How To Start Eating Healthier
My daily lunch during middle and high school was pizza or fries with a can of coke. In college, I ate occasional fries and no coke – I had developed my acidity issues back then – but you would find me in the cafeteria looking for Doritos in the vending machine. When I reached university, I was fumbling with frozen meals in an apartment away from home after cooking the most awful rice anyone could have ever made. The only relief from such meals was when I headed home to pick up my mom’s cooking for the week ahead. I had begun to eliminate my daily food addictions at this point and started to do minor exercises in the apartment with my roommate. I remember going into a college gym with one of my friends and feeling self conscious in my newly-worn hijab, I did not return again. (Someone please slap me, tell me “IT’S FREE”, and shove me in a workout class kthxbye).
It was then in my early twenties that my habits (and stress) caught up to me with a weight gain of nearly 25 pounds. I still remember when it hit me: my sister was in town and I was standing in front of my dining room table and someone took a photo. I don’t remember who took it, or why that photo was taken, only that I did not recognize who I saw. It was a very unflattering shot that shook me in ways that I am extremely grateful for today.
Now that I am over 30, my life has changed drastically since then. I eat almost only whole foods, clean ingredients, and focus on adding nutrition into my diet to the best of my ability. The process from that 20-something girl to a 31-year old married woman is a long one but it required lots of physical and mental changes. Here are a few steps that I took during my initial weight loss/health journey and also during my current post-Hashimoto’s diagnoses life to help me make the necessary life transitions.
1. Find out the “Why”.
In the beginning of my journey during my university years, there was no one who accompanied me on the health journey. Come to think of it, I am still trudging along on my own in my recent dietary changes. The only reason why I am able to keep myself motivated and accountable is because I know my “Why.” Why did I decide to make these changes to begin with? After seeing myself in the photo larger than I had ever been, I began to notice myself huffing and puffing while going up the flight of stairs in our home. This made me realize how much my heart is suffering due to me choosing to live a unhealthy life. At that time, I decided that I wanted to travel with my future husband to see the world and play with my future children in the backyard without being tired, worn out, and being unable to do a step because of a strained heart. The life I wanted required energy, health, and happiness while the life I was heading towards was in the completely wrong direction. I made the intention then and there, and I started popping in DVDs at home and working out regularly. In about a year and half, I had successfully dropped 25 pounds and maintained a healthy weight.
Just last year when I had to make additional dietary changes, I realized my “why” changed but only a little. At that point, I had been living a fairly healthy life for about 8 years, had signed up with the Tone it Up meal plan, and was continuing to work out on and off. When the Hashimoto’s diagnosis hit me, I searched for something that made sense, something that I could control while not having any control over the disorder. I thought of my husband and of my future: I don’t want to live a life bogged down with health issues. I want to travel the world, work in the garden, and continue to tend to my pets. That required me to choose difficult pathways of dietary restrictions that will help me live the life I want, not the one I had. But that pathway was not unwanted by me because the end result was worth it. Finding out your “why” is crucial because that is what helps you push away your food vice and choose healthy choices over and over again.
2. Eliminate AND Replace
After finding out the reason for your changes, it is time to make them. I believe that there are different pitfalls that many end up in while making those changes. The first one is in regards to eliminating and not finding a suitable replacement. How many times have you heard people say that “I am not going to eat pizza for dinner, but I will have salad instead” as their proud proclamation of a healthy beginning? Can you think of a salad you ate that actually filled you like a proper meal would? I don’t mean to knock on salads but there are quite a few things you can eat to replace a heavy meal. A pizza can be replaced with seafood and a vegetable side dish, or a grilled chicken with brown rice, or a stirfry with quinoa, or a steak with healthy fat-laden salad. I can sit here and come up with quite a few options for a healthy, satisfying meal, without starving yourself with just lettuce and tomatoes out of a bag.
Second thing that people forget to replace properly is their thought process. When I looked in the photo earlier, I felt unattractive. I was upset with the way my clothes fit and I would berate myself for it. That thought process had to change for me to challenge my body and make progress. I had to start to love myself more. To exercise not as a form of punishment, but rather as an act of self love. To not become frustrated with my lack of lunges, but rather appreciate my body for doing one more than yesterday.
Lastly, some people only eliminate and not replace at all. They fall in the trap of eating less to lose weight and that takes them towards a dangerous path of disordered eating. While there will be constantly temptations out there that will call you towards your previous behaviors, it would only be of benefit if you already have a replacement at hand.
3. Plan to Win
Dreams are only dreams unless you work to make them a reality. While making my post-hashimoto’s dietary changes, I struggled a lot with finding a way to replace the things I was eliminating. If I did not plan a meal for the day, then I was left starving and unable to fulfill my body’s needs. It was a frustrating process that took some getting used to. I was blessed to have found Real Plans as my tool for meal planning or else I was hitting many roadblocks along the way.
I think it is important to meal plan for the days ahead. I like to think of the vegetables I will be cooking for the week as side dishes, then plan for the main proteins, and choose only healthy snacks along the way. There are quite a few meal planning resources out there, including blogs and cookbooks, which provide great guidelines for healthy meals. Find one that works with your goals and teaches you the skills you need to propel forward towards making permanent changes.
4. Be Consistent
It is only human to make mistakes but it is an injustice on the self to give up as a result of doing so. Throughout my health journey, I have made lots of mistakes. There are days (and weeks) where I have not done a workout, where I found myself taking an extra scoop of that ice cream, or choosing a bigger piece of that bread. I am here to tell you that it’s okay if you find yourself doing so. The only condition on that allowance is if you promise and make necessary changes to not do it again tomorrow. Consistency requires sacrifice, conviction, and a clear end goal. Work towards having those insha’Allah and soon your healthy choices will become healthy habits.
