WILL, EFFORT AND CONSISTENCY
Strategies you ask? HA! No strategies here just HOPE and random sparks of inspiration.
HEALTH
February 2025, I RE-STARTED my health journey as a random way to challenge myself. I wanted to see if I could bring to life a healthier version of me. The first thing I did was fast. Not sure why, but it’s what I felt I needed to experience to get started. From there I began removing all unhealthy foods from my fridge and cupboards. The way my brain works, if it was out of sight, it was out of mind (I had no desire to eat things that weren’t in my face). I replaced all that food with healthy options I knew I’d actually eat (when I got hungry, I made do with the healthy options I had already available). Do you see where I’m going with this? For the not-so-healthy stuff I enjoyed, I simply swapped them for healthy alternatives. For example, I like yogurt, and instead of eating the ones with added sugars, I swapped it for nonfat Greek yogurt. I hate the way it tastes, so I’d enhance it using raw honey, granola, and fruits (so delicious). With that said, I cut out as much sugar as I possibly could and avoided anything with added sugars like pops, juice, tea, prepackaged treats, etc. I maintained my water intake, which was already optimal. I increased my protein by eating foods like eggs, shrimp, salmon, and chicken, and having protein smoothies from a local café when I wanted something quick in the mornings. I cut out processed foods as much as I could and only ate when I felt hungry and not when I felt like “I could eat that” just because it was in my face. I stopped eating when I comfortably felt full and not like a pufferfish. I took advantage of free programs my place of employment offered, like Wondr and Cylinder (highly recommend), to keep the inspiration steady, learn valuable skills, and keep track of my progress. In the moments I felt like “it wouldn’t hurt if I had a juicy burger from Portillo’s,” I reminded myself not to do things that would counteract my goal of trying to lose weight. In my moments of weakness, this is what kept me steadfast and in check the most. As of today, I am 31 lbs down!
THINGS I DID NOT DO
- I DID NOT count my calories (I mentally chose food options that were low in calories, but I did not actually count and keep track)
- I DID NOT cut carbs (In fact I had them with every meal, I was just sure to balance them with protein fruits and veggies)
- I DID NOT exercise (I consciously increased my movement meaning instead of taking the elevator I’d take the stairs if they were an option but no traditional exercise)
- I DID NOT punish myself for falling off track (In moments where I failed to portion control or ate without balancing my meals I would just simply and quickly get back on track
- I DID NOT cut out everything I loved (There was no way in hell I was cutting off everything I loved because when my luteal phase hit, baby, anything could get eaten. I just learned to love healthier things.)
WELL-BEING
In this phase of my life, I’m unlearning the habit of SELF-ABANDONING. I’ve been a professional self-abandoner for quite some time now, and although I haven’t pinpointed exactly how this habit was birthed, I’ve at least been able to recognize how unhealthy it is to my well-being and when and how it shows up. It looked like saying yes when I wanted to say no and ignoring mistreatment in order to keep the peace and, in some cases, the presence. So as of late, I’ve been practicing. I no longer allow mistreatment to keep peace or presence. I say no in the moments I want to say fuck no, and I don’t overextend myself to people who cannot or will not meet me halfway. These may not seem like big changes, but I can already see the shift in my relationships. I don’t leave interactions feeling empty anymore. This is new for me, and it’s taking my nervous system some time to adjust. Slowly but surely.
In Quest of Her 