To start the challenge...

So I have been thinking about this for a few days on which diet to follow first and I have finally made a decision...I will start with "clean eating".

You may be asking what is clean eating....very simply, it is eating whole foods and making healthy food choices. You are giving up the over-processed foods and refined carbs like white rice, sugar and white flour as well as foods with little nutritional value. Here are the basics

Clean Eating Principles

• Eating a mini-meal every two to three hours (5 to 6 small meals per day total) to keep blood sugar level and prevent hunger
• Combining lean proteins and complex carbs at every meal
• Avoiding all over-processed and refined foods (especially sugar, white rice, and white flour)
• Avoiding saturated and trans fat, instead consuming healthy fats
• Avoiding soda and other sugary juices and drinks
• Avoiding high-calorie, zero nutrient foods (i.e., junk food)
• Eating proper portion sizes
• Drinking at least 8 cups of water every day

Read more at Suite101: Clean Eating Basics: The Principles and Benefits of a Healthy Diet | Suite101.com http://www.suite101.com/content/clean-eating-basics-a56797#ixzz1T1uKewal


Here is where the difficulties can lie with me...my husband loves eating certain foods and can be a picky eater so this is going to mean that I will need to plan ahead and cook some parts of the meals in advance. He loves white rice and I really don't. I am going back to buying brown jasmine or basmati rice to cook in the rice cooker, or quinoa which I also love. The other challenge will be when we go away on vacations. Within 2 weeks of starting this plan, we are going south with my in-laws for their anniversary which is going to mean eating in restaurants but at least it is only for the weekend and I know that I will be able to find foods I can eat there. 

Me from behind, this spring

Today, I am also going to look for a picture of me from our recent trip so I can add it to the post as a starting point. I uploaded a picture from this spring during our trip to Cuba but I will find a more recent one. I will also be weighing myself tomorrow morning and posting that as well. I have linked this blog to my www.fatsecret.com website to share my thoughts with even more people like me. Please give me some feedback and if there is something you want me to try, let me know.