For the love of food

I am a self-professed foodie.

Since I was a young girl, food was my reward system. If I made good grades, pancakes at Perkins. If I did my chores, ice cream sundaes at Friendly’s. If I did well in sports, steak and potatoes off the grill. You see where this is going? Food became my ultimate comfort. It’s my reward for celebrations; it’s my version of a box of tissues if I’m stressed or emotional. I wish, so badly, I was the type of person that when I got stressed or overwhelmed, I would just work out or go for a run (sidebar, if I’m running, it’s from something, please help), but I am not. When I’m feeling down I’m more like “oh… wine, wine and cheese. OOOOO… wine and cheese and crusty bread! Duh chocolate, oh yes, and brownies. Brownies and pizza and cheeseburgers… NETFLIX!” This mentality hasn’t had the best effect on my waistline. That combined with my health issues (*see about me section), I was in serious need of a lifestyle change. After trying, and failing several diet programs (*again, refer to About me section)I was sure of 3 things: Diet food is gross, food cannot be a reward, and eating during weight loss was going to be unenjoyable. I wanted wine, and goat cheese. Give me artisan roasted broccoli with lemon, seafood with truffle oil, bread… please don’t take away the breads! I was a defeated foodie, miserable with life… that is until I found the 21-day fix.

Is this real life?

A program that encourages eating for a healthy lifestyle, one that promotes weight loss and maintaining, all while getting to drink wine, eat bread, and all the cheeses! Sign me up. In December of 2014, I started my 21-day fix journey, and I haven’t looked back since. This program is easy to follow, appeals to all lifestyles, and allows for bumps along the road. Combined healthy eating with 30 min workouts, I lost 20lbs in 21 days (and a total of 40 so far). It allows for food prep (those who don’t want to cook everyday), easy on the go options, individual customized options, and my favorite, lots of liberties for recipes. I didn’t have to give up my “foodie” ways for a healthy lifestyle. I get in-program “cheats”, I get out of program cheat day (s). Did I mention the wine… yep, it’s allowed, not as a cheat, 3 times a week. Food can be used as a reward (que choirs of singing angels) without any guilt. I’m still losing weight, I love my life again, I’m happier, healthier, and best of all… I still get all the foods.

Through this blog I will share my recipes, pro-tips for products, fitness insights, my At Home Happy Hour (hint: it’s not a cheat), and how to love food while maintaining a healthy, happy lifestyle. So whether you’re following the plan, or just looking for some healthy, delicious recipes, I’m so excited for you all to join me on my journey!