Baby Steps v Going Cold Turkey

My therapist said something, the other day, that turned on an interesting "light bulb" in my brain; I updated her on my current health concerns (recent diagnosis of high cholesterol), and what I had planned to do about it. And she told me that some people can manage just fine, with baby steps, while others need to go cold turkey. And then she asked me if I knew which one of those applied to me.

I stopped smoking, over 15 years ago...by going cold turkey. When I lived in Knoxville, TN for a year (back in 2015), I began my vegetarian lifestyle....by going cold turkey. After I recovered from being paralyzed (while living in GA, back in 2016), I notice I started taking baby steps, back to healthy; and my health is getting worse, not better.

I'm not good at baby steps. It seems that that particular approach gives me too much leeway, to drift back into old habits; and it's my old habits that are causing all these health issues! I have to be the one who goes cold turkey, if I'm going to succeed at all.

My new lifestyle will now consist of a 90% whole foods, plant-based diet; the other 10% will be things like pasta, crackers, bread, fatty fish and protein shakes; although, with the pasta and crackers, I can opt for the whole grain varieties, which are much healthier than the white flour varieties. I can't eat candy, chips, soda, fast food, or anything unhealthy....not even in moderation. If I eat it, I'll be taking the chance of slipping back into old habits. However, living without sweets and treats, is a depressing thought! Pinterest is a godsend, in this case!

I've been searching Pinterest, for the last few days, for ways to still enjoy snacks, desserts, and pizza without taking the chance of being diagnosed with another health concern; and I've found hundreds of plant-based recipes, even for donuts and cake! The moderation ideal will still be a routine for me...but I don't have to abstain, forever.

Don't think that's "going cold turkey" enough? I used to be able to eat an entire Domino's veggie ExtravaganZZa pizza (I always switched the meat out for more veggies), a whole bag of Ruffles potato chips, and a 2 ltr of Coke by myself....in one meal. I have a very interesting learning curve, when it comes to portion control. So, no more soda! And if I have pizza or chips, I can make them myself, for my whole family; and just have a portion of them.....one slice of pizza, or a handful of homemade potato chips. But, for now....I'm abstaining.

Now that I'm back on track with my "Healthy Me" agenda, I have good news....I've lost 9 lbs, already! It's been two weeks, and I'm getting better at moving around the house, as well. As soon as I'm done with all of my medical appointments, I'm going to join my daughter at Planet Fitness, and begin a "disability friendly" workout routine. She'll be taking photos and video of my progress, so I'll be able to keep you posted on that.

Here's what I've learned about portion control, from ChooseMyPlate....

Grains (whole grain foods)

• 1 slice of bread
• ½ cup of cooked rice, pasta, cooked cereal
• 1 cup ready-to-eat cereal
• 1 small biscuit
• 5 crackers
• ½ English muffin
• 1 large or 2 small pancakes
• 3 cups popcorn
• 1 small flour tortilla, or 1 corn tortilla

Veggies (fresh, canned or frozen)

• 1 cup chopped veggies, or veggie juice
• 2 cups leafy greens
• 4 spears of asparagus
• 1 cup chopped, or 1 large bell pepper
• 16 florets of broccoli
• ¼ of a head of cauliflower
• ⅓ of a cucumber
• 20 spears of green beans
• 1 cup diced, or 2 ribs of celery
• 1 cup, or 1 large ear of corn
• 1 zucchini
• 1 cup mashed, or 1 large potato

Fruits (fresh, frozen, dried or canned)

• 1 cup fruit (diced cantaloupe, diced tomato, blueberries, etc)
• 1 cup fruit juice
• ½ cup dried fruit
• 1 small apple (1 c. applesauce)
• 1 medium banana
• 32 grapes
• 1 medium pear
• 8 strawberries
• 3 plums
• ½ an avocado
• 1 medium grapefruit

Protein Foods

• ¼ cup of dry beans/legumes (cooked)
• 2 Tbsp of hummus
• 1 egg
• 2 Tbsp. of nut butter
• 1 oz. nuts or seeds (roughly ⅓ of a cup)
• 16 cashews
• 28 peanuts
• 24 pistachios
• 12 almonds
• 7 walnut halves
• 1 oz. cooked fish
• Shrimp (according to Healthy Dining Finder)
• 5-6 jumbo
• 8-9 large
• 10-11 medium

Dairy Foods

• 1 cup of milk
• 1 cup of yogurt (1 8 oz. container)
• 1 ½ oz. hard cheese (cheddar, mozzarella, Swiss, Parmesan, etc.)
• ⅓ cup shredded cheese
• 2 cups cottage cheese
• 1 cup of pudding
• 1 cup of frozen yogurt
• 1 ½ cups of ice cream

Oils (and foods high in fats)

• 3 Tbsp of vegetable oil (canola, corn, cottonseed, olive, peanut, coconut, soybean, and sunflower)
• 1 Tbsp margarine
• 1 Tbsp mayo (Miracle Whip)
• 2 Tbsp Italian salad dressing
• 4 large olives
• ½ of a medium avocado
• 2 Tbsp of peanut butter
• 3 Tbsp of sunflower seeds (or other seeds)

I'm super excited about the idea of no longer being as fat as I currently am; but, at the same time, I'm viciously apprehensive about doing whatever it takes to get to that point! I've been morbidly obese for over 20 years; reaching my goal weight, and becoming healthy (despite the breast cancer) is a terrifying "big picture" to comprehend!

Wanna know what scares me more than that? Not being alive, anymore. Next stop....healthy me!!