Project Self: Clean the Fridge

The most important part of leading a healthy life (other than making the commitment to do so) is eating properly. We've talked about it before, but let me just show you what I mean. Here's my refrigerator in its current state. I had to really break down, empty the entire thing, and start from scratch. But now, we build on healthy blocks every week and don't have any toxic residue left behind for temptation.

Preface: Not all of my food is organic. And no, beer and wine are not good for you while you're trying to lose weight. Duh. Oh, and that beer is NOT mine. Ew. I can't say the same for the wine...

L to R (all organic/cage free/antibiotic and hormone free): 

turkey breast, turkey bacon, kiwi, strawberries, vine ripened tomatoes

We buy all of our meat at Fresh Market because I can't bear to eat non-organic meats. And it tastes way better this way. Promise.

L to R and F to B: 

organic strawberries, Dannon OIKOS vanilla greek yogurt, Stoneyfield Farms OIKOS plain greek yogurt, more vanilla greek yogurt, Country Crock that I need to throw away because we don't use it, Arnold Health-full bread, Nature's Own 100% whole wheat hot dog buns, Nature's Promise organic eggs, organic egg whites (don't remember the brand)

L to R(ish):

Horizon part-skim organic cheese sticks, organic cheddar (in baggy), Kraft cheddar, organic feta on top of Sabra classic hummus, Little S' ham, part skim shredded mozzerella, Little S' cheese sticks (Borden?), fresh ginger and lemongrass

If you're like me, cheese is a major weakness. Horizon's part-skim organic cheese sticks are a great stand-in when a craving hits and they're a good source of protein for a small snack. Make sure to pair your protein with a good carb like a pear or apple. I stick (as best I can) to a 1400 calorie/day regimen which allows for 3 meals at 400 calories each and one afternoon snack at 200 calories.

L to R(ish):

organic oranges, organic apples, conventional lemons, organic pears, conventional carrots

F to B:

conventional green onions, organic red and green peppers (underneath), organic spinach

Buying organic is definitely more expensive, but your health is an investment. I'm not going to go all haywire on why I choose to eat organic when I can, but it's a choice I've made and try to stick to for my family and myself. What I find *most* helpful about eating organic meats and produce is that when I spend more dollars on healthy foods, I have less dollars to spend on cheapie snack crap. This yields more lean proteins, fruits, and veggies and less crackers, chips, and cookies in our house. Win-win? I think so.

If you have any questions about what foods you should buy organic and which ones you can get away with buying conventional, Katy is a great source!!! She helped me a lot when I first started changing to organics. Now, I don't *always* follow the golden rules. For instance, in a perfect world, my lemons, green onions, and carrots would all be organic. I use the lemon ZEST, so the peel is definitely touched with pesticides and other chemicals when the inside isn't, so if you're just using the meat of the fruit, conventional is totally okay. Get it?

The deets:

last week - 189.6

this week - 190.2

up: 0.6

69.8 lbs to go

My refrigerator is somewhat moot at this point, however.

I'm a little bit frustrated about how clean and healthy I've been eating and I'm not seeing the weight drop. After my initial 16 lbs, nothing has really happened and I've been on a 1 lb fluctuation for three weeks. After talking with my family, watching a few documentaries on cleansing and healthy fasting, discussing my decision with the doctor for whom I work, and getting Husband in on the plan, I've decided to cleanse and reboot. We are focused on weight loss, but not primarily. We want to clean our bodies of the nastiness we've done to them, introduce a micronutrient rich diet into our lives and well... try something drastic together.

So, for the next (x amount of) days, Husband and I will be doing a juice fast. Yep, I just sprung that one on you since I know everyone's going to have a zillion opinions and no matter what, I'm doing it. I'll be reporting!

Ready. Set. LINK!