I almost made it. A five-day challenge with coach Leah Canseco-Decker to “learn how to eat healthy and kick out those bad habits.” Last week, I joined about 15 others from around the country in a private Facebook group where we challenged to follow Leah’s meal plan and held accountable to her and each other with the requirement to post in the group every day. I followed it almost to a tee. The final day, I went to LA with friends and I wasn’t about to bring my own meals on a trip out of town (“don’t mind me busting out this tupperware at this nice restaurant”). BUT, that’s not the point. She said it was to kickstart healthy habits and that’s what it did for me.
At the beginning of the challenge, we were given a huge grocery list and assigned to get everything on the list. My total was about $130, but I also shopped at an expensive market. Each day, Leah would post our meal plan for the next day. Every night, I’d make dinner and prep for the next day’s lunch. She also told us to drink 50% of our weight in ounces of water, daily.
Let me back track by giving you insight into my normal eating patterns. Of course I love good food, but I am also a typical American who likes to eat the quickest, most convenient thing right now. Not necessarily McDonalds-style, but I’m certainly at Chipotle at least every other week. When I’m not eating out, I’m usually eating cheese and crackers or whatever else I can scrounge up from my empty fridge. I’m definitely not grocery shopping like a real grown up, and I’m definitely not prepping lunches for work every day (those Amy’s frozen meals are good, though!).
The challenge wasn’t necessarily to lose weight, but I lose two pounds (woot!), and a few others saw differences in their measurements. Mostly for me, it was simply to see if I could use self-discipline and TRY to eat healthy. Here’s a little bit about my experience:
- I ate a lot. With three meals and two snacks every day, I felt like I was eating so much, all the time. Just my style.
- The food I ate wasn’t “health” food. Some of the meals included tacos, a steak dinner, tuna salad, a loaded baked potato – that was eating healthy!? I eat stuff like that all the time! My portions just aren’t normally that controlled.
- Veggies are not that hard to incorporate into my daily life. One of my snacks was a whole carrot and a whole zucchini, in strips, with 2 T. of fat-free ranch. It seemed like so much, but I gobbled it up in no time!
- Meal prepping changed my night routine drastically. I was up extra late every night boiling eggs, washing lettuce, cutting cantaloupe, washing dishes…I will have to move other things around if I try to make this a real habit and actually get sleep. Everyone says to prep your veggies before you put them into the fridge. GREAT idea, but will I do it? I don’t know if I’m there, yet…
All in all, I’m super proud of myself for making it four out of the five days. I’m left with a fridge full of fresh produce, extra meat, and a great salmon and bok choy recipe that I will eat regularly moving forward. I’m pretty motivated, but I know I’ll need another boost very soon. Please wish me luck!
Next week, I’ll share Leah’s story and share her top tips for healthy eating, so stay tuned! In the meantime, you can follow her on Instagram @leahbeahig and Facebook. Her next fitness and online nutrition group starts October 20.
In midst of all this, a girl has gotta eat, right? Alisa is loves chatting with chefs behind the scenes and exploring the rich food culture of the Central Valley.
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