4 slices of sliced white bread, 2 slices ham, god-knows-how-many slices of cheese and lots of butter
Pre-Lunch Snack: Bag of cornchips, lots of soda
Lunch: Pizza with pepperoni or a spicy chicken burger slathered in mayo (copius amounts of mayo, of course) and ketchup
Snack: Chocolate milk or hot chocolate if it was a cold day, about 4 chocolate chip cookies (more if my parents weren't looking)
Dinner: Macaroni and cheese or a grilled cheese sandwich if I wasn't too hungry
Pre-Bedtime Snack: Cereal bar (in an effort to be healthy *coughtrytoeatmorethanhumanlypossiblecough*)
Yup, there you go. That's a good idea of what I ate, everyday, for years and years. And you know why I kept eating like that? I never gained weight. Or at least I didn't think I was until suddenly my clothes weren't fitting anymore and I was panting just to walk down the road. Not good.
I had tried diets before and I had lasted about 3 days max. before I would throw in the towel and lurch back gratefully to my fat-filled food. And the reason I could never stick to the diets was because I was completely ignorant about eating right. For me going on a diet meant starving yourself. No wonder I never got past 3 days! Now, armed with the right knowledge on how to eat sensibly (thankyou Internet, what would I do without you?!) my daily food intake is much better than what I was eating just four short months ago.
Here's an idea of what I now eat everyday:
Breakfast: Homemade muesli or All-Bran with skim milk and an apple or banana
Snack: 2 slices wholewheat bread with cucumber, tomatos and raw carrots
Lunch: Wholegrain rice with grilled chicken, spinach, colored peppers and mushrooms
Snack: 2 slices wholewheat bread with low-fat cottage cheese and celery or a homemade apple muffin (low-fat & sugar-free) and a fruit
Dinner: Tuna and prawn salad or a yogurt and fruit if I'm not really hungry.
I make sure I get my greens, choose wholegrain whenever possible and stick to low-fat dairy products and lean meats. Basically, what my mother's been telling me to do for ages! Why did I never listen?
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