Just recently, I decided to hire a nutrition coach. Primarily not to lose weight, but rather to help me form healthy eating habits. Sure, I could read a book, watch videos on YouTube, but it’s that accountability from a coach, and application of this new knowledge that will help me learn.
I’ve never succeeded in any kind of “diet” plan. Maybe the closest to one was lent, where I would have to “give up” a vice for 40 days. I usually chose a type of food or alcohol. Candy, failed. Alcohol, failed. Beer, failed. One success was soda, which was back in college, and never really got back into the habit of going out of my way for soda. Actually, I’ve never been on Atkins, Weight Watchers, whatever, because I’ve never really needed to. I considered doing those juice cleanses, but after much thought, it wouldn’t change any of my habits.
This isn’t one of those diet plans. I don’t have to cut out meat. I don’t have to cut carbs. My coach doesn’t even want me to refer to this as a “diet.” I don’t even have to really focus on my weight, body fat %, or calories. It will eventually take care of itself. It’s more of a change of lifestyle. I will be eating nothing but organic foods, cutting out any processed food and sugar.
Why? Well, a lot of people I know end up changing their food habits after an incident. Incidents like a medical issue, reality of age, reality of a disease, etc. For me, fortunately, it wasn’t the case. I guess you could say it’s for preventative measures. I mean, I put only the best gasoline and the best oil into my own car, why not put the best fuel for my body? I don’t see myself quitting endurance sports anytime soon, so taking these steps now prepares me for a better tomorrow. I do believe this will help me with my overall daily energy as well.
The person who is going to guide me is Keira, a runner like myself, but a very fast, ultrarunner. She’s also the Race Director of my first 50k (Ray Miller) and first 50M (Leona Divide). I chose her because our active lifestyles are similar. She loves to run. I do too. She has such a friendly, caring, and outgoing personality that I trust her. She’s an overall good person who genuinely loves to help other people like myself.
I started this plan this week, and it all started with her asking me some basic questions about what I currently eat, my likes, and dislikes. I think I eat relatively healthy, but yes, there are many times where eating out is just easier. After I told her, she turned around and gave me a week 1 meal plan, a grocery list, nutrition notes, and optional recipes. It was custom to my liking, and quite flexible. At first glance, it doesn’t look too difficult to follow. The difficult part would be to do this for six consecutive weeks, especially with holidays, parties, happy hours and all that in between to distract me.
I was to start the plan today (Thursday), so the past two days were spent grocery shopping. As you can see above and below, it was one hell of a Trader Joe’s trip! Here’s my kitchen counter:
I also ordered some PlantFusion protein and ground Flax Seed on Amazon:
So the pieces are set, and I’m excited!
I just finished Day 1, and I’ll blog about that tomorrow, but so far so good! I look forward to cooking more, saving money, learning healthier options, and the beneficial effects of them.
(Also, if you’re interested in doing the same and getting a nutrition coach, I can pass along Keira’s info to you too!)