Choosing To Make Healthy Choices

Well, it is day five of my diet! Gosh, I really cannot stand that word...so I am going to call it..."Choosing to make healthy choices". I am doing well...but going through some of the typical stuff we go through when changing from bad eating habits to good. At times I feel pretty hungry...and sometimes I even feel a little nauseated. But that is only because normally I would nibble on something full of carbohydrates throughout the day. I am also having those pesky headaches...mostly likely because I have also reduced the amount of caffeine I consume daily. That was not really the plan at this point..but by the time I drink the water I am supposed to drink...plus what I am getting in the fruits and vegetables...I feel pretty hydrated. I have been told that sodas are basically like a poison to your body...I have no plans of giving up my cup of morning coffee or my diet coke. I am at the very least beginning to remember that there is a huge variety of other things available to drink.

The Jack Lalanne Power Juicer is everything he promised it would be. It has given me that little extra motivation that I needed to get started. Every afternoon for lunch I have 3 fruits and 3 vegetables. I have learned that the vegetables are much easier to drink if you mix them in with the fruits. Oddly enough...I have always liked vegetables much better than fruits....but both taste so much different when they are juiced. When I cook veggies...I generally use bacon, and/or butter and always SALT to cook them. Oh yes indeed I can cook some yummy veggies that are probably at least 300 calories a serving. Anyway...the only downside of the juicer that I have found so far is cleaning it. You can put some of the machine on the top rack of your dishwasher...but some parts need to be washed by hand. Don't get me wrong...its not a huge deal...but it is not like a blender that you can just run some water in it and let it sit in the sink until you are ready to do dishes. This machine is an investment...and you really need to take good care of it.

So my routine at this point is...every morning I have a bowl of Special K cereal, wheat toast and lite soy milk. Lunch is a glass of 3 fruits and 3 vegetables....which by the way is a pretty big serving once you juice it. Then we have a sensible dinner. Boneless baked chicken, pork chops, or fish, two more veggies, and a starch...such as a small potato or wild rice (no white rice). I am starting out slow with water...sipping on 48oz a day. As hot as it has been the last few days (heat index 104)...I have had no trouble drinking it and could probably even add a little more.
I haven't started exercising just yet. My son Caleb has offered to walk with me...and I intend to take him up on that offer...but I need to get better walking shoes first. I am also interested in the water aerobics that are being offered at our city pool. The point is...I know that becoming more active is a very important part of "Choosing To Make Healthy Choices".