I love food. Mostly, I love eating food.
After years of struggling with gradual weight gain, food has finally taken it’s place on the back-burner of my mind.
It sounds silly but I used to wake up and plan my day around what I would eat. Not on purpose, but on those early Monday mornings, the only thing that could convince me to shed my blankets was the idea of sizzling bacon and hash browns…
Today, however, food doesn’t appeal to me in the same way. Instead of seeing food as a reward, I see it now as fuel. I’d heard to slogan before, but could never successfully live it out. I mean, has Jillian ever TASTED a Bavarian creme donut?!
I’ve started to crave healthy greens (which I could eat a whole pound of and only end up with 40 calories), and only eat Oreo’s and donuts every once in a while instead of every day.
What caused this change in mindset?
It started when I began logging my food. I know, that sounds tedious, and sometimes it is, but tracking what I ate helped me understand when I was actually hungry and when it was just a craving.
I’ve tried several apps to log my food and exercise, but I really love MyFitnessPal. When I log my food, it shows carbs, fat, and sugars, as well as other nutritional information that might as well be Egyptian hieroglyphics to me.
But my favorite part is at the end of the day, when I complete my “diary”, the app shows what I would weigh in 5-weeks “if every day were like today.”
Some days I win and lose 5 lbs, other days…I gain some…
MyFitnessPal helps me remember that eating healthy is a journey, and not something that changes instantly.
Even with fast food as a tempting lunch-break option, I’m inspired to make healthier choices when I see how my actions today can impact my body tomorrow or even 5 weeks later.
I say I’m inspired to make healthier lunch choices, but I still snag a frosty from Wendy’s sometimes. But then I log it, and plan the rest of my exercise (catching Pokemon) and meals to fit my fuel-budget.
Karianne is the founder of Windmill Ways. She plays the cello professionally and currently works as an Art Director for a charity. Because she loves animated shows and movies, she studies 3D animation and graduated with a BFA with the unfortunate class of 2020. Her dream vacation would be just staying home, but "home" being a glamorous cabin somewhere in the mountains surrounded by forest.
Favorite band: Lord Huron
Favorite book: This Present Darkness
Favorite quote: "Get all the advice and instruction you can, so you will be wise the rest of your life. You can make many plans, but the Lord’s purpose will prevail." Proverbs 19:20-21 (NLT)
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