food glorious food!

I remember this one time I was eating a whoopee pie and DTMS asked for a bite.  Sheer panic went through my body at the thought of sharing and without warning I shoved the rest of that glorious whoopee into my mouth.  I love food.  A LOT.  So I knew even before starting 6Fit that my biggest obstacle would be changing my eating habits.  I was really going to have to embrace the 80/20 rule and that didn’t mean 80% French Fries and 20% pizza.  I needed to learn how to feed my body with the right things and the right sizes.  

I know myself though and the likelihood I was going to give up everything or make protein pancakes was slim to none.  So I took stock of what I needed in my food to make this work.  I narrowed it down to three things and they are: coffee, color, and flavor.  I also needed to be honest with myself.  I live in a house with a 2 year old, a 4 year old and a tall skinny dude.  Moderation was going to be my biggest lesson b/c there would be massive revolt if chicken fingers was never going to be an option again.

I realized that when made correctly and with garlic; eating veggies, fruits and lean proteins left me full and satisfied.  Eggs and fruit in the morning are what left my taste buds happy.  I tried a quinoa oatmeal and although it was ok I am now acutely aware that maple syrup as a sweetener is not my thing.  I love the combo of sweet and salty so the eggs and fruit, even as we close week four, is still what gets me through most mornings.  

Big salads with tons of veggies and a protein is what makes lunch work for me.  I struggled a lot when bread was not an option though.  I am figuring out that well balanced meals are what keep my body going.  That includes carbs and good fats.  I am also enjoying making my own salad dressing.  I know what is going into them and I like them better than most bottled dressings.

Dinner is where I think I push myself and my family the most.  Being in a house with two busy parents and young kids, going the easy route would always draw me in, plus the DTMS makes dinner for us Monday through Thursday.  So not only did I have to eat healthy, eat under the 6Fit guidelines and have it take under 30 minutes to prepare, I also had to have my husband 100% on board with our meal plan.  So I had to plan…A LOT!   We quickly realized that one skillet meals and the crockpot was our friend along with the awesome team over at Pinterest.  You guys are awesome! 

The best thing I have done when it comes to food is I left the guilt out of it.  There have been times when I want something sweet, an extra cup of coffee or like tonight a slice of pizza with French fries. I am trying really hard during these weeks and most days are not pretty but I am getting through them. I am also allowing myself to have treats and I am treating them that way.   In case you were wondering the French fries were GLORIOUS but so was the kale tofu salad that we made earlier this week.  

The honest truth is that if I was asked to share a whoopee pie today I would absolutely shove that thing in my face again.  We all have limits, sharing a whoopee pie is well past mine and that is ok.
I hope you are all embracing the love of good food and still have no orange fingers.

Chrissie
xoxoxo

*This blog post was submitted by our natick & virtual spokeswoman Chrissie.  Read her other danceFIT blog posts here & follow her danceFIT journey:

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