How I'm Doing It -- Diet

You've read about the exercise component of my journey to healthy living, so now it's time to talk about the nutritional side of things. What am I doing to ensure I am eating properly? After all, a proper diet (ie: staying within one's correct caloric intake, balancing protein/carbs/etc correctly, eating smaller meals more frequently) is even more essential to losing weight and being healthy than proper exercise. You can workout all you want, but if you eat like crap, you're going to feel (and look) like crap.

For my weight, height and BMR (basal metabolic rate), I am afforded a certain number of calories, grams of fat, protein/carb intake each day and I am encouraged to drink at least 64 oz of water every day. How do I ensure I am staying within my limits? As I mentioned, I track it - using My Fitness Pal. Haven't used this? Try it - it's fabulous! It's super easy to use, a lot of what I am cooking/eating is already in their system, and it really helps me stay on track!

I am also reading. A lot. Websites, blogs, Facebook pages. And getting some of my recipes from the following publications -

I totally plan to get a subscription to Clean Eating!

In addition, I make meals from this cookbook -

And, my all time favorite recipe website - Skinny Taste. Love me some Gina's recipes! Everything I have made tastes like it's loaded with calories and fat - but it's NOT! It's absolutely amazing, and the best of both worlds for this girl who looooves to eat - tasty foods and guilt free eating! Even my husband told me that the chicken enchiladas were better than anything he'd ever eaten in a Mexican restaurants. We live fairly close to some pretty authentic Mexican restaurants, so this is a huge compliment. I am so happy my friend, Mandy, let me in on this site last year!

Some other good sites for recipes and nutritional information are - Kath Eats Real Food and The Daily Garnish. A good blog to read is Weighing In and Moving On - Kristen is chronicling her journey to a healthy body and she has lost about 150 lbs so far! She is truly inspiring!

I hope you find something tasty (and healthy!) to eat from this post. I plan to update on nutrition (and exercise) as I continue on my journey. So, stay tuned ... and HAPPY EATING!

**special thanks to fellow heart mom, Jenny Lincoln, from Aly Jean's Special Heart for teaching me how to hot link!! **