Cheese Free and Feeling Fine

(Dan and I gave up cheese and chocolate for the month of January. It was my idea and based on slight cookie overdose around the holidays. Dan expanded the challenge to the rest of the year, changing it up every month. Stay tuned for more.)

Sacrifice.

I have a whole new outlook on life! Okay, just kidding. The immediate effects were withdrawls not obvious, but after the second week Dan & I both feel much, much, MUCH more active. I  really expected to feel like this:

But it managed to starting feeling like this:

Challenge.
I only added cheese to our month long hiatus to make it a little harder. But to be perfectly honest, cheese has been way harder to go without. As I think about it, we put cheese on everything…mozzarella, cheddar, american, parmesan. And that’s just without getting fancy. Goat cheese and/or feta were a bi-weekly grocery item.
Solution.
To counter any type of dependency, you just need accessible and healthier options.  It’s now easier than ever to find tasty and amazingly healthy recipes online so there is no reason you couldn’t attempt this challenge also (I am not challenging you though, well…). My biggest tip is to sit down before you go grocery shopping and plan out your week as best as you can. How many lunches do you need, how many dinners and for whom? Then do a search for recipes that you could incorporate into your week. I typically look for at least 2 that have 30 min or less prep time and then others that could produce leftovers or ingredients you could spread across more than 1 meal. Anything that is time consuming I fully prep the night before so that I eliminate a lot of time in between getting home and food-to-mouth.
Completely Inspired.
Two things that I can instantly point out that have changed for me is waking up in the morning started to get surprisingly easier this week and I am craving more veggies than usual. As it gets colder I usually start sinking into some form of S.A.D., so any extra energy I can find is eagerly welcomed. It’s been interesting to see such positive effects from eliminating only TWO things from our diets. I’d like to think that we are healthier than average eaters to begin with. And I do know that there are still a lot more hurdles to fly over before we can say we are completely healthy.  Don’t fret, you are sure to be hearing about them.
Mission Continues.
I would say that I started really getting more into food & fitness within this past year. Having close friends and a boyfriend that also feel passionate about being healthy is a huge impactor in my developing interests. But, as with anyone, you have to have an overall interest in doing the research and being healthy for yourself to really succeed. It’s been quite a journey so far, but it’s a long (and exciting) road ahead, with this food blog just being a small step. I hope I can continue to keep up with this blog to share my insights, new recipes and fitness tips as I work on being healthier. 2012, I am ready.