Off White Living

Changing your diet is going to do more than just alter your waisteline.  Whether you go off white, simply reduce portions, go Atkins, go Zone diet, or just stop eating junk food, something is going to change.

The non-weight related changes that happen when we change our diets is a seriously undervalued concept, in my opinion.  I think its these somewhat ‘immeasurable’ changes that actually drive people to continue making good dietary choices because they are the stuff that real life is made of.  It’s not like being skinnier by itself is a lifechanging experience, but rather the new behaviors, attitudes, relationships, etc that happen.

I was recently inspired by a client who mentioned that a week of eating healthy made her want to color her hair, as an act of self-care.  Who knew that eating healthy could lead to a better hair day?  So I thought it might be helpful to you off-white readers to know what to look out for when you make healthy choices.  This by no means a comprehenisve list, and I’d love to hear for YOU about how your life changes when you eat well.

Some of the ways healthy eating can change your life include:

• A desire to wear the cuter clothes in your closet
• Increased interest in managing your money better, including less money wasting, more saving, and just more caring about where it all goes
• Willingness to reason things out with loved ones when you fight
• Taking the stairs more than the elevator
• Starting or finishing those craft/photography/sewing/whatever projects you started a million years ago
• You can actually get a good night’s rest
• You can taste the flavors in real food
• Looking people in the eye when you talk to them
• Better sex, or just having sex in general
• You laugh more, because life is funny, isn’t it?
• You shave your legs, even when you don’t have a date
• Treating yourself to the new make up/lotion/nail polish/shampoo, etc that you would never buy before
• You want to see your friend b/c you feel good about yourself
• More time in the kitchen, less time in the drive-thru
• Looking at your thighs when you sit down doesn’t drive you as crazy as it once did
• You sign up for a half marathon/5K/triathalon
• Exercise clothes take up more laundry space than lounging around clothes
• You want to get dressed on the weekends….but not all the time.  Jammie days are still a vital part of life
• Your skin is clearer
• You care about how the inside of your car looks, and you clean it more regularly
• People start asking you for advice on how to cook healthier/eat better
• You appreciate your family more
• Less crying, except for the happy kind
• Less PMS
• You can recognize when you need a time out, and you take it!
• Bubble baths are fun again!
• Your spiritual life and practice improve
• your spouse is no longer the root of your problems…nor the solution to them
• Work isn’t as bad as you once thought
• You’re looking for a new job (if work really is as as you thought)
• It’s okay for you to be in a photograph, even next to your skinny friends/sisters/brothers, etc
• You’re planning a vacation and might actually wear a bathing suit or at least shorts
• Tank tops are no longer off limits
• You don’t have any more room on the kitchen counter because it’s covered in fruits and veggies every week
• You know how to pronounce quinoa

And the list just goes on and on!  Thanks to all of those who have shared their stories and inspired ME to think about all the wonderful reasons why I love to eat healthy because I forget sometimes too!