Pizza dude's got 30 seconds...

Recently I've suffered a bout of sickness that's lasted much longer than my patience. The thing about being sick is, you can't change it. You can medicate and hope for the best but unfortunately, you have to wait it out. Being an asthmatic, I'm no stranger to bronchitis. For the past six weeks I've dealt with frequent asthma attacks and a cough that causes even the toughest ruffians to cringe and cower from what some have termed "the bubonic plague" (thanks JB). The problem is: I can't change my health.... or can I?

I may not be able to reverse asthma but one detrimental habit of mine is within my control. Some people smoke cigarettes, drink alcohol, or snort crack to feel good and cope with life. My feel good go-to is food. "Hi. My name is Heather and I'm addicted to comfort foods."  I know what you're thinking,  "Not uh. She is not comparing junk food to hard drugs and alcohol abuse." Well, yeah. I kind of am. Obesity is on the rise in America and the only thing saving me is my genetics. (Thanks Mom and Dad!) If normal people partook in my current diet, they'd probably be pushing 250lbs or more. Drinking regular soda for every meal and an occasional midday break pushes the limits of the normal metabolism. Some days I was drinking more than 600 calories just in soda. Add to it the half Digiorno Pizza I had for dinner or a full box of Mac and Cheese and I've passed a regular person's total daily calorie allowance. Don't ask about my breakfast, lunch, or those delicious candy corn stuffed Rice Krispie treats in the cafeteria. I've suffered from unhealthy habits and I want to change. I need to change. Step one: done. I've admitted my problem.

It's no wonder that junk food has taken a front row to my daily life. As a kid, my idols were the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. They didn't get their super cool ninja skills from radioactive material alone. No. They ate pizza and lots of it. I wanted those sweet ninja skills. Unfortunately the pizza didn't get me there and neither did the Pepsi I washed it down with. Pepsi's my other killer. Every glass has always brought me a piece of home and the memories that came with it. From childhood I've gotten off on the wrong foot, at 27 its time for a change. Step two: Get off my ass and do something about it.

Recently I've signed up for group nutrition classes. What I should have started with was cooking classes.... but I'll get the idea of it one day. Every week Dr. Bentson (http://kristenbentson.com) gives out the meal plans and grocery list. I've just started week two and I've already had a break down. Admittedly, week one wasn't going awesome. I had way too much 1% chocolate milk than I should have and I didn't make the best dinner choices. I kept my total calorie intake reasonable but I was already losing sight of why I signed up in the first place. Anyone who knows me, knows that I can't cook anything beyond Kraft Mac and Cheese. (Before you judge, know that it is a deliciously fantastic mean box of Mac.) I panicked a little. I won't lie. The past 24 hours I've had a mini melt down and eaten a lot of things I regret. So what caused this chink in my nutritional change chain? She gives you a list of foods you should be eating every meal but not a recipe to go with it. (I may write that in as a future suggestion if she asks for class evaluations.) She makes the assumption that you know how to cook meat and normal meals. She mustn't have met someone like me before. I got overwhelmed and may have freaked out. You know until this week, I had never even been down the organic foods section of the grocery store.

My next approach to surviving this class is to do an intense planning session tomorrow before grocery shopping. Step three: look up recipes for the ingredients I'm supposed to use and establish two breakfast meals, two lunches, and two dinners to alternate throughout the week. Perfect those six meals. Repeat with a different set of recipes next week. Don't get me wrong, most of the past ten days I've eaten three serving of fruits per day and tried a few new foods like flax waffles. I'm breaking out of the mold. Its just not going as fast as originally planned. Life is on a learning curve and I'm slow on the uptake when it comes to nutritional health. I may not be a Ninja Turtle, but in eating right I'm a tortoise. Eventually I'll catch up to the hare and be a healthy happy runner. Eventually. Anyone want to cook for me?? No... okay. Deep breath. I can do this. I'll be my own "hero in a half shell. " (Turtle power.)