Who Knew Healthier Eating Could Be So Much Fun?!

I decided about a month ago to make some diet changes. I had pretty much stopped cooking. I basically only used my stove to make a grilled cheese sandwich a couple times a week. Living alone, it had just gotten easier to either eat out or pick up carryout. I am not a fast food eater, so I figured my restaurant choices were healthy enough. However, I was waiting until I was hungry to decide what to eat and was then making choices based on cravings, as in "What am I in the mood for?"

Pizza? Tacos? A gyro? Asian food? Yes, those were my mainstays. And not bad choices, really. But misled by my growling stomach, I would go into my favorite places and order way too much...

• a medium pizza with sausage, mushroom, green pepper or black olive (I'd demolish half and then eat the rest the next day.)
• two steak tacos with all the toppings, red rice, sometimes guacamole and chips (at least twice a week)
• gyro... I am talking a very generous overflowing monster of a gyro and sometimes a Greek salad in addition. 
• Asian food... I'll have one of everything, please. Pad thai, California rolls, crab rangoon, side salad. Not kidding one bit here. That was my usual order. 

I figured it was easier to just eat out and order plenty to have leftovers for another day. Yet, I would sometimes straight up eat it all in one sitting. When eating out, I would have good intentions to order something light and healthy yet end up ordering something way more sexy... you know, something with a rich sauce oozing olive oil, garlic, and cheese. Oh, My. Goodness. 

So, yeah. Take that and then throw in a less active lifestyle than what was normal for me, and I was eventually ten pounds heavier. My clothes were getting tight, and there was a lot I simply could no longer get into. Forget about jeans. Just give me my yoga pants from here on out.

I finally hit a certain number on the scale that I wasn't willing to accept. And I will keep that number to myself because the intention here is not to weight shame but rather to share some healthier ways that I have actually found to be fun. Seriously. F-U-N. 

I now am obsessed with meal planning and cooking. It's my latest hobby. Before, I felt I didn't have time to grocery shop, then prep, then cook, then clean up. Now it's all I think about, and after I finish one meal, I begin planning the next. 

So what gives? How could something I had no interest in (and thought I had no time for) now become something I plan my days around and can't wait to do? 

Well, I discovered new ways of doing things, made changes, and began to really appreciate the process of eating much healthier. I realized in the end I am saving time throughout the week and enjoying my meals a whole lot more. And after a month down this road, I have lost three pounds so far. #winning all the way around in my opinion. So I will share the F-U-N. 

Over the next few weeks, I will tell you all about it -- starting with my Sun Basket experience (up next).