HealthWellNews

Putting My Oxygen Mask on First – Trajectory of Health (Healthy Eating)

I recently made changes in my diet to improve my overall health. I questioned whether I should make such significant changes – I know the value of starting with one small change for overall lasting improvement. My weight tends to vary fairly significantly. I’ve struggled with being mindful and present while eating. I tend to eat my emotions to avoid experiencing them.

I also am concerned about the health impacts of “yo yo” dieting. But when I look at my weight journey, I realize that I shouldn’t be focusing on the peaks and valleys. My weight journey as any journey in life, isn’t a straight line….I’m human. And life isn’t that simple. However, the overall trajectory is heading in the right direction.

The bigger struggle with my weight started during fertility treatments. I had always been a runner, and wasn’t able to run for two weeks of the month as my ovaries were the size of grapefruit. I was also experiencing depression…and eating to fill the sadness. I’ve hit “peaks” of wellness with Weight Watchers, Whole30, Whole Life Challenge, and Intermittent Fasting. And I’ve had “valleys” in between where I consumed more processed food and sugar than veggies.

With each attempt to clean up my diet, I have grown. I have learned more about my motivations, my body and my triggers. Each time, I discover new healthy foods that I love – brussel sprouts, beets, kale, green drinks, Kombucha, kimchi…and new recipes to add in our rotation. I’ve also learned new skills each time – like focusing on “choosing to eat healthy food that nourishes and supports my body” versus focusing on what I can’t eat, taking a second to pause, breathe and check in on my emotional state and how my body feels before and after eating, brushing my teeth or having some doTERRA Slim & Sassy instead of indulging in cravings, meditating/going for a walk/taking a bath with essential oils to pamper myself instead of eating some chocolate, or waiting out hunger pangs knowing they are cycle and actually will go away even if you don’t eat.

And this week, I received evidence that my overall trajectory is on point, when I learned my lipid panels and AIC look better than when I was in college.

Will I hit more valleys or plateaus in the future? Very likely..but with compassionate awareness, I will spend less time in the valleys and plateaus and use my previous experience and learnings to continue my journey and keep the overall trajectory on point.

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