We Are What We Eat

The older I get, the more I realize that I have been going about weight loss all wrong.  Our society has been trained to think that calories-in vs. calories-out is the only way to lose weight.  I'm not saying that the idea behind this is wrong, but think about it for a minute.  Yes, restricting calories and increasing exercise will most always result in weight loss.  But I think we've been going about it all wrong.  From an early age, I was pretty much brainwashed into thinking that "diet food" was the way to go.  Commercials and ads can be very convincing.  They convince us that it's okay to drink soda....as long it's diet.  That you can go grocery shopping and as long as it says "sugar free" or "light", it's okay.  It's low calorie and that's all that matters, right?  No.  We've traded in good, healthy nutritious foods for chemically altered "diet food".  No matter how much weight we lose by consuming these foods, are we really doing our bodies any good in the long run?  I'm not an expert in nutrition, but it doesn't take one to realize that our nation consumes WAY too much sugar, WAY too much artificial sweeteners, and WAY too much processed and chemically altered food.  And, for the most part, we think it's okay.  It's convenient and it's cheap.  If I looked like the food I ate, I would have a Doritos bag as my body, a donut for a head, pasta noodles for arms and legs (and not the thin noodles...the thickest noodles out there), and biscuits for boobies. Sounds funny, but it's true.  We are what we eat.  I eat crappy food and most of the time, I feel crappy. 

I've done everything from Low Carb to Weight Watchers and I've had success with both.  Temporary success, that is.  We get in our minds that the numbers are the only thing that matters.  While it works for a while, who wants to be counting calories and measuring their food for the rest of their life?  Not me.  I think we should focusing LESS on the numbers and MORE on the quality of food we put in our bodies and amount of physical activity in our daily lives.  Sounds simple, but it's hard to do. 

I've been dabbling with the idea of doing a detox for a while now and I've made up my mind that I'm going to do it.  Although I would love to do a full-on juice detox (juice made from my own juicer of fresh organic fruits and vegetables only), I'm not going to go that hardcore yet.  My plan is do 2-3 juices per day, but also eat some organic vegetables and fruit throughout the day as well.  I plan to do it for at least 10 days and I plan to do daily blog updates during this.  After the detox, I plan to eat as clean as I possibly can.  I also plan to start some sort of training....not exactly sure what, yet.  I'm still trying to decide what I want to work towards.  Eat clean, train dirty. 

I'm not going to start the detox until May 20th.  I have 3-4 events that I have to go to next week (all including meals) and I want to make sure I start this with a clear schedule so I can focus all my energy and attention on the detox. 

It's going to be hard.  But I'm hoping the benefits will far outweigh the hardships and frustration through this.  I'm hoping to get migraine/headache relief.  I'm hoping to get more energy. I'm hoping I will be able to get off my BP medicine. I'm hoping to get a jump start on migrating to a TRUE healthy lifestyle. 

This week along, I've had 4 really bad headaches.  Chronic headaches are for the birds.  I can't take it anymore.  So as I approach this, I would appreciate your thoughts, prayers, and support.  I am dying for change in my life and I desperately need to make it. 

Food for thought:  If you had to describe yourself only by the foods you most often eat....what would you look like?  Are you happy with that description?