Junk Loser - Jennifer's story on eating 'real'

Hello there Junk Losers!

How's everyone doing?

I'm personally keeping that 6 lb off just by eating right. And feeling alot better for it. Naps are history! I felt tired yesterday after a trip to the dentist, which made me realize, wow, I use to feel this bad all the time. So glad those days are over!

Starting the Junk Loser Facebook page has proven to be a good idea. We're able to support each other daily in our quest to reach our goals. Come on in and share your own questions and advice!

Next week

Next week we'll have a linkup so any of you wishing to share your own stories can do so. Tell us why you're fed up with your old lifestyle and share your goals with us. Or fill us in on your success to date. We'd love to support you. :)

Today I have a special treat. 

I'd like to introduce Jennifer, from Bella Grace Home, an incredibly talented FJI follower. When she saw this new group form, she was interested in sharing her own success to better health story.

There's a BIG difference from dieting just to lose weight and eating real, healthy foods geared for the long haul. It's my hope that Jennifer's take will help inspire you to move to real food yourself.

Welcome Jennifer!

After reading Donna's Up and Down Story and her desire to make healthy changes in her life, while encouraging us all to do the same, I thought I would jump in the discussion. I'm grateful for this opportunity to share my own journey with you today so that you will find encouragement for wholeness and health from the inside-out for yourself.

 Just as Donna is encouraging us to become "junk losers," my hope is that we will also realize that we may have more "junk in the trunk" than we realized. That is, the foods we eat, even the seemingly "healthy" foods (i.e. low-fat dairy, breads and processed diet snacks) are feeding our bodies true junk, rather than fueling our bodies with whole, natural food.

The Beginning

Growing up I was always a little more, shall we say plump than the other kids...not fat, just plump. To top things off I hit my full height of 5' 8.5" by the seventh grade. Can you imagine being that tall amongst all those girls and boys yet to hit their growth spurts? It was tough! But I was taught to stand tall, anyway, and not slump my shoulders (thanks to the occasional $20 bribe my great-grandparents gave me while visiting them a few times a year). I'm so, so grateful for them teaching me to stand up straight, even if it meant I couldn't see "eye to eye" with everyone.

When I hit middle school both my parents worked outside the home, which meant that after school snacks were for my choosing. And boy did I choose horribly! Nearly every afternoon I'd wolf down a bowl of queso and chips, along with a bowl of Blue Bell Ice Cream (where my dad was and still is employed...always a stocked freezer!). Needless to say, my jean size was anything but petite. I believe I got up to a size 13 by the eighth grade.

The Journey to Skinny

I moved to a new city and started fresh at a new school for ninth grade. That year I was determined to lose weight and be skinny. I worked hard for it, too! I walked for at least 60 minutes a day, marched in the band and did the occasional workout video to top things off. I put a lot of pressure on myself to eat low-fat, limit my calorie intake and exercise, exercise, exercise. By the end of the year I was down to a size 10 and happy as a lark.

However, after that first year the scale would easily budge up and down if I missed my walking routine for long. Oh, and it also could've had something to do with my passion for all things Doritos. Doritos. Doritos. Those things had a hold on me for years...like through college and the early part of my marriage.

vichie81 / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Skinny Doesn't Always Mean Healthy

By the time I got married I was about a size 8, which is slender, but despite my "healthy habits" of low-fat dairy, nearly non-existent meat intake, high fruit and veggie intake, along with regular 5 days-a-week exercise, it was a struggle to simply be healthy. I constantly battled allergies, which would turn into sinus infections and sore throats, as well as suffered from lethargy, mind-fogginess, headaches, etc. Outwardly I may have seemed like I was in decent shape, but inwardly my body was saying something entirely different.

It was SCREAMING stop doing this stuff to your body! Stop putting this fake food into your body. You are hurting yourself! But it was hard for me to listen because everything in the media and with modern medicine said, "Eat low-fat. Eat less meat. It's okay to eat processed food...all that matters is the total number of calories in and the number burned." And yet following that advice left me weak and ill most of the year (with those stinkin' allergies!).

