Whining and Dining

I have decided this:

Eating healthy is not for the faint of heart, faint of stomach, or faint of wallet (if there is such a thing). 

Why?  Well, this post is dedicated (in a light-hearted and somewhat sarcastic way) to that VERY topic.  

After obsessing for two weeks about what in the world I would send for the girls' snack day at preschool I realized something.  Well, maybe two things.  One, I am a complete and total crackpot these days, and two, eating healthy is stinkin' hard.  No decision I make about food anymore is easy.  Everything seems like a complicated mathematical formula.  No more do I walk in the grocery store, grab a pack of "Ho-Ho's" and call it a day.  There is a thought process that starts the minute I step through the automatic doors.  

From time to time I mourn the "easy" and misleadingly "cheap" way of eating of my past.  I mean...hello...the dollar menu?!?  How simple and cheap is that?  When you really break it down...it's not all that cheap in the long-run really, but as Americans we tend to lean more heavily on instant gratification and less on our future.  I'm not sure how much triple bypass surgery costs, but I sure know it doesn't look fun...

In honor of whiners like me everywhere, I decided to compile a list of Top Ten Reasons Why Eating Healthy Is Hard just for fun...so here goes:

10. We all love food that could withstand a nuclear explosion.  I mean, the Twinkie is radioactive already, so why not consume it?  Maybe we'll have super powers too! (ps...this site is dedicated to experimentation that's been conducted on the Twinkie and it's hilarious - http://www.twinkiesproject.com/)

9. We're lazy. Plain and simple. It's easier to pop a pot pie in the micro than fix a healthy version from scratch.

8. It takes more time. Reading labels, keeping a food journal/log, cooking from scratch, planning ahead - these all take more time, and we are just too busy and mentally exhausted...it seems impossible.  (Come to think of it...pretty much ANY positive behavior change is difficult because of #9 and #8.  It takes more effort and more time to make a change for the better.) 

7. Carrots and Brussel Sprouts don't come in packaging that features a sea Captain or zealous tiger.

6. Frankly, the sound tofu makes as it is released from its packaging is enough of a reason in and of itself.

5. We're leary of eating any color with the exception of "golden brown" which is featured in some of our favorite food groups: the nugget, the fry, the fried Oreo, and the ring of onion.

4. Shopping the perimeter of the grocery store is too much physical exertion.

3. Pizza. Ice Cream. Chocolate. Skittles. Need I say more?

2. You can't join in on the fun of "double coupon day" when you're buying a bunch of fruits and veggies.  And without coupons...is life really worth living?!?

And the number reason?

You dig?

All joking aside...it is hard.  It is a day-to-day, moment-to-moment decision.  If you really sit down and think about it, you are willing to pay more for the things that are important to you.  Apple computer, anyone?  ;)  YOU have to make the choice for yourself whether the benefits of eating healthy outweigh the extra dough, time, and effort.  I think they do.

This week I gained 0.6 pounds.  Boo.  BUT I'm still chugging along.  My total loss to date is 86 pounds. I'm pretty proud of that!  Looking forward to a GREAT week and a GREAT weigh-in!

Merry Christmas everyone!!!