Hi again. If food is life, am I a food blogger or a lifestyle blogger? This very mindset fueled my YOLO eat what I want when I want no matter what mentality. This is my journey as a foodie who now has healthier habits. (Side note-does anyone say YOLO anymore?)
How did this start?
Travel Life
I used to travel for work and made a point to try and eat the local dish of whatever location I found myself in that week. Louisiana I enjoyed King Cake during Mardi Gras Season with a side of boudin sausage. San Fransisco gave me fond memories of cioppino and a view of the ocean. Chicago gave me multiple deep dish pizzas galore. Although I left that travel job, I still carried my view of food with me. Try it and enjoy it because you may never have it again. Live for the moment.
I am thankful for those experiences. For example, I learned to truly enjoy fresh caught fish by the ocean and never eat it in Missouri. It allowed me to explore and try new things. Learning to enjoy and appreciate the local food scene was half the fun of the job. Each place big city or small unknown town had something to offer.
Work from Home Life
Fuel that mentality with a work from home job and then COVID. The weight began to go up faster than I had ever seen. It got to my breaking point-standing on the scale and seeing a number you never fathomed possible. I won’t write that number here–but I am sure anyone who has struggled with weight loss knows that number.
What things look like now
While I am still fairly new to this journey, I am committed. My small success so far has further propelled my motivation that I can do this. If you are like me, there is hope. You can become a reformed foodie and still appreciate food. Here are some tips I have stuck to:
- Mind your Portion Size
- Make Snack Packs for the Week
- Try new things
- Don’t ruin everything with weekend food.
- Setup your Personal Milestones
Mind your Portion Size
I got a food scale. Yep, like one of those body building bikini fitness girls. It was eye opening to really see how much I was actually eating. I stuck to 3-4 oz of protein like fish or chicken. For funnies I weighed what my normal pre-reformed foodie portion would have been and it was nearly double and sometimes triple the number of ounces. My first thought was that is tiny. And my second, wow I could save money on groceries. Gotta stay positive!
When it came to eating out- I did a few things to mind my portion size. First was to cut my entire meal and half and take the rest home. There have also been a few times I ordered off of the children menu. For example, I tried a local smoothie place. A regular smoothie was between 500-700 calories. However, the children’s smoothie was 250. At 5 foot zero (ever wondered where I got Hey Little Shorty from?) I need more of a children’s portion than the adult.
Make Weekly Snack Packs
Everything is great until 2:30 PM. That is usually my snack time. Previously, I would storm through the kitchen finding whatever was easiest. Could be left over pasta or maybe a second slice of cake. Now I have snack packs! They are usually comprised of some fruit, vegetables and maybe a little bit of cheese. I make everything up and put it in clear glass containers to grab. Pro Tip- Don’t pack nuts , they get soggy when left in the fridge. I find these snack packs are an easy way to grab food on the go, but also have the versatility to change things up every grocery haul. Sometimes there are cucumbers. Other times a boiled egg and cheese. Take a look at one of my weekly below:
Try New Things
This mindset was actually the easiest as a now reformed foodie. My foodie tendencies would alway provoke me to try the unique item on the menu just because I wanted to know the taste. If you’re also a reformed foodie or on your way to becoming one you can do the same thing with healthier food. Throughout this process I have found healthy smoothie spot, a salad joint that I adore, and even tried bison! I challenge you to make a list of 3-4 healthy spots you can try in place of fast food or a heavy takeout dinner. I would also challenge you to try a recipe with a food that may be out of of your kitchen comfort zone. Who knows, it might just become your new favorite thing.
Below are a few new things I have personally tried
- ditching the bun on my favorite sandwiches
- Trying Summer Green Juice and finding I really like it
- swapping French fries for a side of Cole slaw
- cooking salmon and other fish
Don’t ruin everything with Weekend Food
What is weekend food? Well it starts with a happy hour with friends, then appetizers because you’re starving then turns into a planned brunch downtown the next day. This is a fairly precarious position because all of your hard work can easily come undone by Saturday afternoon. Keep your goal in mind 7 days a week. How do you do that?
- Yes go to happy hour, but maybe have a glass of red wine.
- Yes, eat an appetizer if you can fit it into your daily calories goals.
- Yes go to brunch and find something healthy on the menu. Sometimes it takes making a decision before you even enter the establishment.
If your weekend food is home based such as pizza every Friday night, followed by morning cinnamon rolls because it’s the freaking weekend coupled with mimosas it’s the same thing. Weekends tend to be celebrations whether its a birthday or just your day off. Can your pizza be 1-2 slices max with new toppings? Maybe try thin crust or veggie. Maybe make some eggs with your favorite veggies and keep to a coffee. It’s still Saturday and your goals are still the same as Tuesday.
Enjoy your weekend, but don’t forget your goals.
Setup Your Personal Milestones
Early in my journey I set up personal milestones I wanted to achieve and the specific way I would celebrate. Personally, mine is set up for every 10 lbs lost but you can use whatever increment makes sense to keep you motivated. I am nearly at my first milestone and I am going to reward myself with a lash lift. I’ve never had one done, but have been looking at trying it for a long time. Other milestones I have setup similar things- a jar of pricy body cream that I normally would not buy or one of those hyped up overpriced water bottles. These are all things I would like, but do not normally buy for myself. I also tried to pick things that would continue to fuel my momentum with healthy habits. I am hoping by not using food as the reward (hello ice cream ) that I can set up milestones for special treats for myself or even invest in new things such as tennis lessons.
Conclusion
I love food. I will try an make this blog a reflection of my joy for food with many healthy balanced dishes as well as some that are purely “good for the soul” that can be eaten on occasion. I’ll keep you updated on my weight loss journey and share any tips or tricks I’ve learned along the way.
