It is working.

So now it's been two weeks, not too shabby eh?

I never thought it would be this hard. But the changes being made are already effecting me. Not only am I eating deliciously now, saving a tremendous amount of money but my husband is becoming health conscious as well. How wonderful!!! I am so proud of him. It's hard to make significant life changes, but it is so gratifying to be proactive in one's own life.

I have face some opposition from a few. Many don't understand why I can't "do lunch" or hang-out and go have dinner. But that's okay. I find clever ways to work around that. I find that I get incredible hungry during work and I sneak a fiber bar and some water when I have to until I can eat my home packed lunch. It helps that our cafe is closed until the beginning of the semester.

I also discovered that good friends are following suit and taking up the same mantle of breaking the fast food addiction- it is so wonderful. Like a house of cards falling. Think of it this way...

The last time I had fast food before I started this blog it costed my husband and I $16 for one meal, and that's eating off the cheap menu. This past weekend we ate home-made mashed potatoes (an entire bag of spuds costed me a dollar) whole wheat cheesy pasta with broccoli (about $2.00) and London Broil which divided among four costed about a dollar fifty per person. So it was about $8 for four people to eat or $2 a person. That is quite a difference!!! So next time you are feeling lazy and don't feel like cooking, think how much that "cheap, easy meal" is going to cost you, both physically and financially.

First week not so difficult...

So it's been almost a week and already I feel a lifestyle change. At first when I told my significant other that I was taking a Fast Food Fast he responded indifferently. But quickly he has reaped  the benefits of nutritious home-cooked food. My closest friends responded with surprise and excitement, encouraging me to hold true to this commitment. I discovered even some of my co-worker had already made this leap and lost great amounts of weight which is encouraging. I also discovered I had gained a pound for every month I have not gone to the gym! So much for all that hard work. But it feels good to finally be going back and using what I pay for every month.

Only one friend responded with skepticism thinking that we would never be able to hang out anymore since we always "do lunch" over business matters. I responded with reassurance to everyone, that it was a change for me and not necessarily for them. All I have to do is either eat before I go out or grab something healthy from the store. I am getting much more creative with my cooking as well. Here is a list of some of the things I have made this week.

Tortellini with Italian Sausage and Smoked Gouda
Spaghetti Salad with Cucumbers, left over sausage, cous-cous and edamame
My husband made Chicken Marinara and amazing dutch crust garlic bread
Scrambled egg whites with turkey spam lite, onions, Gorgonzola and Parmesan cheese...so good.

Today may be tricky since I have to run errands...sounds like it's time to go get a healthy sandwich.

Attempting to Live Differently

     I am for the most part your average consumerist. I am 27 year old female, married and renting a condo in the Bay Area. I grew up along the I-80 corridor, one of the busiest commutes in the United States I think. Home to a whole myriad of fast food restaurants. I grew up in a small household. My father was a fire-fighter in the Air Force who delivered pizzas part-time to make ends meet in Montana. When we moved to California the only food access we had was a local outrageously priced grocery store and the base commissary. But we had full access to a wide range of fast food chains. So needless to say I grew up on instant ramen and a ton of burger joints. I am about 165 pounds if I were to guess right now. I am about a size 12 give or take and 5'9". I have curves, so much so that people often ask if I am pregnant which I find not only awkward but terribly insulting and annoying.
     When I met my amazing husband he had been off his Naval ship less than a week and was quite the hotty. He moved in with my family and became one of the family. He took on their habits and had a few of his own. But I am the greatest contributor to our health since I do almost all the shopping and cooking in the family...and I don't cook very often. He very much loves to give me what I want so when he asks what I want for dinner, nine times out of ten it's fast food. And three out of five times it's Taco Hell.

     So when I went once again to get Taco Hell for lunch this afternoon I had an epiphany. What if I could go an entire year without fast food? How hard would that be? What kind of weight would I loose and how much would I piss my friends and family off when they want to go out to eat some junk? And what if I wrote about it? Now I don't know if I am able to make that kind of commitment, especially in my living situation. But I would like to try. One Year. Would that change my life forever?

     I had Taco Hell for lunch, but for dinner I made Tortellini with Italian Sausage and Mushrooms. I loathe mushrooms but I thought, what the heck. I know my husband loves em so why not. I was so used to my dad's ol' canned button mush mushs that the taste of a fresh Capellini mushroom was actually exotic and appealing!!! I think I could actually do this and in fact- it may make me loose that tummy of mine and perhaps save our wallets and keep us afloat. It's worth a try.

So here is the ground rules:

1. No Fast Food- at all. That is anything with a drive through, so I say that subway doesn't count since for the most part they can be quite healthy.

2. Must be fresh as I am able to do and can afford to. That means weaning off Spaghetti O's and Ramen Noodles and anything "instant".

3. No Soda or Soft Drinks. I will be able to have perhaps one drink a week as a treat.

4. I have to write about it, this includes any cravings or frustrations I may have.

5. I also have to track my weight as much as I am able.

That's about it. Time for bed and early to rise. We'll see how well I fare tomorrow.