The First Step On A Very Long Journey...

Today I began the Easylife program that I´ve mentioned to you all before. To be a little more specific about what the program is about, the first six weeks you will eat only meal replacements in the form of shakes, soups, bars, or oatmeal. Total calories per day will be between 500-600 which is extreme. This is extreme. This is not recommended for everyone. There are ladies in my group who only have like 10kg to lose and I think to myself, why in the world would you do this instead of just cutting back on what you eat and move more? Which is what I wish I could do. Healthy food has never looked better just because it´s real food....

All day today I´ve automatically been thinking, what can I make for dinner and oh tomorrow is Friday I need to make something good for dinner...and then I catch myself and remember this journey I´m on...and that it will be awhile before I can indulge in my love of cooking again. But I am determined that when I am able to eat again, it will be healthier meals like the one above and this one below...

I think actually I do make a lot of meals like this BUT I also make a lot of unhealthy meals and I snack and I love to bake which doesn´t have to be a bad thing but let´s be real...there are tons of yummy temptations out there and when you´re first going to bake and have the choice between something healthy or a yummy carrot cake...yeah....well, you see, I still have a lot of work to do mentally. Because I know the healthy can be just as good. I don´t have a problem with healthy food, I just love all food....and I don´t move enough. So all of these things have to change. I´m looking forward to the challenge of making healthier meals and to keep moving. As those of you who have followed me a long time know, I start strong and then fall apart in my will power. So keeping it stabile and lasting is a challenge I am going to work on. 

I´m checking out healthy meal websites and found this one which is full of great looking recipes which are healthy for you. Cooking Light I am sure even the pickiest eater will find something here they will like and I plan to personally use this website a lot when I´m able to start eating regular food again. 

This isn´t going to be easy. I´ve had some stress/exhaustion headaches this past week and not eating real food isn´t helping but instead of focusing on the negative with this process I´m trying to focus on the positive. I told Thomas while we were out walking this evening that I´m playing games with my mind and pretending I´m stranded on a deserted island and while my vitamin and mineral needs are being met, I´m getting very very few calories and how will my body respond to this? It´s going to be exciting to see...maybe I´ll be the new Castaway. Have you seen that film with Tom Hanks? There was some extreme dieting and that wasn´t for a new lifestyle that was just for a movie!!! I think that has to be a lot harder on the body then when you go down hopefully to stay down for the rest of your life. 

I know there are several challenges ahead of me. The first challenge is this initial period. Then once I am able to start eating real food again the challenge will be to eat the foods that give me most with the least calories and to increase my exercising to help my body use up the extra calories faster. Then once I´m totally back to real meals the challenge will be to keep the healthy eating up, deal with occassions that happen, Christmas, birthdays, etc. and to keep going with the exercise. To really make that a part of my life. 

What do you find to be the biggest challenge in living a relatively healthy lifestyle (for those of you who live a healthy lifestyle...hehehehe) How do you meet those challenges???

Ok my friends, thanks for stopping by, wish me luck and check back in soon. I´ll keep you updated how things are going...this is going to be a long long journey but I´m ready....hope you´ll join me....

Until next time my friends....