Well, today was pretty much the same as yesterday. I relaxed on the couch or bed, had oatmeal for breakfast and leftover Mandarin Oriental chicken for lunch (with Annie’s mac ‘n cheese). My fever has left though! And now the cold has gone from my upper chest into a head cold. It’s still unpleasant but it’s getting better. I called out of work today too and just took it easy. I wouldn’t have wanted to drive in this weather either. Snow and freezing rain? Warm blanket and tea? Hmmm…
So, since my day was pretty boring I thought I’d write a little bit how I, personally, discovered clean eating.
Growing up, our cabinets were always filled with Gushers, Fruit Roll Ups, obnoxiously large blueberry muffins from BJ’s wholesale club and cookies. Needless to say, we were not very health conscious in our household. My parents eventually started eating healthy but I still wasn’t 100% on board with that. I liked my fast food, potato chips and pastries. When I was a freshman in high school, I was noticeably overweight. (I didn’t have a digital camera back then, so no pictures of me that far back).
At the beginning of my junior year my then boyfriend broke up with me and I went on a stress filled NON eating binge. Sometimes people eat and eat when they get stressed, but I couldn’t eat a thing. I don’t know the exact amount but I think I easily lost about 30 pounds. But that was from not eating at all.
Fast forward to college. I was relatively healthy my freshman and sophomore years. I was within a healthy weight range but I was eating pop tarts, sugary cereals and Domino’s pizza. Then the weight slowly started to creep back up on me. By my junior year, I was around 150-155 and my self esteem plummeted. I went to Mexico with school and what should have been a wonderful, fulfilling trip, ended up being miserable for me.
(Bottom left)
I just couldn’t get over how miserable I was with my weight gain. But it took me a few more years to actually get my butt in gear.
Senior year of college should have been the best year of college for me. I was living in a townhouse, only had 3 classes my last semester and I had great roommates who loved to have fun. But I was hardly into having fun. And it was all because of how I felt about myself. I wallowed in my own self pity and I rarely participated, if at all, in the fun.
(Third from the right)
(Second from the right)
For some parties, I put on a brave face but I was hurting inside. I just wasn’t happy with my life.
A few months after graduating college, I met my husband. He was active and I could barely get through 1/4 of a mile before getting winded. By October, I knew I had to change my habits. I weighed 160 pounds and my sweatpants were snug. I finally signed up for Weight Watchers and after 3 years, I finally reached my goal of losing 30 pounds. I was even 2 pounds away from being a lifetime member but then I started to realize “I don’t need a number to dictate how I feel! I had a fun, relaxing week and so what if I gained 2 pounds off of my goal weight? I feel good and my clothes feel good too.” It was then that I threw away my WW food, and from reading other blogs and happening upon an issue of Clean Eating Magazine, that I decided to finally eat food that would fuel my body, not fill it. Whenever I go to the grocery store, I shop the perimeter first and then go to the middle aisles if I need spices, Triscuits or bread. Sometimes I’ll even drive the extra distance to shop at Trader Joe’s (especially for their nut butters and frozen items).
Since starting on clean eating I have never felt better (except for this darn cold) and grocery shopping is actually fun for me because of all the fun produce I’ve been trying out lately and the new foods I’ve discovered (ie. Quinoa!)
Now, I also have to say that I am not the perfect clean eater either. I still enjoy Domino’s pizza (Hawaiian thin crust) and Edy’s ice cream. But those things come in small doses few and far between. I have finally found a balance that works for me.
Sometimes I wish I could go back to college with the knowledge and determination that I have now. But now I know to look forward to the future with optimism and hearty food. 
If you eat clean, what led you to it? And what are your favorite recipes??
{ 6 comments… read them below or add one }
It makes me think if perhaps my lack of weight loss is due to my eating habits and preservatives in the foods I eat. I’m going to check out this clean eating magazine. Maybe its a cause of all my migraines too…..
I love hearing your story. Although I’m not a “healthy living” blogger, I love food and try to enjoy food while living a healthy lifestyle!
Great story!
I don’t focus on eating clean specifically, but I tend to eat mostly clean. It just makes me feel good in general when I am eating “real” food most of the time.
I do try to eat clean, but not 100% of the time. I aim for a majority, but cutting out ALL processed food is hard for me and only makes me crave it more. As long as I eat plenty of fruits and veggies, I feel a lot better! I didn’t grow up eating particularly healthy either, so I really had no idea what it meant to eat clean until last year.
Yeah, if the majority of my diet is clean, I’m happy
I’m still working on attaining *true* clean eating – I’m actually starting a sugar detox on Sunday which hopefully will get me much closer! I started truly eating healthier a couple of years ago, and when I transitioned to a vegetarian diet last year I starting feeling a TON better – so hopefully working on reducing sugar intake will make me feel even better!