The Evolution of a Thinner Me

So Phase I is over and I joyously have managed to get rid of 6 lbs of me… not to mention getting rid of almost 18 years of smoking! Well, not entirely getting rid of nicotene, but at least getting rid of paying a ridiculous amount of money for cigarettes, getting rid of inhaling junk and exhaling my life away… So now that I KNOW I have the ability to lose weight (hooray!), I am now motivated to keep the ball rolling and it’s rolling me into Phase II…

Essentially, Phase II consists of eliminating 6 foods from your diet. So easy. C’mon, SIX foods? How hard could that be? Well, considering that my favorite foods were FRIED or ordered through a drive-through, it’s a bit complicated but certainly not impossible   Remember, I am now a Master of My Life, so I, Super Cecilia, can do anything!!

So what are we getting rid of for Phase II besides another 6 lbs??

1. Soda, or what I know it as, POP. That’s easy for me, considering I really don’t drink it as often as I thought I did. Any carbonated drink really is part of the elimination. I was addicted to a particular brand of a carbonated energy drink, but now that I’ve quit smoking, I no longer drink it. I miss them (both the energy drink and my cigarettes were my morning combo meal) but apparently… I can live without it. Although there are times when I do dream and crave for that cold, bubbling beverage on ice… running down my throat like an icy river… I can just envision it in my head (advertising REALLY does work because I’m replaying a commercial in my head)… I can do without it, or at least for for the duration of Phase II. I will now consider pop a TREAT for myself

2. Foods that contain TRANS FATS. What are trans fats? “Trans fats are created by adding hydrogen to vegetable oil, a process that solidifies the oil and makes it more stable.  This process is called partial hydrogenation & partially hydrogenated vegetable oils are the ingredients on the label that’s going to tell you whether or not a food contains trans fats.” Ok, I didn’t know exactly myself, so I referred to the good ole BLD book.  Wow, well pretty much everything I ate pretty much fell under this category. Ramen noodles? Hello, those are cheap and tasty and remind me of my childhood! Chips? What else am I going to use my change for besides toll and laundry? The vending machine was my best friend… it never commented me on what I ate. Dang. So, fotunately enough, food manufacturers are now changing ingredients and am marketing their products to note “0 Trans Fats” - it’s apparently the new black this season.

3. Fried Foods.  Are you kidding me? I love fried chicken (especially the breading, it’s like candy), fried calamari, fried shrimp, french fries, chicken fried steak, fried apple pies (which the golden arches do not make anymore, but they still do in the U.K.!), fried bacon (oh my weakness), fried fish (ok, I don’t really dig fish all that much but if it’s breaded and fried, I’ll take it), fried vegetables (tempura, yum!)… you get the gist… pretty much throw breading batter on anything and fry that bad boy up in hot vegetable oil and I’ll eat it!! But now… the key words are “grilled” or “baked.” Boring, boring, boring!! BUT… I am graciously learning to like them. I find that turkey bacon as an alternative to the REAL THING, is really good (not the best, but the best for now!), grilled chicken is just as tasty as fried and a baked apple pie is the way to go! And I feel better after eating them… not so heavy and bogged down like it is with fried foods… but man talk about instant gratification… Anything Fried and a big red circle and slash on it should be on a shirt… Hmmmm… in fact…

4. White Bread. Ho-hum. There is nothing like freshly baked white bread. Or even freshly bought white bread that sits on the grocery shelf. There’s nothing like it. Soft, tasty and it reminds me of growing up. Peanut butter and jelly on whole wheat bread does not register on my memory list.  But apparently, white bread is evil and should be avoided at all costs. I don’t mind whole wheat bread at all. In fact, I embrace it now, considering there are about 1,000 varieties of whole wheat bread on the market. Have it multi-grain, with oats, sugar-free, with uber fiber, you name it, they’ve got it. But my problem is, I can never finish a whole loaf! I’ll buy it, eat about 6-8 slices and then it sits there. It doesn’t call me to it, I have to learn to like it. Where as white bread… shoot, I can finish that loaf in two days! So, I don’t buy it at the grocery store too often, but I definitely opt for it when I go out for lunch or dinner.

5. Regular Pasta. Ok, this ties in with the white bread concept and for me, being Filipina, this includes white rice. I was RAISED on white rice. White rice is like family to me. It’s the Filipino equivilant to white bread or regular pasta. It’s the best thing that I can cook!! We eat white rice with just about everything! So this will be a challenge for me when I go to my mom’s house or when I go to family parties.  So I guess I will have to throw my own whole wheat bread loaf in my purse next time I go to a family function. LOL. Brown rice is the alternative and it’s not that bad… it’s NOT the same as it’s esteemed famous rival, white rice… but it will do! Now about pasta… I LOVE pasta so now when I do go out and pasta is on the menu, I’ll be sure to inquire about whole wheat pasta as an option.  Whole wheat pasta really isn’t that bad. I’ve made it once or twice at home and it tastes just as divine.

6. High-fat Dairy Products. Again, everything stems back to how I was raised. We always drank 2% milk and I thought that was fine… oh so fine. We rarely drank the “red” stuff, because 2% seemed much more healthier. Well apparently, it’s not! I mean I know we aren’t going to die from it, but compare 122 calories to 83 calories and I’ll take what’s behind the baby blue door, thankyouverymuch. And I love it. I switched to SKIM milk (also, it rhymes with SLIM - wink, wink) and I love it. Not bad at all.

Portion control is also part of the second phase. I’m already aware of this. I try to not eat with my eyes anymore and try to eat with my mind. I actually try to think “ahead” when I’m preparing foods or getting ready to order something. I think, “Do I really need THAT much? How am I going to feel afterwards? Am I going to finish the whole thing?” Yes, I talk to myself, sometimes out loud, and I try to reason with myself. I even use a smaller plate when I’m at home. A few people have suggested that to me and it works! Ah, it’s all in our heads people… all in our heads…

So those are the goals for Phase II. I’ve already started on some of them but am now more conscious about everything moving forward.  I’ve already eliminated fried foods (ok, except for that one night when I had tempura shrimp), I don’t drink pop (even though that mental image makes me salivate), I switched to skim milk (so good, so good!), I’m opting for whole wheat breads (it’s not on a daily basis though, I’m working on that) & white rice and pasta are the enemy (even though in secret, they are my best friends) and I’m armed with a slimmer and healthier mentality. Bam. All said and done. My Best Life is just around the corner from me.

Til Tuesday…

~ cecilia