Here we go again...

I was looking for this picture in my Flickr feed and when I found it, I realized I had titled it New Year's Resolutions. This was from December 2008, not last New Year but the year before. So I went back to that post to see what I wrote and see how I've done:

I will get back into the shape I was in a year and a half ago, healthy and strong, lose the 20 pounds I gained this year.

- Still trying to lose those 20 lbs. Biggest Loser Challenge!!

I will do more volunteer work.

- Have done some, need to do more. This is always a goal of mine.

I will try to be less self centered and focus on others.

- Definitely have improved on this one, although I'll always be self centered, but not necessarily in a bad way.

I will take advantage of the opportunities that come my way.

- Done and done. I'm constantly repeating this in my mind "If you get a chance, take it. If it changes your life, let it."

I will be more tolerant.

- Another one I'm working on. I've definitely improved.

I will tell people how I feel instead of keeping it inside.

- Wait, I used to keep my feelings in? When was this??

I will pay off my credit cards!!!!

- Done, summer of 2010

I will not get new ones...

- Fail, summer of 2010... My unemployment ran out. Temporary setback. After this is paid off, NO MORE! For real.

I will fix my car window and air conditioner and take better care of it in general.

- Or just get a new one, 6/2010

I will be an advocate for Crohn's disease and other auto-immune diseases.

- Well I think this one's pretty obvious!

I've done a pretty good job of improving my life over the past two years and I'm even more excited to make this year the best yet. The reason I was looking for this photo is because I am looking for healthier recipes. Well, really I wanted to tell you that I'm going to start cooking healthier, and I don't like to post without photos, so there you go. In November I committed to cooking at home more often and I definitely kept up with that. However, the foods I ate throughout the rest of the year were mostly re-creations of old family comfort food recipes. