For those that followed my blog from the very beginning you will know that it originally started out as my version of the food blog turned movie, Julie and Julia. My intention was to cook every recipe in Tosca Reno's "Eat Clean Cookbook and post my results of the recipes as well as any weight lost.
Tosca, a fellow Canadian, is fitness model, columnist, motivational speaker and author of the Eat Clean diet series. She wasn't always fit though, at 40 she was overweight and unhappy but she turned her life around through clean eating and exercise.
The meal plans I followed in the past were just too extreme for me to be able to maintain. I always ate a healthy diet with ample calories but cold plain dry chicken and beans gets hard to face day after day. The day I met my goals I would celebrate with pizza and wine and not look back ...until I was again in hubby's clothes and the cycle would start all over again.
I have considered competing in figure competitions as a goal for a long time and keep chickening out. I think deep down I knew I needed to master healthy maintenance before I try or where would I wind up after that?
I used to love cooking and experimenting with new recipes in my mid 20's. My friends and I had ethnic dinner nights once a week. The host would choose the country and we would all research and bring dishes from that country. I have spent most of my life in small towns with little ethnic diversity and It was so much fun experimenting and learning about food from the different cultures.
Then one day in my late 20's I visited a recreation complex with mirrors all around the pool while on a visit to Calgary. I noticed a woman in the distance with the same bathing suit as I was wearing. I knew I had put on a few pounds but was relieved not as many as her. She moved when I moved and I realized with horror that that was me!
I instantly hopped on the diet roller- coaster and that was the end of cooking for me.
When I decided to embark on this fund-raising / weight loss goal I deleted my "Eat Clean Diet" intention posts, reluctantly stored the book on a high shelf, hid the condiments and stocked up on my my plain diet food.
This is not fun! I am on such a regimented eating schedule that I dont eat with my family, I dont cook for them because it would be too tempting to indulge. For some reason they dont want to eat what I am eating and we are really missing out on quality family time. Yes, I have set a meaningful, challenging goal for myself but its no wonder I never maintain! All of that is fine and often necessary for meeting a short term goal but I am planning on doing this long term this time!
But there is no way I could not make great tasting recipes, not to mention, gasp..... sauces, spreads and dips that we all love AND meet my goals!
Or is there? After all Tosca is in amazing shape and she wrote the book!
When we do on rare occasions cook here it is something we all enjoy doing together as a family. It has always been for free meals though and usually involved a glass of wine. I have been so all or nothing I have never learned how to prepare healthy food that actually tastes great. Is it still even fun without a glass of wine in hand? I know my 5 year old LOVES to cook and not fair to her not to try.
Maybe I will discover a new way that IS sustainable for more than a darned day because it is enjoyable, satisfying and not in conflict with my family values? What an exciting thought!
There is alot at stake as I still have 22 pounds to lose by June 21. That is almost 2 pounds a week so if I backslide at all now it will be difficult to catch up!
This morning I dusted off the book and had fun looking through it with Allie. I let her choose the first recipe, which is the "CLEAN EATING MUSELI - the super breakfast" I will also choose a meal to make for dinner.
Tune in tomorrow to see how they turn out!
