Two years ago, I went with all natural foods. There were some minimally processed items, but most of it was completely natural. Here is what I learned from that experience:
- It is a tough routine to maintain.
- It does not cost any more money. In fact, it likely saves money because there is less dining out.
- It pays off in health dividends big time.
When I ate naturally,
- I lost weight.
- My blood pressure went down.
- My joints did not hurt as much.
- I felt better, and I had more energy.
I worked hard to keep my calories around 1500 per day and I tried to exercise, mostly by riding my bike, several times per week.
But, I fell off the wagon. I am in a rut right now. I do not want anything healthy to eat at all. I just want junk. What is up with that? As a result, I am gaining the weight back. I do not have the energy I had. My joints hurt again.
So, as a consolation prize, we had Chinese food last night. It is a great option if you want to die early. There is nothing healthy about it at all. It tastes good when you eat it, but I always wake up hungrier when I eat Chinese food. And now, we have leftover Chinese in the fridge to eat. It costs too much money to throw away.
I decided I will eat it. But the least I can do is modify my diet for the rest of the day. I can eat healthy foods around it and with it to keep my calories under my 1,500-calorie mark so I can lose this extra weight. The race continues. You do not give up. You simply modify your pace for the day, arrange your healthy whole foods around the hurdles, and keep moving forward to achieve your goal.
To see exactly what this looks like in practice, check out my very first daily entry on my natural food journey, where I show you how I engineered my meals around a hurdle of Chinese takeaway. Read the August 8 Food Blueprint.