Dieting in December | December Self Portrait

Well, we’ve come to the end of another year in the Self Portrait Series. And what better way to go out with a bang than to announce to the whole world that I went on a diet.  Dieting in December — am I crazy??? Maybe! I haven’t been on a diet in about three years. And truly, I hate the word “diet”. The word “diet” means WHAT YOU EAT, not a weight loss program. It is so much more important to focus on a healthy lifestyle and food intake than to obsess over numbers on a scale. Over the last few years my husband and I have been slowly converting our diet to whole foods. We’ve cut out refined sugars and flours, we mill our own grains, bake our own bread and have stopped eating as many processed foods. We’ve focused on eating a lot of organic meats, fruits, vegetables and whole grains.  Can you believe for the last few years I haven’t even worried one bit about HOW MUCH food I was eating. I’ve just been focusing on eating more of the good stuff and less of the bad stuff. This has been such a healthy mindset change for me, and I love the freedom it brings to the food arena. But there comes a time for tweaking! Jonathan is super amazing about sticking to nutritious foods.  I, on the other hand, like to take life a little “less seriously” than he does. So while I truly love eating healthy and nutrient dense foods, I will more readily eat things that aren’t good for me while I’m out and about, running errands around town and attending events.  I’ll use a tablespoon of the best butter ever on my veggies when I could have gotten by with a teaspoon. And arghhh… those Costco hotdogs are so yummy, cheap and convenient.  Over the last 4-5 years I’ve averaged a gain of about 2 lbs per year. Not a lot, I know. But it adds up! So at the beginning of December I kicked my rear in gear and made it my goal to shed 10-12 lbs. Which means…. eating WAY more of the really good stuff, relaxing on the butter, and kicking those Costco hotdogs to the curb.  Wish me luck!! And fortitude over the Holidays!

This is the continuation of my monthly self portrait series.
See other posts from the series here!