It's a journey, not a destination

Once your metabolism de-friends you, like an ex on facebook, it's time to figure out a new way of living.  When I was younger, I could eat whatever and exercise whenever I felt like it.  I would maintain my size 6 pant size and I honestly didn't know what cellulite looked like.

But then mean and dirty thirty entered the party and dropped a bomb.  A bomb so catastrophic it required me to completely revamp my approach to eating and exercising.  My milk shake did not bring all the boys to the yard.  Quite the opposite.  My milk shake stayed on my thighs and butt and even started to take form in my face!  It wasn't pretty.  

I was looking for a quick solution to shedding some unwanted baggage.  I read 'Skinny Bitch' about four years ago and became convinced I should be a vegan.  Sure I dropped the weight, but I was only eating grass, or so it seemed.  My meat eating partner was restricted by my diet, too.  We had just met and it was very hard for me to go out to eat, which is usually the only thing new couples do.  It was a very difficult way of living and I fell off the wagon a few months later.  

I decided to reincorporate dairy, months later, but still refrained from eating meat.  I quickly became a carb friendly vegetarian.  Instead of keeping the weight off, I was packing on the pounds!!!  This was due, in part, to justifying cheese pizza, french fries, beer, potatoes and pasta as part of my vegetarian diet.  Then I was introduced to Morning Star Farm products, which offer meat substitutions.  I was missing chicken fingers, bacon and burgers so I glommed onto this new option.  I thought I was being a savvy vegetarian.  I had it all wrong and after four years of eating fake food, I chowed down on chicken as if my life depended up on it.  So now I was a pudgy ex-vegetarian looking for a few good meals.

I never wanted to look like this poor woman, I just wanted to zip my jeans without breaking into a sweat. Was this so much to ask for?  Everyday I would wake up and freak out about what I was going to put into my mouth.  I wanted to be nourished and satiated.  What I learned, from a nutritionist, is that the human body needs normal food in order to be healthy.  I was loading myself up with over processed food.  And as a result I was unable to control the extra poundage.

My new motto is to eat food that will spoil if it sits on a shelf for longer than  a day or two.   I load myself up with a green smoothie each morning and only naturally occurring food.  I limit my red meat intake and I really watch what I consume.  I eat lots of nuts for snacks and make sure I don't starve myself because then I binge on carbs.

Every single 'diet' expert says the same damn thing....EAT FRUITS, VEGGIES AND DRINK LOTS OF WATER.  They also add that it should be coupled with some form of exercise.  Whether you can swing 3 hours or 30 minutes, you need to move your behind to get it back into your size ____ pants (fill in the blank).  For me, my natural size is a 6 and I'm trying to get back there.  It's a damn slow process and thanks to turning 30 it's taking me much longer than it used to.

My goal is to look like this....

There isn't an inch to pinch and she looks healthy!  This is Jennifer Anniston, who I think is amazing!  When I hit the gym I keep a visual in mind.  Her arms and legs are my motivation to keep running, stretching, lifting or swimming.  This is my journey, no longer just a destination.  This new way of life is one that I will maintain.  My journey is being a savvy foodie and my destination is a healthier way of life!