to nom, or not to nom?

Now, I'm no health advisor or anything, but I really wanted to make a post about dieting and a healthy lifestyle. THIS IS ALL MY FAMILY'S OWN EXPERIENCES THAT WORKED FOR US. For the past two or three years I've been changing my lifestyle because I felt that I was very unhealthy. My weight was about 120 lbs. or so. It was a difficult beginning, but now I really feel so much better and healthier! And the secret is in the foods! Yes, exercise helps, but guys- what you eat truly matters. Changing your diet will help tremendously. Maybe even more than exercising. It's not easy, but it's not a difficult challenge.

My Journey: I started my journey by doing a detox. My family does this certain detox every summer. It's an all vegan detox for 21 days. As a carnivore, I definitely did not want to do it. The first week was all veggies with no flavor. I basically threw a fit :P But then I got used to it, and started enjoying veggies. As we did this detox, we drank shiitake tea, seaweed tea, and carrot with daikon tea. And yes, they tasted like poop. I lost a lot of weight after 21 days. I believe I lost 20 lbs. During this time, I did marching band so I had some sort of exercise. My body got so used to eating vegan or vegetarian, that my taste for burgers or any type of fast food started disappearing. To this day, I am not a fan of food that I or my family didn't make. If I eat anything from a fast food joint, I start having stomachaches. And for the ladies, make sure you keep your bodies healthy. Before I changed my diet, I used to get bad cramps during my time of the month. Afterwards, it all went away!

Drinks: In our family, we don't drink soda or milk (unless it's almond, soy, or skim). We make our own tea, smoothies, but we do have our occasional coffee or jamba juice. Though, my stomach hates me afterwards! Water is a key part to losing weight. You might have heard the whole drink a whole glass before and after eating. Which is very true. Another thing you can drink, BUT ONLY DURING BREAKFAST AND/OR LUNCH, is skim milk. I've been following a one week diet and it consisted of drinking a whole lot of skim milk. Another drink that helps lose weight is green tea! Green tea is super helpful. We drink it before we eat dinner, during, and after dinner. HOT green tea helps burn the fat! I also drink hot tea after I work out, and make sure that it is GREEN TEA! Another one that helps is a concoction of hot water, cinnamon, and honey. Cinnamon helps you lose weight!

Portion Control: Learning how to create a proportioned meal is a big deal. Using a smaller plate or bowl than your usual dinnerware will help. Or if you don't want to do that, just learn to adjust the amount of food you consume every meal! And make sure you are eating at least 3 meals a day! Do not starve yourself! Noooo. Your body will hate you for that!! It will start to think you're starving yourself, therefore it will store even more fat in order to sustain health! Eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner; but also snack! During my high school days, I ate a light breakfast because I tend to get sick in the morning, so I usually eat maybe toast and a fruit. Then I'd snack some almonds until lunchtime.

Organic Foods: Organic foods are healthy right?! all teas are healthy right?! Noooope! Just because it says organic DOES NOT MEAN IT IS!!! Check your ingredients guys!!! Don't be fooled! I always check ingredients before I buy food. High fructose and corn syrup does not sound healthy. Now, I'm a sucker for Tazo Tea, but make sure not to drink those every day! Despite it's deliciousness, it's still high on sugar. Make your own tea and have a Tazo or Arizona every once in a while! My parents and I make our own smoothies just like jamba juice does and we also make our own tea. My current favorite tea is the Jamaica/Gumamela tea that my mom makes. It's literally a bunch of dried flowers, boiled, and we mix honey or sugar and it tastes amazing! Anyway, truly organic food shouldn't last thaaat long on the shelf right? what in the hooting hooty did they use to preserve the product? hmmm... think about it.

What to eat: Eat a lot of greens. Eating a variety of vegetables will increase your health! And it's a good source of fiber! That means you're probably going to poop a lot, but hey... that means it's working. Pooping everyday is healthy. Pooping once a week or less is just not good... For snacks, eat a fruit. Put that potato chip down!!! Eat some almonds! For breakfast, instead of making scrambled eggs, try boiling an egg and eat a whole wheat bread! In our house, we make our own bread and it tastes way better than the store bought ones. I highly suggest investing for a bread machine! For dinner, try baking a skinless chicken or maybe a skinless fish with some steamed veggies!!! maybe have some rice! Start paying attention to what you buy, but of course you can also have your indulgences once in a while!

The key to losing weight is just changing your diet. I am currently 97 lbs and I feel so much healthier. Start researching for books and methods on how to live a healthier lifestyle! The only thing that's stopping you is yourself.