Clare Bloomfield / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Saying Hello to Real Food and Good Health

(2008) My journey to being fit and healthy from the inside-out was just that...a journey. One author that inspired me was Michael Pollan. His book, "In Defense of Food" caught my attention because he stated simply that we are consuming “edible foodlike substances.” Foodlike substances...hmm...that was the perfect way, in my eyes, to describe our love for foods in a box, can, shaped like a fish, topped with sugar and surely containing corn syrup. Remembering to eat real food found in nature, not in a science lab began improving my health slowly, but surely. But I still had more changes to make.

(2009) My mom, who has been a huge proponent of natural, organic living for years, always taught me that it was healthier to eat whole organic yogurt (plain...less sugars) and drink whole milk, as well as choose real butter and olive oil over the sprays and margarine. I ignored her until that year. And after going "whole" I couldn't go back to the low-fat version. And you know what? I didn't gain any weight from it, either!

That same year two of my brothers began doing the paleo diet found in The Primal Blueprint, concentrating on protein and good fats, veggies and berries. They got fit fast and had more energy, too! I decided to try eating more meat at this point because I was still dragging around. The protein in my diet helped me tremendously. My muscles also went from flab to fab, easily! Like, no weight-training (although I do recommend it, I just haven't needed to do it as much for the shape...it's simply there now...yay!!!).

anankkml / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

(2010) While I had made all of those changes, I was still holding onto hidden sugars and artificial "stuff" found in breads, Cool Whip (okay, those aren't so "hidden") diet sodas, granola bars, etc. And I still had my allergies. Yuck! Then I remembered something my mom had told me about garlic: it was a natural antibacterial, antifungal, antiviral and anti-parasitic herb. I found this recipe online for a homemade garlic/olive oil remedy to rub on my feet at night. After only a few days my energy level was up and my allergies had subsided.

As my ailments disappeared (including rough feet) I researched more about this little herb and discovered that often times a lot of health issues can be linked to an issue called Candida, and that there were natural ways of ridding your body of it, hallelujah! So, I stopped drinking sodas immediately, which was easier than I expected, and switched out my sugar/Splenda for Truvia, which is derived from the Stevia plant and is a natural, healthy sweetener. I also cut wayyyy back on my carbs (although I still eat fruit/veggies) and added more protein and real fat.

Since making these changes I have not suffered from allergies any more...and that's including the winter season, which in the past would hit me the hardest. I have more energy, the color in my face is healthier, my muscles are stronger, I'm still a size 6!!! and I'm feeding my body real food. I enjoy walking and zumba-ing several times a week, but don't let it stress me out like before.

Don't get me wrong, I do still enjoy my tortilla chips and salsa on occasion, I just make sure I balance out those carbs with the other natural foods I eat. I am grateful to have discovered the beauty in finding healing through healthy living, and I hope that my story will do the same for you!

Your body is a precious gift and I want to challenge you to consider the ways you may be putting junk in your trunk, even in an effort to be skinny. As you research the links that I've shared and examine your health, from the inside-out, please know that Donna and I are here to support you, offer encouragement and go on this journey together. One.day.at.a.time.

Wow. Now that was inspiring!

I totally agree with Jennifer's take on real foods. Leaving the boxed and canned processed food behind that our bodies really weren't meant to eat in the first place WILL heal you. The move will help you regain your health, possibly get you off meds, and you'll drop those unwanted pounds. This deal is way WAY more than counting calories, points, or watching carb intake.

Choose real and you'll be real.

And for you healthy eaters, this weekend on SNS will be all about healthy recipes. So get those photo shoots ready and be prepared to share your favs with MANY categories to link to.

What's your own take on eating processed foods?

All Junk Loser posts to date are HERE

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