{What's for Lunch?}

I've never been a good "New Years Resolution" type of person. I know myself well enough to know that I'd never hold myself accountable. That's right, even myself knows I'm lazy. It's a character flaw... I'm working on it.

Still, Jeff and I had a really good series of conversations ( coincidentally around the new years) about changing some of our habits regarding food. I had done really well in the year before I met him doing something similar, and got comfortable with old habits and stopped pushing myself. I've never been a fan of diets, and know that I can't trick myself into justifying a three month anything diet just to drop a few pounds that I'd never notice anyway. And while I don't enjoy being fat, I don't have the insecurities of self image that I assume drives people to jump from fad diet to fad diet. My ( and Jeff's) desires lay with wanting to feel better, have more energy, and eat BETTER food, on a regular basis. I want a lifestyle change, not a diet. I want to make changes to habits that will be long lasting and sustainable, and changes that can be integrated into our lives easily instead of counter-intuitively.

So, I'm starting easy. No more soda ( I got too addicted to it in China, where it was cheaper to drink than water), controlled portions, learning to listen to my body, and partake of more wholesome foods whenever possible. And lastly, to make eating intentional, and not emotional.

Diet coke was the hardest thing to kick, so far. It took me a good week to get it out of my system, and there were a couple of days were the cravings and withdrawal were mean nasty elements to deal with. I bought a waterbottle that I love to help prompt me to drink more water. It's glass with a silicone wrap, so the water stays colder, and doesn't have that weird taste that it gets in a plastic waterbottle( Jeff claims I'm crazy and there's no such thing, back me up!). It has markers on the sides that measure ml and oz, which gives me a visual marker and goal to drink so much water each hour. It makes drinking the recommended 64 oz of water a day a lot more manageable.

I got a lunch box that has the perfect portion sized containers, so each day I pack food that I can break down and eat smaller amounts throughout the day instead of bigger meals three times a day. So far, I've liked this a lot better, I don't feel as many cravings, and I don't feel bloated or tired like I did when I ate big lunches. It's also forced me to be more intentional with what I choose to eat, which has helped me make better choices.

Today's "lunch?"

*Top to bottom, left to right*

Peach flavored apple chips, sour cream and onion bunnies

Strawberries

Grilled brie and avocado sandwiches  

 

 Yum!

-Ashley