Morning my pals! Time for another Body After Baby post! Currently this series catalogues my plans and ideas for getting back in shape once baby B makes it outside of my apparently-super-cozy belly. I have already shared goals and how I plan to track progress. Now, it’s time to share a little more specifically how I plan to reach those goals. I warned you all yesterday, in my Blog Changes post, that I would discuss food and fitness a bit more often. Here is a glimpse into what to expect with the food. The fitness section is coming soon, as I don’t want to overload this post with too much content.

The Food

My biggest goal is to get back to my roots – back to my normal preferred eating style. In the year or so before getting pregnant with Braedon, I had found a balance of eating that suited me perfectly. I ate a variety of wholesome, quality, nutritious foods that gave me energy and that I enjoyed. I never felt deprived and could easily dine on some of my not-so-healthy favorites without concern. I didn’t go overboard one way or the other – not too restrictive and obsessive over what I put in my body, but not a free-for-all either where I didn’t care for my health.

The balance easily fit the 80/20 “rule” of choosing the nutritionally dense foods 80% of the time and “treats” or “indulgences” the other 20%. I don’t care to classify food that way, but in reality that’s what it ended up looking like. I ate in a manner that fit my tastes, lifestyles, love of feeling healthy…and naturally came to that 80/20 place.

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I raise my hand in admission that, while I certainly do my best and focus on having balance in my nutrition, I currently do not eat in a manner I feel comfortable with for long-term health. I know my intense pregnancy sugar cravings will not bode well when hoping to achieve balance and a greater sense of health. I must make changes. I plan to do so in the following ways:

• Cook one new recipe each week that includes quality ingredients – lots of veggies, lean proteins, whole grains, etc. – and share it on the blog.
• Balance treats more. I refuse to give up treats, because I know my sweet tooth won’t disappear. However, I can find more balance between natural goodies (fruit, yogurt, etc) and the cookies/chocolate.
• Plan meal & snack ideas for the week. I do this anyways, but I want to plan more variety…like new breakfasts and lunches each week. I know I can get in ruts where I eat the same thing over and over and over for months.

• Post about my food. I won’t eat something simply for the sake of the blog, but I do know sharing more regularly can help hold me accountable to my goal of establishing better habits for myself. I won’t post my eats every day, but look for me to share recipes and possibly do a weekly post series that catalogues my regular day’s eats. Other random fun/delicious foods will appear in the mix too.
• Make room for veggies & fruit. I love fresh produce. I certainly want to incorporate more – especially veggies! I like them! Why am I not eating them more? That doesn’t mean I will start eating bowls for lunch and dinner every day like it seems some bloggers like to do…but carrot slices with hummus at lunch, for example, can certainly make a reappearance more often.

• LOOSELY keep track of food/calories. Okay, this one may come as a shocker to many of you who know me. I refuse to use a scale. I don’t like numbers for tracking my “weight loss” progress. So WHY would I even consider thinking about calories? Well, even though I won’t rely on a scale to tell me my progress, I WILL be trying to lose weight. I will also (hopefully) be breastfeeding in the process. I will need to find a balance of food intake that suits both of those processes.

I won’t track every morsel that crosses my lips by using a tracking program. I won’t hold off on eating something when hungry because it doesn’t “fit into my daily calories”. I won’t shoot for processed or packaged items for their lower calorie content. I will, however, loosely determine how many I’m eating here and there just for a general reference. I want to be sure I’m eating enough for breastfeeding, but not going overboard in portions or choices to where I hinder my personal goals either.

It will be more of a broad tally in my head some days (not every day) to check in with myself. And if it ever feels obsessive or like its leading me down a restrictive path, I will stop. Loosely tracking food worked well for me when losing weight after Makenzie, so I plan to try the same this time. I don’t think counting is bad as long as you can still listen to your body and appropriately feed yourself. I also won’t continue the practice once I reach my goal and enter maintenance.

I know I want to accomplish the above with my dining. Some other things may come up as I go along. Eating healthy should be fun. It may take some time, but I have faith I will work back to a place that I enjoy and that improves my quality of life.

Question of the Day – What things do you strive for in your eating?

Tags: calorie counting, healthy eating