Well, I’ve been holding off making big reports about how the “New Year’s Nine” challenge is going –but it’s been a “clean” two weeks and I definitely think I can report some results.    And, I’m also hoping to compare this eating plan to the Taco Bell “Drive Through Diet.”  Has anyone seen that campaign.?  Weird.  Jared and Subway was one thing, but I’m not sure I can get on board with a similar Taco Bell concept—although I think it’s great that Taco Bell is promoting healthier eating.

But, I’ve heard a rumor that the woman lives 10 miles away from the local Taco Bell and her husband tied a rope around her waist every night and made her jog the 10 miles behind their truck before she got to eat anything she ordered at the drive-thru window.  Which, I guess she technically could order at the drive-thru window because she was attached to the truck.  OK, I may have made that up – but it is about the only story that would make me think she’s credible and not just a pawn for Taco Bell to rip-off the Subway concept.

Getting back to me (like it should be),  I’d have to say I feel great –sort of like many of those many stints I had during pregnancy where I was eating healthy for my babies and people said I was glowing.  And, as I look in the mirror this morning – glowing feels like a good adjective for both my face and attitude.   I’ve been sticking to eating nine different fruits of veggies each day, eating a diverse mix and truly feel I’m getting the benefits of what they call the rainbow effect.   Some of my favorite veggies and fruits have included:

  • Beets
  • Sweet Potatoes
  • Clementines
  • Tangerines
  • Broccoli
  • Lots o’ Lettuce
  • Onions – all colors
  • Mushrooms
  • Celery
  • Carrots
  • Corn
  • Peaches
  • Salsa
  • Grapefruit
  • Apples
  • Cherries
  • Bananas
  • Things at my favorite Thai restaurant I can’t identify, yet the food server tells me are fruits and veggies (twiggy things, green beany looking things. etc)

It’s great progress for me because last year, I think I may have eaten each of these items maybe once last year.  Very sad.  I was on the typical:  eat no breakfast, maybe get a really big, high calorie lunch at a restaurant, crash at 3 pm and eat pop and candy to stay alert, go home, fix dinner for the family yet not eating much myself and then staying up late and eating a ton because I was finally starving again.  Not good.  And, not happening anymore.

On the “jury is still out there” side of things, I’ve not lost any weight –and, on some days –depending on how much fiber content I get – I actually feel super poochy.  This has been hard to understand and I do admit that I’ve been disappointed.  So, I talked this through with a couple of my dietitian friends and used my SparkPeople (www.sparkpeople.com) analysis. I found that I’m defiantly not watching portions like I should.  And this combined with the fact that I recently suffered a severe back injury and my exercise has been limited until this past week.  So, it all makes sense.
So, moving forward, I’m going to focus on smaller portions and eliminating the overuse of dressing and sauces I’ve been enjoying on many of my salads and veggie servings.

I am not giving up because feeling healthy and well was a big goal, too.  And, I’ve really enjoyed writing about my journey.  The response to the blog has been great.  I invite you to continue to follow and hopefully enjoy reading my silly and sometimes even “gross” blog entries.   Please send recipes, because I love, love to cook – especially things that have 9 or more fruits and/veggies in one dish.   It’s possible, and geez—a lot of those dishes DO taste good.

So, super poochy or not – I’m moving forward!