A Challenge to Myself

It's been over two years since I first set out with the goal to lose some weight and learn about eating healthy. The scale had tipped 130 and I felt disgusting. To some that may sounds ridiculous, but for me--- I had let myself go, I felt crappy, my pants weren't fitting and my face was chubby. I had to do something about it. You can read about the beginning of this journey here when I was first started to learn about making better choices.

In those 2+ years I have read books like Skinny Bitch, The Omnivore's Dilemma, Crazy, Sexy, Diet and The Kind Diet. I've watched documentaries such as Forks Over Knives, Fat,Sick & Nearly Dead, Food Matters and Food Inc. Guess what? They all tell you the same things! And that tells me this isn't a bunch of bullshit---we are killing ourselves with the food we put in our bodies. Milk, eggs and meat aren't of the same quality they once were when our parents and grandparents were growing up. You may not buy into the thinking of Forks Over Knives; that animal protein is bad for us. But, it's hard to argue that the hormones, antibiotics and other disgusting things found in our food mentioned in these books and documentaries are a good idea to put in our bodies! Not to mention the appalling and cruel ways animals are treated almost all of the time.

So far, educating myself has been a roller coaster. Most times when I was reading one of the aforementioned books I would make better choices. All of the information was in my face and it was hard to eat a burger or taco after reading about what ends up in our meat. But then, I'd finish the book, time would go on, and the info would lose it's "top of mind" status. I've tried to share this information with the people I love, not to start arguments or preach to them, but to at least make them aware there is information out there they should be aware of. I've always been able to acknowledge that even though I was sharing/discussing this information, I haven't made any permanent changes.

Can I say I will never eat pizza, my favorite chicken dishes or a perfectly seasoned aged steak again? Not right now. But something has changed for me after reading The Kind Diet. The description of animal cruelty that occurs everyday really got to me, to the point I had tears falling down my face and it felt painful to continue reading. I've read this stuff before but the way this book was written, it struck me big time. Obviously the reminder of the conditions in which these animals live, the filth, disease and drugs that end up in our food was influential as well.

Right now, the thought of eating meat disgusts me, so I am challenging myself to eliminate meat from my diet over the next four weeks. I'm not going to put the pressure on myself to give up dairy too, I already don't each much dairy and think I need to allow myself to eat pizza while I go through this. Maybe down the road I will eliminate dairy as well, but for now I'm happy with going meatless to start.

My goal is to write about this journey everyday. Something consistent throughout these books is the four week timeline. They all say within those four weeks you will really start to notice changes in your energy, skin, sleeping habits and how you feel overall. Writing about it will document my progress and help keep me accountable. We'll see where I am at the end of these four weeks.

Spring is about rejuvenation, cleansing, new life, and being open. My challenge to myself will start on the first day of Spring. What better time to start?

Are you trying to make changes like this too? Do you have books or documentaries you recommend? If you've already started a journey like this what have been your greatest challenges? I'm interested in hearing your thoughts!