plateau

although i was warned, i am definitely one for learning my own lessons. i have officially hit a plateau in my weight loss/muscle gain/health adventure. i could call it that... but really, i went from eating great and working out so-so, to working out great and eating so-so, so it's not a huge surprise that i have stopped losing weight. i look pretty darn good still since i'm becoming more tone, but i'm just not done yet!! i want to plateau out and have a decently easy time staying the same size once i actually GET to my goal weight... not yet. grrrr.

the sad truth is that eating out just isn't really possible if i really want to get to my goal weight- AND stay there. once in a while should be fine, but it's going to have to be the exception. not only does it cost too much to eat lunch out every day, the food is nasty ass shit... and by "nasty ass shit" i mean it taste really good but it's a zillion points/calories. so really- although it tastes pretty good, i'm actually more disgusted by how damn EASY it is to be fat. our society, our culture, our EVERY DAMN DAY LIVING is disgusting! to lose weight or to not become obese (again) i just can't live like that. that's all there is to it.

so now, truthfully, how possible is it for me to "bow out" of that lifestyle? the choice in my head is easy, but the logistics are damn near impossible. when all of the options around me are crazy fattening (not to mention chemical-y and processed and just completely unhealthy in general). i'm realizing that if i want to eat healthy- for the most part, i just have to make it myself. there really aren't many (if any) options where i can just run out grab some food. i think that's where the "culture" part comes in.

for example, a few weeks ago i was really feeling like i needed some red meat. good old beef- sometimes i crave it, and i typically listen to that sort of craving. anyhow, i go to johnny rockets, i think? thank goodness the menus are starting to have the calories listed, but woah... woah... that's all i can say. to put it in perspective, i should be eating around 1200-1400 calories a day. i am trying to lose weight, so maybe a typical healthy person at a healthy weight could/would eat more. anyhow, that point is, that just a regular ol meal there would consist of a burger, fries, and a drink- maybe even a milkshake. the burger alone.... almost 1500 calories. that's JUST lunch, not even the whole lunch. how easy is it to go to a restaurant and eat your entire day's calories in one meal? WAY TOO EASY. then you eat another meal for dinner- i find that to be DISGUSTING. i'm not pretending to be high and mighty- no way! i've fallen for the same thing that everyone else has fallen for, and i think that may just be ignorance and laziness. so now i know, and i'm not entirely lazy, so how do i just stop eating that stuff?

people eat socially. schedules permit "fast" food. how does one participate in life without the option of eating out? i realize i'm asking more questions than answering, but that's the point- i don't have the answers. i'm just waking up to this sick reality that it's WAY easier to be fat, stay fat, get fat, teach our children to be fat, and die fat. and before we die we are uncomfortable physically, our clothes fit awfully, we are tormented mentally, and we judge, criticize, and guilt ourselves constantly. now is that any way to live? i've decided now, that NO, it is not a good way to live. i don't like the easy options for "normal" living.

i don't believe so much in new years resolutions, but at the beginning of this year i started a vegetable crusade. i was literally feeling ill, and i honestly believe it was due to the lack of nutrients my body was receiving. someone else was doing all of the cooking in my household, and as yummy as it tasted, it was not what i needed to live. hardly any veggies at all, if any, they were cooked with TONS (and i mean TONS!!!) of oil and butter. now i'm no nutritionist, but i know that the ratios of meat, carbs, and veggies should probably not lean towards mostly carbs, way too much meat, and no veggies. From the USDA's "My Plate" dietary guidelines:

Foods to Increase
● Make half your plate fruits and vegetables.
● Make at least half your grains whole grains.
● Switch to fat-free or low-fat (1%) milk.




good to know! also, with weight watchers i learned that i only really need a tiny serving of meat and carbs, and then i just use mostly veggies to fill up! i use fruits mostly as snacks or with my breakfast. : ) even with pasta i like mostly veggies in the sauce over it. i guess the point of this paragraph is to say that i know HOW to eat more healthy, and typically i enjoy it. i've really been excited about talking to friends about cooking and trying recipes from magazines. my weakness is simply eating out. the weakness is simple to recognize, but it's not simple to rectify.

so today for lunch, i went to the grocery store. i am actually quite pleased with the selection i ended up with. i have some good plans for all the fruits and veggies i got.

here are the things i will focus on to be successful in my crusade for a healthy and beautiful body:

1- meal plan. have ideas for what i'll be cooking through out the week and ensure i have the necessary ingredients.
2- stick to bringing lunch to work. it's not hard for me to stick to the good stuff if i don't have other options- i just can't say how many times i've ditched my good stuff for 1500 calorie hamburgers/fries/shakes or cheesy mexican (i drool just thinking about that).
that makes me realize i need to do this-
3- think about foods that i really like to eat and figure out how to make them myself in a more nutritious way. i can still have cheesy mexican- but now it will be more veggies and less cheese. this can work!
4- ultimately i realize that simply PAYING ATTENTION to what i'm eating makes a big difference. i don't want to HAVE to be on weight watchers or counting calories for the rest of my life, to do that i'll need a good repertoire of food that i know i can eat guiltlessly. i like where this is going!
5- limit my social excursions, since there's not much getting around the nasty ass shit once i'm out and about.
6- if i must eat out, i'll pay close attention to what i order. i don't have to automatically give up just because i've walked into the doors of a restaurant.

as always- recognize and celebrate progress. progress excites us and motivates us to continue.

keep on keeping on!
xoxo krista

oh- almost forgot. the whole reason i started this post was to say that when i went grocery shopping today i was not only pleased with my selections, but PROUD. my lunch was delicious! here's a picture. i didn't think to take a picture until i was almost done, so here's what was left of it. mixed greens & spinach, bell pepper, tomato, crab meat, cucumber, salt/pepper, and honey mustard dressing.