My Nutrition: How I Got Started
Setting good cooking and eating habits was ultimately what saved me. And without going into a great amount of detail, I would say that having had cancer in my early twenties was my motivation to eat right and take control of my life with diet and exercises.
Throughout treatment, I wasn’t as receptive to the drastic diet change because I was such a picky eater and had little nerve to even try new foods. This new lifestyle change meant I had to learn to cook and I guess, assume my womanly duties in the world. Unfortunately though, I was no Iron Chef growing up, and was notably known for burning toast. So this was going to be a challenge.
But obviously with experience, comes skill, and eventually I was able to open my own meal prep side business and be success in that.
After being diagnosed with Stage IIa Uterine Cancer from age 20-22, I basically had to switch from a cheap, college diet of fast-food and chain restaurants, 5-6 times a week, to a diet that only consisted of foods on the outer aisles of the grocery store.
I thought this meant that I could basically eat nothing, with the occasional air through a straw as my dessert. But that was far from the truth! The more familiar I became with the fresh produce aisle, meat and dairy sections of the store, the more I realized how much food I had never come across myself and that was actually delicious and good for me!
Now, I’m not saying my remission was directly because of my clean eating and new fitness lifestyle, but as my blood results were coming back each month with more healthier and normal readings, I also started noticing my body and energy levels changing. The radiation and chemo didn’t seem to take as much out of me. I wasn’t as sluggish and depressed. I had natural energy that helped me through my day and I wasn’t catching colds from working at the daycare anymore.
In my defense to my success in changing my diet, I had a whole team of medical and familial support to help keep me on track. Each month it became easier to prepare my own meals, and I started to look forward to creating a new meal or modifying a recipe I found online. I really began to I appreciate the food I was eating, and in-turn started to appreciate myself more.
I realized, food is fuel, and should not be using it as an empty place holder for when I’m bored or just craving “food-like” products. I didn’t need to completely cut out the foods I loved, but controlling and portioning was my key in being successful in this.
After the first year of trying new foods, and becoming, basically, a Vegetarian, I saw other 'fitness people' posting about writing their meals into diaries of some sort and tracking their calorie intake...and seeing actual results! So I started to write down and track my meals and snacks. Nothing in comparison to what a competitor would do by calculating and weighing all their food; but by simply jotting down the foods and drinks (including my Starbucks beverages), I was able to better visualize what I was putting in my body, monitor how much I was eating daily, and how often I ate.
Just doing that alone helped me so much! I lost another 8 pounds that following month, just by writing down what I was eating.
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Throughout treatment, I wasn’t as receptive to the drastic diet change because I was such a picky eater and had little nerve to even try new foods. This new lifestyle change meant I had to learn to cook and I guess, assume my womanly duties in the world. Unfortunately though, I was no Iron Chef growing up, and was notably known for burning toast. So this was going to be a challenge.
But obviously with experience, comes skill, and eventually I was able to open my own meal prep side business and be success in that.
After being diagnosed with Stage IIa Uterine Cancer from age 20-22, I basically had to switch from a cheap, college diet of fast-food and chain restaurants, 5-6 times a week, to a diet that only consisted of foods on the outer aisles of the grocery store.
I thought this meant that I could basically eat nothing, with the occasional air through a straw as my dessert. But that was far from the truth! The more familiar I became with the fresh produce aisle, meat and dairy sections of the store, the more I realized how much food I had never come across myself and that was actually delicious and good for me!
Now, I’m not saying my remission was directly because of my clean eating and new fitness lifestyle, but as my blood results were coming back each month with more healthier and normal readings, I also started noticing my body and energy levels changing. The radiation and chemo didn’t seem to take as much out of me. I wasn’t as sluggish and depressed. I had natural energy that helped me through my day and I wasn’t catching colds from working at the daycare anymore.
In my defense to my success in changing my diet, I had a whole team of medical and familial support to help keep me on track. Each month it became easier to prepare my own meals, and I started to look forward to creating a new meal or modifying a recipe I found online. I really began to I appreciate the food I was eating, and in-turn started to appreciate myself more.
I realized, food is fuel, and should not be using it as an empty place holder for when I’m bored or just craving “food-like” products. I didn’t need to completely cut out the foods I loved, but controlling and portioning was my key in being successful in this.
After the first year of trying new foods, and becoming, basically, a Vegetarian, I saw other 'fitness people' posting about writing their meals into diaries of some sort and tracking their calorie intake...and seeing actual results! So I started to write down and track my meals and snacks. Nothing in comparison to what a competitor would do by calculating and weighing all their food; but by simply jotting down the foods and drinks (including my Starbucks beverages), I was able to better visualize what I was putting in my body, monitor how much I was eating daily, and how often I ate.
Just doing that alone helped me so much! I lost another 8 pounds that following month, just by writing down what I was eating.
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