Sounds simple right? Well, in theory. After reading Food Rules and In Defense of Food, I have been trying to move in that direction. So far, I am loving the result, but I can clearly see how difficult it is to glide past about 90% of the grocery store, and I can acknowledge that access to real food isn’t as convenient or cheap. This is quite disturbing to me, because I actually live in a place where a good chunk of the population has been eating whole foods for years and years, and there’s a natural grocery store on every other corner, along with a vibrant and consistent farmer’s market. When I think of people who live in smaller towns across America that don’t have that kind of access, it really saddens me. Add on top the cost of eating in this way and it’s no wonder that obesity plagues the less affluent. I mean, which is cheaper – eating at Burger King or buying grass fed, hormone free ground beef at the grocery store, along with a whole grain buns and add in the time it takes to prepare? But it is not impossible. As Pollan often writes and says, we can vote with our forks. If we push back that we prefer whole foods we can influence the market.

Listen to Michael Pollan explain it (he does so much better):

One of my favorite rules that he’s written is that you should make your own food. Want french fries? Make them yourself. Want fried chicken? Don’t go to KFC, make your own. Not only can you control the ingredients and how it is made, you are less likely to do it often. You’ll save those foods for special days.

So here’s what I have been doing to get started on my path:

• Given up artificial sweeteners (I’ve been meaning to do that for years). This means I’ve switched from coffee to tea, which has been nice. It’s cheaper and better and makes me feel better. And it’s easier to make. That also means giving up soda. Thankfully, this food revelation coincided with Lent, where I had been planning on giving up soda anyway.
• Eating at and from home as much as possible.  Eating at home allows you to control exactly what you eat. Thanks to my adventures in couponing, I’ve been doing that a lot of this year anyway. I’ve always felt deep down that the key to my health and my bank account is to cut out dining out. I’ve been striving for this for a very long time, and I finally feel like I’m in a routine and I’m situated well for this lifestyle. Eating out is now a luxury. This also means that I’ve gotten over my fast food addiction.
• Be willing to try new things. I’m a picky eater and I have delicate taste buds, but I am trying to get over that. If I could learn to love the grease that comes from fast food, I can learn to love vegetables.
• Realize I will not be perfect at this. The world around me is absolutely working against us in this effort. There will be moments when I cannot have food from home. And there will be moments, when I will have to compromise to make the people in my life who aren’t on board with this philosophy. It is going to be a challenge.

I do not embrace wellness like I should. Which is ironic, since I practically live near the center for all things Wellness…Boulder, Colorado.

Wellness is more than dieting and exercising. It’s a state of being. With an abundance of local resources at my disposal, and plenty of sources of inspiration, I’m going to try and embrace that state of being little by little.

First up — reasonable eating. Not huge overwhelming diet. Simply — reasonable.

And to match that, I’m going to incorporate  movement. Not crazy cardio madness. Simply — movement.

It’s a habit I formed in the dorms, when I’d be too lazy to walk down the hall- and by down the hall I mean pretty far down a long hall- to brush my teeth at night. It also didn’t help that freshmen year of college I hit my alcoholic peak of drinking mostly every night. Freshmen year I also gained the freshmen ten. All around, freshmen year was when it all went wrong for me. But, it’s now technically my senior year (I graduated a semester early) – no more excuses.

I’m doing a favor for my poor teeth and doing crest white strips daily. After seven years of smoking and making my teeth yucky it’s the least I can do for them. Quitting smoking is great because it gives you a reason to thoroughly clean out everything- teeth included. I hope that my teeth go less from looking like this:

An exaggeration. not my real teeth. but you get the picture

And more to looking like this:

I have a gap between my two front teeth they will never be this perf.

In honor of good dental hygiene here is an absolute favorite of mine from Yo Gabba Gabba.

I always go through periods of working out and then just quit. It’s quite hard to keep up the routine. I do this often- get really into doing something and then just crash and burn. Part of this project is to actually maintain healthy habits. So, this week I’ve been working out. It’s been really really nice actually. My normal workout regiment is 30 minutes of cardio work, either on a stair-master or an elliptical machine and then some weight work. Of course the highlight of doing this is getting to listen to copious amounts of Lady Gaga. Music is the key to a good work out. I spend a lot of time perfecting my work out play lists. This time around my play list may just be good enough to keep me going to the gym.

