Life as of lately...

Hello again,

I had the intention of apologizing for my absence yet again... but then I remembered that I have something really exciting to tell you. So, rather than jumping into a long apology, I am going to skip right to the good stuff. Let's focus on the positive people. Yay! 

*drumroll, please*... This might come as a bit of a shocker for those who know me but... I started an Eat-Clean Challenge on April 18th and I have  been sticking to it! That's right ladies and gentleman, I gave up all sugar, pastries, cheese, fast food, etc... & I haven't looked back since.

I'm actually very proud of myself... and those of you who know me... I know you will be proud of me too. I have not had a chocolate bar or icecream or any of my previous day-to-day pick me up goodies since April 18th. Can you believe it? 17 days... just over 2 weeks... and I am getting stronger every day. 

I have decided that my food blog will be a great place to share this journey of transforming my semi-healthy/semi-unhealthy lifestyle into one that is only health and nutrition focussed.  So, if you are interested, over the next little while, I will share with you all of the things that I learn from my nutrition course and from my own personal experiences on this adventure.

To begin... I want to tell you how HARD the first week was. It was almost impossible. I have a confession... the first week was actually so hard that I almost cried when a butter tart was put in front of me at a work conference and I knew that I couldn't and wouldn't eat it. It ruined my entire day. I am not even exaggerating. This butter tart experience, of course, was  followed by cookie tray and dessert tray after cookie tray and dessert tray... I had to say no to each and every one of my favourite things to eat, every day for an entire week. Talk about testing my limits. But, you know what... I actually did make it through that day and that week without even having a single taste of any of those goodies.

The first week of this challenge made me realize that I have been allowing myself to be very dependent on sugar and food for emotional support. I know.. it sounds a little wacky... I thought it seemed weird too. But, when you tear up over not being able to eat a darn butter tart... it really makes you think. In fact, something inside of me woke up that first week. It opened my eyes to what I have been putting into my body and why I have been doing it and it made me really realize that I have a food problem.  So today, for the whole world to see, I am admitting that... for my entire life, I have been incredibly dependent on food for an emotional "pick-me-up"... and while I always  knew I had a bit of a sweet tooth... I didn't realize how bad my dependency was.  

I am happy to report that... 17 days later... I am now finding my cravings for sugar to be slowly diminishing and when I see some of my favourite treats I feel much more in control and less inclined to want to eat them. I catch myself thinking about how much I want to eat vegetables because of what they do for my body. Cool, hey! AND, surprisingly, on a few occasions, I have even had thoughts about how I don't want to eat sugar because of the negative effects that it has on my body. While I do still have moments where I really want a chocolate bar, each day does get easier. I love learning about the food that I am eating and thinking about the benefits of nutrition while I eat. It makes you feel so awake, alive and connected with your own body... If that makes any sense at all, haha! 

What have I noticed so far? My body is definitely changing. It's not a jaw-dropping difference to the average eye, but in general, I feel lighter, more toned and stronger. I am starting to really appreciate my own body and my own reflection. In terms of wellness, I have more energy than ever before and my mind feels clear and focussed. I find myself being more productive with my time and, as a result, I accomplish much more than I used to in a day. One of my favourite things so far has been having my tummy issues COMPLETELY disappear. I am serious... no more pain, no more feeling uncomfortable. My stomach is so happy!

If you want to join me on this adventure, please do! The more community and support we build around health and nutrition the easier it is and the more empowering it becomes! I would love to hear your stories on getting healthy and getting active!

AND!!! MORE GOOD NEWS!!! Actually, GREAT news... BEST news of all.... is... I HAVE A PUPPY!!! This is Tigs, everybody! He's my new buddy and he is pretty much the best friend a girl could ever ask for :)

Wishing you all a happy and healthy day,
<3 SlothCat