The title is directed at me. I am sure that you enjoy a nice healthy meal and you eat veggies and fruits for between-meal snacks. Me? I eat crap. A lot. I have no self-control when it comes to eating. Just in case you think I am exaggerating, here’s a rundown of yesterday’s intake:
- Breakfast – chocolate Donettes and Diet Pepsi
- Snack (for the drive to Owensboro) – Twix and Diet Pepsi
- Lunch – O’Charley’s – Shared an appetizer with Addison – chicken strips, potato skins, and fried cheese wedges (it was awesome!)
- Snack – Cheez-its
- Supper – Peanut butter and jelly
- Snack – more Cheez-its
Do you see one healthy item on that list? The thing is, I know that I need to eat better. When I go for a run, I can immediately tell that I have eaten crap all day, and that I have chosen my beloved soft drinks over water. I feel heavy and yucky. I ran five miles last night, but it never really felt good because of what I had put in my body all day. After my run, I decided ‘No more!’ I was going to do better. I would make better food choices so that when I run or do Zumba, I actually feel good. I will eat better so I can help others, especially my family and my students, live a healthier lifestyle.
I have to drop Addison off at the high school at 7:30 in the morning on my way to teach summer school. Rather than get up ten minutes earlier so I can eat something at home, I have gotten in the bad habit of running in the convenience store that is located – conveniently – across from the high school. I am in there daily. This morning I made my stop, bought a Diet Pepsi and …Poptarts! I could not even make it until 8:00 am before I was ingesting crap. I can justify anything; I needed breakfast, and I would do better the rest of the day. I had to run in the grocery store to get some milk after school, so I also bought a bag of Baked Lays. Again, I justified this purchase because they are better for me than real potato chips. So, lunch consisted of a turkey and cheese sandwich (not bad), and Baked Lays (could be worse). I also had a 20 oz Diet Pepsi and a Diet Mt Dew today. Suffice it to say, when I went out to do a 3 miler while Addison was at her tennis lesson, I felt every single baked potato chip. So what was next? I had to get gas at my favorite convenience store, and I bought chocolate milk rather than a soft drink (baby steps), and animal crackers, which are low fat (darn, I am good at justifying my rotten habits). Yesterday I actually apologized to the clerk at the store for being in there buying junk all the time.
Addison just texted me to see if I wanted to go to Zumba tonight. How could I say no? After putting all of this down for the world to read, I feel guilty. I will go to Zumba; I will work extra hard; and I will work off those stinkin’ baked Lays. The question is…what will I do tomorrow? How can I change my eating habits? What will cause me to make that change once and for all? I KNOW what is good for me. I KNOW what I should be eating. I don’t eat because of some underlying issue. I eat crap because it tastes good. It’s as simple as that. I would much prefer a bacon cheeseburger and fries over a salad with vinegar. Fruit or cake? Give me the cake. Perhaps I should make it my summer mission to find healthier versions of some of my favorite foods. But then I would have to cook.
The fact is, I want to run better, and in order to do that, I will have to eat better. I am also supposed to start teaching Zumba classes as soon as I have my choreography prepared, and I can’t exactly teach fitness classes when I eat crap. That would make me a hypocrite. Starting right now, as I type these final words, I am going to promise you that I will try harder. I will work to bypass the candy isle; I will eat breakfast at home; and I will drink more water. What about you? How are your eating habits? Are you proud of how you eat? Do you have advice for me? Do you have some tasty recipes to share? If so, leave a comment. Help me out, People!
Grandma Runs! 
3 responses to “Stop Eating Crap!”
I hear you! I ami trying to eat clean, but am eating my fair share of crap. I find it helps to be prepared. I try to pick my dinners for the week, have the recipes handy and build my grocery list. If I have everything on hand, I find I enjoy the process of cooking and trying new recipes. One bonus…when I take the time to make a good and healthy dinner, there are usually enough leftovers that I’ve got a nutritious and delicious lunch the next day as well. I have a date with my cookbooks and clean eating magazines tomorrow night!
Kudos to you for all the small changes you have made! Switching from regular soda to diet and regular chips to baked are HUGE changes. The best thing I have found is to keep making small changes, don’t try and change all your meals at once to eat healthier. Maybe, one week you can start by eating a healthy breakfast and adding some fruit somewhere in your day. Then, week 2 tackle other meals or other changes.
Exercise and proper nutrition go hand in hand and with the proper food balance you will be getting adequate nutrients and will make you feel stronger on your runs or your workouts. You have to play around with meals and healthy options and find what you think tastes good. There are numerous meals out there that do not require a lot of cooking time and they still taste good. My suggestion is to start trying to eat a well balanced breakfast meaning it has at least 3 food groups and also has vitamins or minerals in it. Some ideas are:
Smoothie- Low-fat yogurt, little bit of orange juice and any frozen fruit you want.
½ bagel- More fiber and nutrients then a pop-tart and you can add any 1tsp of cream cheese on it! You can also have this with some fruit and a glass of milk and you are good to go!
Hard boiled eggs- Easy to grab and go. 1 egg and eat 2 egg white and take along an apple with you.
These are just some tips, if you have any more questions I would be happy to help! Keep up the good work, change happens one step at a time!!
Just finished your book….. loved it.. Small changes will get you to healthier eating ….this is the ideal time of year to get more fresh produce into hour diet….don’t beat yourself up …one meal at a time…you can to it…