Part of my new fitness regiment is to change my diet. I’ve been using this website to track all of the calories I eat a day. It’s like weight watchers but free! First of all, you input all of your info like weight/height/age/activity level and how much weight you want to lose or gain. It tells you exactly how many calories a day you have to eat to obtain said goal. I set my goal at losing two pounds per week, set my activity level at sedentary, and the site said I need to eat only 989 calories a day! Hard! 989 calories are easily spent. For instance, A subway sandwich is 450 calories, plus chips which are usually 120 calories, and a cookie (can’t forget the cookie!) is like 200 calories. That puts you at 770 calories! Not a lot left for the rest of the day. Luckily, you also track whatever you did. Did you know taking a shower burns 60 calories?  The calories you burn are added to your allotment. It actually hasn’t been to hard so far. I can eat basically what I want but I do have to make smart choices. For instance, getting the Baked Lays at Subway as opposed to my n0rmal Sunchips saves me 100 calories. Getting a value sized fry at Burger King saves me 200 calories from getting my normal medium. As with most things in weight loss, it’s about exercising and not going crazy with food. Eating until your full and no more.

Now, obviously, I have a severe obsession with fast food- we’ll save that for a later blog post.

Everyone knows that 22nd birthdays are kind of no big. No big party, no big milestone, no big anything. For me, my 22nd birthday actually means a lot. It means growing up, it mean transitions, it means opening a new chapter. Remember being little and how you’d always have an age you like couldn’t wait to be? Well, usually my favorite age was 23- but sometimes it was 22! I’d imagine myself as a big girl and it- or rather I- was awesome.

As a child, I would be this beautiful actress dating Leonardo DiCaprio, internationally famous, living in Del Mar, California and  winning academy awards right and left. Little did I know, Leonardo DiCaprio wouldn’t age well at all.

As a 14 year old, I’d be a musician, and the little bit of guitar practice I did then would pay off as I toured with Bright Eyes and headlines Coachella. I’d have a cute boyfriend with whom I’d have an extremely dramatic relationship. Little did I know, I’d pretty much never pick up a guitar again after 15.

As a highschool student, I would be a college graduate working for some awesome publication writing music reviews. Maybe I’d live in New York, maybe still Denver. I’d be thin, have an awesome wardrobe, be financially okay and have a cute boyfriend. Most importantly, I’d be happy.  Obviously, expectations get lower the older you get. Little did I know, journalism would be a dying profession and the freshmen 10 isn’t a joke.

However, I think high school me would be okay with me now, some of those things did happen by the end of college.

For instance:

• I have a cute, handsome, wonderful long-term boyfriend.

Mr. Escobedo and I

• I did indeed graduate from college
  

  I actually made it through the Journalism School like a good little journalist.

• I write for a well circulated publication, covering local music. See?
• I have no picture for my wardrobe, but I think it’s great. I am addicted to shopping so it will never be all I want it to be but I have pieces I love, a variety of dresses, heals and boots, leather accessories, nice jeans, and coats I adore.
• Most importantly, I am truly happy. I have people in my life I love. I think I’ve become a much better, more stand-able person since then, I’m not pretentious or trying to fit into any stereotype like I did then. I’m not wallowing in eemness (code for being emo) for the sake of being dramatic. I like what I like, am who I am- and I’m happy as this person.
• Oh, and I quit smoking! Which as mentioned in a previous post was a goal of mine.

So, point is, I may not be the thinnest or coolest person in the world (in fact, I’ve gained weight and gotten more lame since high school), but I think high school me would be pretty proud of done with college, adult, 22-year-old me.

As for current goals, I think here are some attainable ways to see myself as a 23-year old:

• Employed- leaving this open-ended
• Living in a different apartment- this is a given, as my lease expires in in July.
• About ten pounds lighter- most likely the goal that will be the hardest to actually attain.
• A big girl- as in everything on this blog!! Specifically, good with finances, neat, cook a lot, not procrastinate, etc.
• A better person- Obviously, everyone wants to be a better person. I specifically mean to not get upset over stupid things, like jealousy and to appreciate my relationships more.

