A New Me.....

A little while back I went on the "Rip Your Heart Out Diet."  Not heard of it?  Keep an eye out for my cookbook, coming soon.....it's a lot of empty pages- quick read!.  I've always heard women say "the best way to lose 10 pounds is to get the flu or get your heart broken."  I would've preferred the flu, but you get what you get.  So my heart was broken, and for the first time in my life, I couldn't eat.  Certainly don't recommend it; didn't intend for it to happen.  I just felt sick to my stomach and had absolutely no appetite.  Somehow, however, I managed to find the strength to work out- something as surprising to me as not eating!

I figured I may as well capitalize on the weight loss thing, and get back to my regular work out schedule.  As my appetite returned, I also decided it was time to get back to what I refer to as "mindful eating."

Mindful eating for me just means being equally aware of my wants and my needs when it comes to fueling my body, and focusing more on the "needs" part of the equation.  Yes, that's a glass of wine in front of me (I needed it!).  I haven't completely lost my mind!...my 80/20 rule still applies.  But when I cook for myself and my clients or when I'm teaching my cooking classes, I am re-focused on what we really need to fuel ourselves and to be healthy.  That's food's original purpose: give us the energy to do the things we need to do to survive (think hunter/gatherer days).  But often we turn it into an Olymic sport of over-eating huge portions of calorie-rich and nutrient-poor meals.  Pharmaceutical companies love this!  Me, not so much.

"Mindful eating"  in no way means that I still don't cook delicious meals.  You know I do!  My mission statement is "Teaching people that 'delicious' and 'nutritious' are not mutually exclusive."   It's possible to wow your taste buds and keep your body healthy and happy, too. 

In the past six weeks, I've dropped down to a size 6, something I haven't been since my college days (so I guess I can thank the heart-breaker for something), and the workouts have helped turn back the clock..... I taught a business development class today at Bauman College and shared my marketing materials with them.  One of the students said of a picture I have on my website and my marketing cards, "You need to update that picture; you look older in it than you do now."  I'll take that as a huge compliment, since that picture was taken only a year ago.

I'll be 48 next month, and I hear so many of my friends lament about how hard it is to stay in shape, or to get in shape (why do we wait so long to take care of ourselves?).  I see so many women my age give up and give into that idea.  I think they're wrong.  Granted, I started this weight loss in an unconventional way, but I believe that we can change and reshape our bodies through a combination of strength training and cardio, and mindful eating.  That's what I've been doing and it seems to be working just fine.

What changes have I made, you ask.  Well hold onto your seats for this one.... dairy has been extremely reduced (I KNOW, can you believe it???!  But me and a yummy Caprese Salad will never break up completely).  And I am focusing again  on more plant-based meals, with animal proteins used in limited quantities.  This is the best season to give that a try, by the way...such an abundance of delicious fresh fruits and veggies! Read The China Study or watch Forks over Knives, and you'll know why I like this path.  And keep reading my blog for some tasty reasons to believe that nutritious and delicious are NOT mutually exclusive.

We'll still yum it up!