I'm super excited to start my blog! I just want to start off giving you a little background info about why I wanted to start one in the first place.
2012 was my year! I did so many things that I had only dreamed of: spent three months interning in NYC, traveled to West Africa, and signed a job offer for post-graduation! It seemed as if I had my whole life together and was finally reaping the benefits of all my hard work. There was one thing standing in my way of euphoria: my body image.
I have always been insecure about the way I looked, whether it was my red hair or my weight, there was always going to be an issue about my physical appearance. I had adopted this attitude of "you only live once, and if you die tomorrow, you will regret not eating that piece of cake." I adopted the mentality that I would always be a "fat girl."
On my trip to Ghana in November and December of 2012, my mindset began to change. During the two weeks there, I have never been more active and ate so healthy (not that it was low-calorie). The Ghanaian diet consists mainly of fresh meat, vegetables, rice, and beans; basically they live off of natural foods which are free from being processed. When I returned to America, I couldn't wait to get my hands on a burger from Five Guys. After I devoured it, I got extremely sick. I'm talking sicker than I have ever been, throwing up and everything. Something in that burger triggered something in my stomach that it wanted out! From that moment, I vowed I was going to try eating healthy.
As my trip-mates began posting pictures of the trip, I looked on in horror. I could not believe what I had looked like. The heat, sweat, and sunburn probably didn't help, but I was done making excuses. I needed to make a lifestyle change.
I decided to start out with a popular tactic: Weight Watchers. I didn't sign up for the program per se, but I did begin to eat Smart Ones meals. I finally was beginning to fit into my clothing. Midway through January, however, I began to feel sluggish and lazy, and started to cheat: traveling between Chicago and Boston didn't help (I always eat poorly when I am at home). Around the end of the month, I discovered the blog RabbitFoodForMyBunnyTeeth, an all natural, vegetable-based approach to eating. I decided I needed to buy a scale and rid my kitchen of anything processed.
I started shopping at Whole Foods and local health food stores. I'm a college student and money is hard to come by, so I had to be fully committed to my new lifestyle. I dropped my party-girl mentality and only allow myself one day of poor eating and going out (which is usually a Tuesday, makes it easier to get back on track!). I watched the documentary "Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead," about a Aussie who travels the US with a juicer, loses a bunch of weight, and gets his autoimmune disease in check. All on some juicing for 60 days! I could never imagine myself drinking strictly juice for one day, let alone 60, but I have adopted juicing into my lifestyle.
Over the past 2 months I have lost a total of 20lbs and gained a bunch of energy. I decided to buy a juicer and filled my fridge with fruits and veggies. If something begins to look like it's on its way out, I throw it in the juicer. I have started cooking my own food and relying mainly on fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. Chickpeas, black beans, canned vegetables, granola, and nuts are staples in my pantry; Greek yogurt, spinach, apples, cucumbers, and citrus fruits are staples in my fridge; and salmon and lean chicken and turkey are staples in my freezer.
I have designed this blog to track my future progress as well as share recipes and products with you guys. I have plenty more pounds to lose, but already feel great about my journey and want to share it with you.
Thanks for checking me out!
Christina
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