By Assistant Editor Shayna Spiker
I originally started Munchie Mondays to share with you my love for food, cooking, and entertaining. This year, the column will take a slight right turn. I will still share the same information, but with healthier options. I have recently joined Weight Watchers in a step to become healthier and I want to share my journey with you.
I have pretty much always been overweight to some extent. I have gone up and down, as most women have, from different life factors like stress, being uneducated about health and nutrition, and periods of being healthy and periods of just eating whatever on Earth I wanted. Last year, I embarked on a similar “I’m-going-to-get-healthy” journey and began going to the gym 5-7 days a week. I wasn’t watching what I was eating so much, but I definitely was making better choices than I had been previously. I lost about 30 pounds during this time. I felt great, had tons of energy, and got rid of more than half my wardrobe because it was too big (woo hoo!).
In April, a friend of mine passed away suddenly and I couldn’t get myself into the gym for a week. That week turned into 2 then 4 and before I knew it, months had passed and I’d gained all of the weight back and then some. This rapid weight loss then gain put stress on my knees that I’ve never experienced before. I decided that going to the gym just wasn’t enough. I also need to retrain myself how to eat for my body and my health. So I, along with my boyfriend and my mom, joined Weight Watchers.
So far, I’ve lost a little over 5 pounds. It’s been about 7 weeks, and I’ve had somewhat slow progress, but I have to say these results are great considering I joined just in time for the deliciously dangerous holiday season.
It’s been hard to get into a regular workout routine with my knees hurting as often as they do (this is partly due to the change in barometric pressure when we get rain, which we seem to have been getting a lot of), but I am trying to get at least a little bit of movement in every day. The important thing to remember when starting a new workout routine is to start small. It may seem like you’re not doing enough for your body at first, but you have to train (or retrain, in my case) your body and build up to working out 5+ days a week.
So this year’s Munchie Mondays will still include recipes, tips, favorite restaurants, dishes, etc. but will be more focused on how to eat what you love in a way that’s better for your body. I will keep you updated on my progress – both good and bad – as I chip away at my goals: lose 60 pounds, eatmore fruits, vegetables and legumes, and exercise regularly. I hope you will join me on my journey to better health and share your comments, questions, hurdles, tips, and more.