I am eight weeks into the 80 pounds in 80 weeks challenge, and I am now one week into the 21 Day Fix. 
For a quick recap, I was not doing very well at losing weight all on my own. I had increased my exercise and was feeling better, but the scale was not reflecting that. So I decided I needed some help in the eating department. OK. That didn’t come out right. I had no problem eating. I just struggled with eating the right things in the proper amounts. After researching various programs, I committed to the 21 Day Fix, a program with colorful containers directing me what types of foods to eat and in what quantity.
I will admit that when the containers arrived at my house, I was concerned about their size. They certainly looked bigger online. However it is surprising how much work it takes to try to fill them with all of the recommended food; I don’t think I have successfully eaten everything on the plan any given day this week.
Let me give you a glimpse of a typical day. For my current weight, I am supposed to eat 5 green containers of vegetables, 3 purple containers of fruit, 5 red containers of protein, 4 yellow containers of carbs, 1 blue container (avocado, cheese, nuts), 1 orange container (seeds, chopped nuts, dressings), and 5 teaspoons (nut butter, extra virgin olive oil, etc.). The program also recommends participants eat 6 small meals a day about 2 hours apart. (For those who want to follow along at home, here are approximate sizes for the containers. Green: 1 1/4 cups, Purple: 1 1/4 cups, Red: 3/4 cup, Yellow: 1/2 cup, Blue: 1/3 cup, Orange: 2-3 Tablespoons)
This is what one day’s meals usually look like:
- Breakfast: green smoothie containing spinach, berries, 1/2 banana, yogurt, and almonds. This counts as 1 green, 1.5 purple, 1 red, 1 orange.
- Snack: Shakeology (water-based shake with tons of vitamins and superfoods) OR 2 egg cups (eggs mixed with chopped spinach, peppers and broccoli and cooked in muffin tins). This counts as 1 red (plus 0.5 green from the veggies in the egg cups).
- Lunch: chicken, rice, and two servings of veggies (usually carrots, jicama, bell peppers, or cucumber). This counts as 1 red, 1 yellow, and 2 green.
- Snack: apple, nut butter, cottage cheese. This counts as 1 purple, 2 teaspoons, and 1 red.
- Dinner: turkey/pork/steak, corn or quinoa, and spinach salad. This counts as 1 red, 1 yellow, and 2 green.
- Snack: I don’t usually like to eat after dinner, so this is just water. I forgot to mention the program recommends I drink 112 ounces of water which I have successfully done everyday! It might have something to do with the nearly triple digit temperatures we’ve been having, but I’ll take credit for it anyway.
When you total it all up, that is only 16 of the 19 containers. And some of the days I don’t even eat the snacks! It is taking me some time to adjust to my body’s signals. At times, my stomach just feels funny. In the past, I would have assumed I was hungry and tried to solve the problem with food (often junk food). Now I try to drink some water and see if the feeling persists. If so, I try a small snack of veggies or protein.
If you remember, one of my hesitations with starting a “diet” was the feeling of being deprived of my favorite foods. I admit that I still crave junk food, almost daily. I wish I didn’t, but it is a reality. However I saw a quote today that said, “I don’t diet. I just eat according to my goals.” (Click the picture to download your own copy.) That really made a lot of sense. I need to change my thinking from being “deprived” to being excited that I am making smart choices for myself, my health, and my future. If I want to feel good about my body and like what I see when I look in the mirror, then I need change my thinking and my habits. When I find myself craving something unhealthy, rather than wallow and think “Woe is me. I hate this diet”, my goal is to remind myself why I choose not to eat it. In a similar fashion, I don’t get excited about working out (yet, though I hope to someday), and I don’t get excited about getting out of bed early to do it, but I know it is good for me and I will thank myself for it later. I need to adopt the same attitude towards food.
So far, I am on the right track. I checked the scale today, and I am down 3 pounds! I am still exercising (and finding new muscles almost everyday), I have increased my water consumption from 32 to 112 ounces, and I am making better food choices. My brain still needs work in the reprogramming department (changing from sad I’m deprived to happy I am making better choices), but I know that is a process. All that matters is that I am moving in the right direction, and I am not going to give up (or give in).
How do you resist cravings for not-so-healthy food?
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