I think it is also appropriate to write out a few of my larger goals to hit before 30 so that way when I do turn 30 I can be disappointed in myself for not reaching them.

• Travel to Europe again. Perhaps spend a month there.
• Live in a nice apartment or home with a big kitchen and at least two sinks, a patio and a spare room for the cats
• Have a job I am okay with that pays decently.
• Regularly have adult cocktails like mojitos and mai tais made out of expensive liquor because I’m an adult so I don’t buy PBR anymore.
• Dress super classy and profesh.

Well anyway, hello new chapter, I’m excited for you! You and I are going to be great friends!

I just graduated, as Ro told you, exactly a month ago. I’ve never been a particularily healthy person, however, I have my moments. I’ve been vegetarian for eight years now, and I was Vegan for three of those years. I try to eat healthy- sometimes, but I also go through some bad ruts. For one, as a college student I was prone to eating copius amounts of fast food. Also as a college student-and highschool student, I was prone to copius amounts of  drinking, not only beer, wine and hard liquor but diet soda and caffiene. And as a wanna-be cool 14 year old I was prone to the worst of all habits- smoking.

I’m not a student anymore, so really there is no excuse to participate in said behavior. Time to be a big girl and cook from time to time, not guzzle 6 beers a night and quit the nastiest of habits- smoking cigarettes. 14 year old self thought the first time she picked up a cig “I’ll quit by the time I’m an adult”, well I’m almost 22 and no longer a student- I am no longer a kid, I’m officially an adult- or at least trying to be one. Thanks a lot past self for making current self quit smoking, I really appreciate how you wanted to fit in the with the older kids thus making me a raving lunatic with nicotine fits. Thanks a lot.

I had already quit smoking new years day, but my other habits were in tact, and I was worried about putting on a lot of weight because of quitting. So I thought new year, new decade, new chapter- I should do a detox, I’ll lose weight, nicotine will be out of my system and my liver that’s been abused through four years of college (kidding of course) will be cleansed. On January 8th I started my detox with the help of a $45 GNC kit that included 9 pills and a disgusting fiber blend to take each day of my week long cleanse. The cleanse called for severe diet changes: no bread, sugar, yeast, dairy, processed foods, additives, chemicals etc. So basically it was being vegan but harder because I could have no sugar at all. Obviously, it called for no caffiene, cigarettes or alcohol.

The food part was no problem for me at all, but everything else was quite hard. I love iced tea. I love beer and wine. And, I don’t love but am addicted to cigarettes. I got through the week though with out breaking the detox at all, even though I was tempted (mostly by smoking). I lost five pounds during the course of the week, which is fairly impressive and I enjoyed cooking. I’m really glad I did it, but now I’m trying to not go back to poor eating and drinking habits. I can admit I’ve gone back to caffeine with a new love for it. Unfortunately for PBR, I’ve realized that drinking will put on the pounds faster than anything else.

My diet looked something like this:

• Wake-up: cup of soy yogurt with fresh berries in it
• Snack: banana or apple or something
• Dinner: brown rice cous-cous with grilled vegetable and tofu or tempeh (seasoned with a variety of vegan friendly sauces)
• Snack: veggies with a little bit of peanut butter (I cheated there, but only a little bit)

Note that I’m unemployed and I sleep until at least 11 am everyday so my eating schedule is a bit off…But that’s another bad habit for another post.

Okay, okay. The fun party is over. Our money’s gone, our jeans are too tight, and our apartments are more cluttered than ever. Thank heavens January is finally here and we can get started.

First things first–

Just ripe from graduating, Marissa is on the job hunt. She’ll also be doing a week long detox (which should make her crabby as all hell).

Rochelle, just ripe from a decade of excess, is going to work on her financial situation (which should make her ridiculously desperate and scattered).

Should be fun!

(Not really…it’ll probably be ugly).

Maybe it will be funny?

(…that’s all we can hope for).