Most people run a marathon and lose weight. Not me. From the last month of training for the LA Marathon to now I’ve gained around 8 pounds. That might not sound astronomical, but I can’t button my pants. I don’t want to buy new pants, therefore I’m going on a diet.
A month or so ago I started seriously thinking about what I’m eating. When I was training for the marathon what I was eating was EVERYTHING. I wrote a story about marathon training and how not to gain weight, but obviously I did not follow the advice in that last month. I’ve also written about how I don’t diet, but I’m 40 now and it’s time to reconsider my strategy.
I don’t think I can do it on my own and my husband doesn’t need to lose weight. As a matter of fact, he’s down to what he weighed in college because he “just eats less” and he suggested that maybe I should try it.
After I removed the fork from his jugular I started thinking about that. Maybe if I could just cut out meat and eat less cheese, I could possibly drop a couple of pounds.
>Last month I was given a tour of the Whole Foods in Venice and told about their “Health Starts Here” program. It’s all about eating a plant based diet. I made this dish called “Greens and Beans” and it was really good. Simple and flavorful and naturally gluten-free.
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| Whole Foods “Greens and Beans” |
Unfortunately, the recipe called for vegetable broth, but I was out so I used olive oil instead. This is a typical move for me; adding more calories to something that shouldn’t have that many. I was just proud that I didn’t add cheese.
After that day at Whole Foods I really started considering making more vegetables and less meat at home. But all I did was think about it. In order to take action I need to do something drastic. Now, thanks to Whole Foods of West LA, I’m going drastic. I’m one of a group of bloggers to do the “Health Starts Here” program. I’ve signed up for the “28 day challenge.”
There’s a guided 4-week program that includes cooking lessons, recipes, and information about how to build a positive relationship to food.
What is crazy and could kill me is that there is no refined sugar or meat. No sugar. I love sugar. I bake all the time and a big part of my blog is about making gluten-free dessert. I don’t know how it will go, but I’m definitely going to try it.
Disclosure: I don’t really have one. I wasn’t compensated for this post, but wanted to mention in case you were wondering.