"Lifestyle Change" in the Real World

Though we had a rough start, we had a lot of laughter in this week's podcast. We hope you enjoy it!

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When I took the plunge into 21 Day Fix land back in November, I did so heartily declaring it was not a diet, but rather a lifestyle change. I wasn't doing some temporary solution that I would proceed to undo a few months down the road. I was going to teach myself new habits and learn new ways of eating and working out and there would be no going back.

This I declared.

And for the first round of the Fix, I pretty much never left home. I stayed firmly fixed inside the safe, veggie-laden walls of  my house and refused to step foot outside where temptations loomed. As time has progressed, I've gotten braver. I've allowed myself the freedom of going out more and seeing how I do when decision making time hits. I just finished the third round of the Fix, and I'm down a total of 17 pounds from where I was on November 30th. {happy dance!!}

I'm in the middle of a couple of "off" weeks before picking back up with a new workout series, and I wanted to check back in to tell you a little handful of things I've learned that help me exist safely in "the real world" of buffets and burger joints.

* Become one with the allotted containers. One of the things the 21 Day Fix approach teaches you is portion control and how many portions of different kinds of food you should have each day. When I first began, I leaned heavily on my paper crutch of allotments for each day. Going out scared me, because I had scripted what I should have at that meal, and what if the place I was going didn't serve that? I've learned to approach each "out" meal by taking with me a mental note of what kinds of foods I have left to play with and then seeing what on the menu comes closest to that. For example: I went out earlier this week with a friend and told myself I could have two veggies, a protein and a carb. And I managed to find that in the options before me. It didn't look like what I would have eaten at home, but it still fit the bill and kept me on track. The farther into the process I get, the easier it is to keep mental track of what I've already consumed and what I have left to eat.

* Refuse to think of it as denial and instead, think of it as an exchange. Ryan and I went to Red Robin on a date last week, just two days before my final weigh-in. You should know that Red Robin is one of my most favorite places on the planet, and my mouth waters just writing about it. Those juicy burgers, those bottomless fries: sigh. Be still my heart. But kudos to Red Robin for providing tasty alternatives to those trying to do better. That night I was able to get a turkey burger on a lettuce bun {saved the carb entirely!!} with bottomless broccoli. Now. I will tell you with all certainty that broccoli is NOT as fun as fries. Not by a long shot. But I had fun ordering my second bowl of it {there were like four pieces per bowl, so don't get all congratulatory on me here...I wasn't that good} and feeling like I got to participate in the bottomless party, even though mine was steamed broccoli instead of fries. And we went to a bakery after, where Ryan got a cookie, and I chose Greek yogurt with almonds. Instead of mourning the cookie, I was excited they had a yogurt option. When I reframed my thinking, the eating out was much more fun.

* Don't be afraid to stalk nutrition info. One day I had a completely unexpected lunch out with a friend. We'd spent the morning shopping and I figured we would be done long before lunch. While I was excited to have extra time with her, I was not mentally prepared for a meal out. We ate at Wendy's, which was a place I'd not gone since starting the Fix. So while we were in line, I pulled up their nutritional info on my phone so I could make an informed decision. I ended up getting a salad, and I ordered the half portion. Saved me money and made sure I didn't eat too much. The salad I ordered was not the one I had guessed in my head would be the healthiest, which is why the nutrition info was helpful!

* Celebrate the little good choices. On my "off" weeks, Ryan and I allow ourselves one good, old-fashioned treat meal. This past weekend, we ordered a pizza. We used to order pizzas every Friday night, but we'd not had one since around Christmas. I think I sniffed the daylights out of it all the way home. While regular pizza is not a healthy, clean-eating choice, I did make good choices that night. We did not order breadsticks or garlic knots on the side {we always did that}, I chose two of the smallest pieces {nothing is ever cut evenly}, I did not go back for seconds, and I drank water instead of pop {we always have pop with pizza}. So when I think about what I did accomplish, it allowed me to enjoy every last bite of that pizza.

* Make healthier treats. Even when I'm "off" and not being as strict about following the plan, I don't bake up a huge batch of brownies or buy ice cream to keep in the freezer. I make granola and protein snacks and keep them for my extra treats, and I love the way they fill me up even more than a cupcake does. And then on the days when I have an actual cupcake treat, I appreciate it even more.

So this is how I'm learning to make a healthier eating plan pay off in the real world. I still have work ahead of me in weight loss and fully embracing this new way of thinking, but I've achieved a mighty fine start.