By: Allison Lowery, Executive Digital Editor
I work for Cooking Light. We're all about healthy, fresh, delicious food. We talk quinoa, summer tomatoes, smart portions, whole grains and lean protein. We don't talk diets. We don't talk diets in our offices or even whisper about them in the corners of meeting rooms, much less on our pages or digital posts. But did you see editor Scott Mowbray's post? He's going there, in a very public way.
Now for me... I have an innate distrust of dieting. When Scott announced his plan to publically try to lose 20 pounds, it made my stomach sink. How brave of him. How potentially mortifying. And how can I stay away from this? But I also had a nagging voice telling me to jump in.
I've never really been on a diet, but after two children (very worth it), a job that glues my backside to chair eight hours a day (again, worth it), and a passion for cooking for family and friends...the time has come.
I'm not as brave. I'm not going to tell you my weight, but I will tell you I'm not small. I'm 6 feet tall and have always owned my place in the world as a big girl. I've always eaten healthy, I cook most meals at home for my family and I'm always on the go.
It's the on-the-go part that's the problem. I'm not athletic, never have been, and it's never bothered me. I'm much more comfortable as "the smart one," "the artsy one" and in some crowds "the loud one." Not the sporty or skinny one.
For most of my life I've always tried to keep active. Aerobics classes, dancing and walking the hills around my house are how I stay moving, but since having kids I think I've mistaken my on-the-go schedule with activity.
Newsflash: Driving kids from point A to point B, chasing a toddler down to brush her hair, and getting up at least 15 times during dinner doesn't equate to meaningful cardio activity. It's more steps for sure, but not enough to keep the weight off.
Between packing kids' lunches, Allison is making more time for her own health goals.
So, my weight has crept up even though most mornings I feel like I've run a marathon by the time my first meeting starts. My priorities have shifted too heavily away from me. I focus on kids' lunchboxes filled with cucumber and grapes and healthy meals for the kids at night, blah, blah, blah... the broken record of excuses.
Bottom line: It's too easy to make the health of those we take care of more important than our own health. I hate clichés. I can't be that mom.
So, I'm in. I can't promise I'll lose tons of pounds, but my goals are this: Move more. Eat a little less. And still enjoy life.
Who's in? Are you ready to set some goals? Or have you already has success reaching fitness or weight loss goals? We want to hear from you. Comment here, email letters@CookingLight.com and tweet @Cooking_Light using #SocialDiet.
Note: This post originally appeared on the Cooking Light blog, Simmer & Boil. Check in on their progress at CookingLight.com/WeightLoss.
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