Negotiating the Winds of Change

Here's the thing: I don't like change. Ask anyone who knows me well. I resist. I rebel. I whine and stomp my feet. And then ... I adjust.

Recently, I had a revelation about nutrition. Even on my diet, I rely largely on pre-packaged food ... I love me some chicken hot dogs ... I use two packages of Sweet & Low in my morning coffee ... I consume two or three diet sodas every day ...

Well. You see the problem.

So I decided to make a change. Okay, so I'm fifty-cough years old, and I've been inching up to need for this change for, like, three years. But I'm full-on there now. I am going to change the way I look at food.

I started with giving up diet soda. And let me tell you something: I quit smoking easier than I've given up my diet Coke. The first two weeks were excruciatingly difficult. Now it's been nearly a month, and I'm there. Reluctantly.

I also gave up my chicken hot dogs. I know, I know. But I am sorry to report to you that they have been a longtime staple for me. They nuke in a minute and ten seconds, they provide fast protein, and they're tasty on a slice of any type of bread with ketchup, mustard and a slice of pickle. And don't get all judgmental on me here until you admit openly what your staple item is. Ice cream every night? Green olives out of the jar? Chocolate hidden in every drawer? Okay, you're right. We'll leave the chocolate secret alone. Some things are just sacred.

So a month into my nutritional winds of change, I am diet soda-free, chicken hot dog-less, and there are no more 100-calorie snack cakes lurking inside my pantry. The latter came because my doctor told me she would rather I bake myself a real cake and eat it in small portions than to have me taking ecstatic pleasure in the processed, sugar-laden, plastic bag-contained red velvet cakes that had become my daily joy (often in 200- or 300-calorie indulgences). I mean, if they're only 100 calories ... and the portion is so small ... I can work the calories/points into my diet without exceeding my daily allotment ...

Next stop: Pre-packaged foods. I've lost more than 100 pounds, and most of it came off utilizing the Weight Watchers diet plan. I've spent a lot of my WW points on frozen pre-packaged entrees because, frankly, I am one of the worst cooks in the history of food. But for someone who retains water by staring too long at the salt shaker on the dining room table, these over-processed, preservative-heavy meals have been really rough on me.

So now I am relying a lot on things I do know how to make. For instance, I am an expert at putting together various types of salads that offer both protein and an abundance of fresh veggies. There's no lettuce-and-tomato salads for this girl. Mine are full meals on their own, with very limited amounts of vinegar-based dressings ... And they ROCK with variety and taste. I also have learned how to use a counter-top grill. I make skewers of meat and veggies, turkey burgers, chicken breasts, all of it delicious and quick when popped on the grill. I also toss on spears of zucchini, peppers, onions and asparagus. My little grill has begun to replace my very fast chicken hot dogs and frozen meals as the main staple of my diet. And when I'm not up to cooking? Recently, I've discovered that Lean Cuisine offers frozen dinners that are preservative-free. And what's more, many of them have low amounts of sodium. Sold! No longer an everyday meal ... but there if I need them.

My point in sharing my many personal flaws is to say that the winds of change, though overwhelming at times, can be negotiated in small increments so that each step taken brings you closer to the ultimate Bigger Picture.

I'm getting stronger. Not just physically, but emotionally. I'm taking control of my nutritional life. For several decades, it's been the other way around. Food has had control over me. If my body is a temple to my God, I've let it become run-down and pretty much of an eye sore. There is no curb appeal here at Temple de Sandie. But I'm committed to that change.

And so I pick up the torch of nutritional change, and I carry it across another few miles toward my goal: Healthy Me.

I'm beyond my secret desire to look like Julia Roberts. In my fifties, my obsession is to get healthy. Become more mobile. To serve God without wondering about the logistics of getting there.

My first line of defense? People are praying for me. Several people. Faithful people. Every single day, there is someone out there lifting up my battle to the Lord, sending ministering angels to help me get from sunrise to sundown (and beyond) with commitment and strength to putting one foot in front of the other. Well. Putting one chicken breast in front of four minutes in the microwave toward an edible mango chicken dinner on a warped plastic plate.

So how about it? Want to come along to a healthier you? It doesn't have to overwhelm you. Just look at your life in small boxed segments, and focus in on just one of those boxes. What first step can you make, really commit to making, that will get you toward the ultimate goal of a healthier you?