Lips stained red from a bottle of wine

Breville BJE200XL 700-Watt Compact Juice FountainI have to admit that I’ve fallen prey to the most recent health craze: juicing. After watching Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead on Netflix, I was intrigued. I strive to include as many fruits and vegetables into my diet as I can but this movie made me realize how much more I could be doing. (Cooked fruits and veggies lose most of their nutritional value in the cooking process. Juicing raw produce allows me to get the most out of my fruits and vegetables, ensuring that there is little nutrient loss.) And, yes, the weight loss aspect of it is also very appealing to me.

At 5’4″ and 150lbs, I consider myself to be overweight. I don’t necessarily look overweight or even feel it but it’s a constant burden on my psyche, knowing that I weigh about 20lbs more than I did this time last year. I moved out on my own last September and I assume my weight gain is related to that fact. This was also when I started my first full-time job with a long commute so I was eating poorly, getting little (if any) exercise, and feeling stressed pretty much all the time. I’ve decided to finally do something about it.

That full-time job has turned into two part-time jobs, which drastically reduced the commute time and has erased almost all job-related stress. One of the libraries at which I work is within biking distance so I commute by bike at least twice a week, spending about 2 hours on my bike every week. I’ve also incorporated yoga into my routine. (Overall, I do about 1 hour of yoga per week with my DVD.) With more free time, I’m allowed to be more active than I’ve been in over a year. It feels pretty amazing.

Further, I’m also now trying to control my portions. I’ve always been a big eater. (Ask my parents: they love regaling others with anecdotes from my childhood, when I would practically dance at the sight of a pot of porridge.) But I’m trying to teach myself that I don’t need a lot to feel full. This will take time as I retrain myself to chew thoroughly, eat slowly, and stop shoveling food in my face when I begin to feel full. My old mantra was similar to comedian Louis C.K.‘s statement: “The meal is not over when I’m full. The meal is over when I hate myself.” No más!

I’ve only been doing this for a few weeks but I already feel better. My weight is down to 144lbs, I feel more alert and less lethargic, and I am just generally happier. This all totally feels doable, too, so I fully expect to keep this routine going and continue to feel its benefits.


Posted

in

by

Comments

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *