The Journey Begins

I am not there yet but I am farther than I was yesterday... BABY STEPS.

Admittedly even a little bit of progress can give the impression of being insurmountable. I have made a point of staying away from what I consider to be the worst of the worst; Bread, Cereal, Potatoes and Pasta for the last three weeks. I am not purchasing the "baddies" anymore, much to the chagrin of my children (boy, 17 and girl, 14). I blame myself for their dependence on these starches and do not "forbid" them from eating them, but these items are no longer available at home and therefore no longer readily available for their consumption. Instead I am giving them food for thought. Sharing with them (and my husband) what I am learning, encouraging them to make some changes in their eating habits. Thankfully some of it is sinking in. However, I know how difficult it can be to give up these food "drugs" ... especially when everyone else around you is eating hamburgers and hot dogs with buns, chips, soda, and pie a la mode.

Speaking of pie sweets are my "drug" of choice, chocolate candy (in particular) has been tough to give up. Baby steps, right?  I need to celebrate my successes and not expect to make life changes immediately. Not to mention that I am no youngster, it will take time. I continue to make better food choices (sans the occasional brownie bite) and did my first day of eccentric exercise, which left me amazed at the soreness I felt the following day... and day after. 

I continue to read The Smarter Science of Slim (I am a little more than halfway through) and listen to the pod-casts in the car while driving. I am learning much about our culture's obesity epidemic and determined to stay motivated. I also ordered the the Calton's Rich Food, Poor Food book, recommended by Jonathon Bailor and am anxious to dive into it's illuminating pages. I find I struggle a bit at the grocery store now, so I hope their book will help clear up some confusion. Although, I am no where near ready to go extreme with my larder choices; I am stepping away from the center of the store (excluding the frozen veggies section) away from as many "processed" foods as I can. I don't want to overwhelm myself or my family with a huge push toward organic, grass fed etc.etc.etc. Right now it's about the baby steps.