and there is soooo much to think about!  This post is sort of a follow up to my last post which touched on navigating all the different workout programs out there to find the one best suited for your body type and fitness goals.  In writing that one, I suddenly  began thinking about how much harder it was for me in my own journey to figure out the nutrition aspect of this equation:

Physical Fitness + Proper Nutrition = A happy body and mind 🙂 

I do firmly believe you can’t really achieve the level of health and wellness I’m aspiring to without having both a good diet and the proper amount of physical activity.  While it took me a few months to settle on a workout routine that was right for me I am still a work in progress with the nutrition part of it.  I was very lucky early on to be introduced to the shakes that I now use on a daily basis to give me my dose of  vitamins and minerals I need but I have not quite as settled on the rest of my diet.

As I have also mentioned before, I have a TON of food allergies.  For about the past ten years now (my allergies came on later in life, adult on-set) I have been trying to figure out how to get the proper nutrition I need despite my body rejecting many of the basic food groups we are told to eat on a daily basis.  It’s been a challenge to say the least.  With the addition of the shakes I feel like I have my basic nutrition covered now but I am still a bit undecided when it come to the rest of my meal plan but here’s where I am today with it….

Back in March of this year I stopped eating meat, well all meat except fish which I guess makes me a pescatarian now.   Just to be clear, I am not writing this post to sway anyone else to do the same or tell you it’s a better diet to follow.  Again, everyone’s needs are different.  This is just something I decided to do for my own health.  Part of why I am writing this post today is I am interested in any feedback or opinions from anyone out there who may also have made this switch, whether it be positive or negative.   I always get such great comments and advice from you all which have really have helped me along the way so if I don’t say it enough, thanks guys and keep them coming!!

A lot of factors went into my decision to cut these things out of my diet but mostly I was aiming for a more plant-based lifestyle.  This was a pretty big change for me as I would say I ate either chicken or beef at least 4-5 times a week for lunch and/or dinner.  I initially thought I will give it up for a little bit to flush my system and see how I felt.  Well it’s been about 8 months and I have not touched chicken, beef, pork, turkey, etc. at all and honestly I am not sure when or if I will again.  You know what’s really strange…I hardly even miss it!  I really don’t miss chicken in the slightest which has been really surprising to me because that was a staple of my diet ever since I can remember but every once in a while I do crave a nice big juicy steak and even more often a cheeseburger with all the fixins!!  So far my self-control has won out….I’ll keep you posted if that changes!😊

The biggest challenge for me since this shift in my meal plan has just been finding enough variety of food/dishes to make.  I was already limited in a lot of ways because of my allergies but now in essence cutting out one more major food group has forced me to become really creative.  I am not complaining at all though.  In fact, this has allowed me to discover some really great ingredients and dishes that I probably never would have stumbled upon otherwise and it has also made me pay more attention to exactly what I am putting in my body.  Just the same way I had to put some effort into finding the right combination of workouts to meet my goals and fit my lifestyle, I have had to put an increased amount of effort into researching and discovering the best diet for my body and health.  And so far so good….I feel great, I am leaner but also more muscular than I ever have been before and my energy levels are even up!

Its been an eye-opening experience and I have learned a lot about all the different diets out there and which ones might be right for me.  I can’t say I am 100% set on the pescatarian diet but right now that is the one I have sort of settled into and have seen and felt some great results from.  Like I mentioned earlier, I have also found some really delicious recipes that I have started to share on this site so take a look if you have a chance and let me know what you think!  Thanks as always for reading!!

 

xoxoxo,

Beth