Magically, Naturally Delicious =]

Okay so I went away for a while, but I'm back. In short, moved to Atlanta, started my job, been at it for a few months now. Started CrossFit at an amazing box and am working hard to live healthy, happy, and have fun in a new city.

Now that that's out of the way... Part of this living healthy thing is trying to eat as much as possible all natural...

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I've lost you now haven't I? You saw all natural and thought, ugh, health food... that's too hard.. too boring.. too tasteless. Whatever. Here's the awesome thing about eating a lot of all natural food.. I no longer count calories. If you are eating food that is REAL, you don't have to worry about calories. First, there are generally less in natural foods than the processed crap you're eating. Second, your body is built to handle and digest things that are in nature. (Here comes a whole lot of information thrown at you in a probably haphazard manner because my brain can't function in an orderly way on the weekend).

For me, it explained why when I ate a huge meal that had a lot of processed carbs.. high in fat.. etc, I felt sleepy and just awful overall and I was tired of it. I started out small.. cutting out things like boxed crackers, meals consisting of only sugar (pasta, cereal, etc). Yes, carbs = sugar. People often think if they are not eating a candy bar, there isn't that much sugar in a food, but carbs are just different combinations of sugars, and ARE NOT ALL BAD!!  The point is, there was nothing healthy about those meals even if I was careful with portion control and only ate the recommended amount of it (which, for those of you who have tried, the amount of cereal supposedly in a "meal" is paltry and sad and just plain depressing to look at). I thought for the longest time that if I just ate and controlled my calorie intake to slightly under what I burned every day, I would be healthy and fit and happy.

It didn't work.

So now I stock up on a TON of produce. Fresh raspberries, strawberries, red peppers, spinach, squashes and avocado run abundant in my fridge. I have a gigantic tub of whey protein on stock at all times. Old fashioned oats are magic. Cans of tomatoes, black beans, and bags of frozen veggies of all kinds. Ground turkey, chicken breast/tenderloins and salmon or tilapia are always on hand. My refrigerator is not sad and empty, it is filled to the brim with good food. That's a key step. Temptation too close at hand gives you an excuse to cheat yourself.

I have always had athletics to fall back on and excuses to be lazy. I still have tons of excuses, I just don't use them any more... or at least.. I try. I am human after all.. I want to be healthy and I have the knowledge to do what it takes. I've surrounded myself with a team of people at CrossFit Smyrna who believe in me and what I am capable of. Will power is all it takes. Small steps make for big strides. Do I still go out to eat, or have my favorite comfort foods? Absolutely. I'm not Superman, and I believe in being able to have a cheat day. It just can't become a cheat weekend. And even then, it occasionally happens... I'm 23 and in a huge city with 500 million things to do every weekend and friends who want to do them all. (We have enough that we've finally created a calendar in order to keep track of all the stuff we have planned). Life happens. The thing is having the strength to return to the routine after a cheat day/weekend. However be careful. You can undo a lot of progress in a cheat weekend. I don't pay attention to the number on the scale. All I care about is how I feel on the inside and whether or not my clothes fit (because let's be real.. clothes that are too tight are uncomfortable and I don't make enough money to deal with that nonsense).