In October of last year, I decided to make some changes. I was tired of feeling tired all of the time and bloated because of things that I ate. When Liam and I went on our “Dominican Republic Baseball Adventure” for winter ball, I decided that that was the perfect time to cut out fast food and soda. Yep, me…. the girl that swears by soda and fast food. Everyone thought- “she won’t be able to do it”- including my husband. And you know what, I don’t blame them. I have been eating fast food for lunch and dinner for years. I also had this weird superstition that Liam would pitch terribly if I didn’t have a large fountain soda at every game. Every. Single. Game. Think about that for a minute. There are 162 baseball games in a season not including Spring Training or Playoffs. How that superstition even started is beyond me….. but I had it. I was ADDICTED to soda and fast food.
And guess how I cut them out? Cold turkey.
I honestly figured there was no other way. I knew that if I weaned myself off of these things, I would just end up making excuses to keep them around. Kind of like this: “Oh, tomorrow I will do better.” or “Nobody will know I had that for lunch.” and so forth. If I was really going to make a difference in how I felt, I had to do this cold turkey. Not for my husband, not for my family, not for other baseball wives or my other girlfriends. I needed to do this for myself- just me. I needed to feel better and prove to myself that I could make healthy decisions in unhealthy environments.
Now, I love my husband’s job and what an incredible adventure our lives have been because of it- but baseball stadiums are one of the most tempting places to be. Between hotdogs, beer, soda and cotton candy (and so much more)…. I have eaten it all- and all in one game. Now, think about it again- 162 games. How terrible am I eating? I was feeling bloated and so uncomfortable around everyone. I started wearing baggy clothes to hide my muffin top and jeans during the hot summer months outside. I was miserable! And truthfully, I did this to myself.
Once we got to the Dominican Republic, I started working out like crazy. My diet on the other hand wasn’t so great. Though I had cut out fast food and soda, I have never really been into latin seasonings and so forth. My diet consisted of fries, white rice, eggs, and toast pretty much at the start. Once I was there for a while, I started going to great restaurants thanks to an amazing baseball wife from the area, and I got more adventurous with my food choices. Either way though, I wasn’t eating as great as I could. Once we got home, I knew that I had the workout regime down but needed to get to work on the diet part. They always say “Abs are made in the Kitchen” anyhow.
And how did I get to work on my diet? A Food Journal.
I went online and googled a website that would tell me how many calories I need to maintain my weight and then how many calories I needed to lose weight within a healthy guideline. This website is www.freedieting.com and I encourage you all to try it out! It told me my numbers and then I started looking at the food I was eating and was shocked! I had no idea something so small had so many calories. This changed my perspective completely.
I started religiously recording everything that I put into my mouth. Every. Single. Thing. It has made a world of difference- and I am happy to say that from the end of the season until now, I am down 14 pounds! My clothes fit again! Now, I still have about 7 more pounds to lose but I realize this is a lifestyle change and not a diet- I’m in no hurry. From eating healthy meals, I am fuller longer and I sleep so much better. It’s incredible what a couple changes can do for you!
Here are some photos of my food journal. I know there are apps that you can track you food with but I need to write mine down. It’s more effective for me that way. Everyone is different- so choose what works best for you! I also include the exercise that I do that day at the bottom of the page to help me stay on track with that as well!
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Just a normal notebook will do! I love mine- keeps me motivated and who doesn’t love ‘Clueless’?!
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A day where I decided to have wine at a party- gotta record it! Also, the stir-fry was from scratch! Keeping this journal helps me eat healthy and I learn some amazing recipes along the way!
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Another normal entry. I still eat the things I like (pasta) but in moderation and the serving size!
If I can do it, anyone can do it! Motivation Monday signing off…
Photo Credits: The Swanky Paper Doll; lazytechguys.com (apple)