Better food tastes better...

I was going to title this post "Good food tastes better..." but I rebel at the idea of labeling things "good food" versus "bad food". Food is food - it all boils down to calories that we take in and burn off (or don't). So, I'll choose "better" food to describe these, which I made for dinner tonight. Seriously - NOM NOM NOM. They are so very good, and there's plenty left for lunch tomorrow. NOM!! :) Put fresh ingredients into simple combinations, and NOM. :) Better food really does taste better.

I sat down last night with the weekly ads from Fareway and Hy-Vee, and planned out dinners for the week and made the shopping lists. The ads, plus some trusty resources on the Interwebs, gave me enough ideas to put together healthy meals for the whole week. I signed up for Weight Watchers Online again, and am using their handy recipe finder for ideas.

I've done a lot of thinking (if only thinking could substitute for weight-lifting - if it did, I would be RIPPED!) the past few weeks about why it's been so challenging for me to stick with my eating and exercise plans. And I think I've come to a conclusion: While my Farrell's Bodyshaping experience last summer was fantastic, and taught me so much about what my body was really capable of doing, it's a challenge for me to keep at it long-term. Farrell's is pretty much all or nothing, and that's great, because it's only 10 weeks. I can do anything for 10 weeks, and I did. And it worked. But can I do it that hard-core for the next 10 (or 20 or 30 or 40 or 50) years (Lord willing!)? That's the prospect I found daunting, and why I chose to go back to Weight Watchers.

When I was the thinnest I've ever been (those three glorious weeks in 2001 when I was a size 10) it was because of Weight Watchers. I like the plan, I like the flexibility, and I like the idea of not having to wait until a weekly "free day" to have Swedish Fish (don't judge me). But regardless of what plan I (or you) choose to follow, I have to remain committed and accountable. So what if I blow it and eat the entire container of Swedish Fish, and chase it with a margarita and a tub of Ben & Jerry's? That may be completely acceptable, if I have the calories left to do it and I account for it. Is it a smart idea? Nope. But it's acceptable, and that's all I need right now.

In so many areas of my life lately, I believe God is making slow, small changes that are going to last a lifetime. I want a healthy lifestyle to be one of them, and if slow, small changes are the way to get there, then here we go.