My weight has held me back most of my life. Well... .it would probably be more truthful if I said that I have LET my weight hold me back most of my life. Only within the last year have I figured out that not only am I COMPLETELY in charge of my weight, but I'm also in charge of how I let it affect my life.
Losing weight and getting healthy has opened up so many doors in my life. First and foremost it has saved my life. PERIOD. I am healthier and happier than I've ever been. Secondly, it has allowed me to experience things that I never thought possible.
A year ago I couldn't have ever imagined that I would be writing a health and fitness blog and contemplating starting a career in the health/wellness industry. A few weekends ago while my sister and I were out, a guy asked me what I did for a living. Usually I would answer, "I'm a stay at home mom", but my sister jumped right in with the answer for me.
She said, "She writes a health and fitness blog." The guy looked pretty impressed and said, "I can totally see you doing that, you're in great shape." Ok, so in all fairness the guy was probably trying to pick me up and it was just a line, but either way it made me smile. And instead of bowing out of that conversation I felt confident enough to talk about what I have now decided is my life passion.(as mentioned in Tuesday's post)
Running is something I would've missed out on if I hadn't gotten control of my life. It's something I always thought was unattainable for me. I assumed some people just weren't made to run and I was one of them. Losing weight and getting into shape helped give me the confidence to start running and of course now it's a huge part of my life.
Along with all the great life and fitness experiences I've had, the changes have also trickled down to an area I wouldn't have ever imagined. FOOD. Ok, of course I KNEW my food intake was going to change, but I honestly went into this "get healthy" endeavor expecting to hate what I was going to eat. That is SO far from the truth.
Previously I preferred to eat at the large chain restaurants. (A habit I've now ditched) I didn't used to eat any meat (I've now added in fish), so that meant when I went out to eat I would invariably order something along the lines of a grilled cheese with french fries and a side of mayo. SERIOUSLY. Do you see anything redeemable in that meal? NOPE.
Even though I was technically a vegetarian since I didn't eat meat, I pretty much stayed far away from anything remotely resembling a vegetable. Unless you count potatoes. :)
I was under the impression that I didn't LIKE veggies. Growing up we always had a side of veggies with every meal. BUT, those veggies were usually a can of corn/green beans/peas. I'm sure that obligatory can of veggies had something to do with my reluctance to eat them as an adult.
But guess what I've figured out? Those canned veggies pretty much shouldn't even COUNT as veggies. They rarely taste good, have a ridiculous amount of sodium and have a decreased level of nutrients. FRESH VEGGIES however are delicious! And I LOVE them!
(this is not a new revelation, I've been happily eating fresh for the past year)
Discovering my love of veggies made me rethink everything I *thought* I liked and disliked about food. I always figured I hated fish. And I was wrong, it's now a large part of my intake. I always thought I would hate sushi. Guess what I found out last week? I LOVE IT!
And finally, today I tried something new again. Once again I pretty much assumed I wouldn't like Indian food. My sister took me to lunch today at a little Indian food restaurant just north of Austin. It was basically a tiny Indian grocery store that served food out of the back room. I have to say the ambiance was lacking (but hey-its a hole-in-the wall, what do you expect?), but the FOOD totally made up for it. I am here to say: I LOVE INDIAN FOOD.
This is my older sister eating pappadaam. (I think)
And me eating Palak Aloo (spinach and potato curry cooked with Indian spices and herbs) and Yellow Daal (lentils cooked with Indian spices)
Everything was delicious and the whole experience has made me wonder what else I've missed out on in life because I *thought* I wouldn't like it.
Once again I'm making the vow that I won't let preconceived notions rule my life.
What's something new you've discovered you like?