Diet

This is a sponsored post by Abbott/Ensure. I am excited to share with you my happiness and success with this product.

Learn from My Mistakes – Take Better Care of Yourself

My New Way of Eating

If I could go back in my life and do things over again, I would take better care of my body. Do any of you feel that way? I’ve been pretty healthy my whole life, but I think that was simply good luck because I can’t say it was because of the way I was eating. When I was younger, I ate a lot of carbs. Potatoes, pasta, and bread were my favorite. Over time, I gained weight and then began noticing that I was more sluggish and had less energy to do the things I love. I am quickly learning the importance of moderation.

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Health Changes and Steel Cut Oats

A month or so ago I posted about my goal for this year. You can find it here. I didn’t mention much other than I want to become a better and healthier me. I thought I would share how I’m trying to change my eating habits. At my age I am pretty in tune with my body and I know what works and what doesn’t work. Here’s a few things I know:

I can’t go cold turkey off of Diet Dr. Pepper.
I am an evening muncher which is very hard to change for me.
I need to make gradual changes.

So, to start this year and become more healthy I am trying to change a few things at a time and not changing everything all at once. This is what works best for me. Right now I am pretty much eating like I normally do except:

Instead of the usual dessert or snacks I eat after dinner I’m eating fruit, popcorn, or a small salad. I hope to eventually get to where I don’t eat after 7:00.
I am gradually, very gradually, decreasing my Diet Dr. Pepper consumption and increasing my water intake.
I am purchasing lighter or fat free options at the store (sour cream, milk, cottage cheese, salad dressing, etc.)
I am eating breakfast every day; something I didn’t do before.
I am doing a 10 minute cardio workout everyday or walking.

These are my first changes. I will be doing more here soon. I wanted to make the above a habit before moving on. My next steps:

Increasing my workouts to 20 minutes.
Counting calories.
Eat only one dessert a day.

A few months ago, Jessica was telling me about Steel Cut Oats. Have you heard of these? It’s whole oats cut in small pieces. Highly nutritious, high in fiber and low in fat with virtually no sugar or sodium. I found some in the bulk food section at Winco Foods and got three cups (12 servings cooked) for less than a dollar so I gave them a try. I find that it’s more filling and better tasting than rolled oats and it’s got a nutty taste that I really like. It does take about 20 minutes to cook but it’s worth it.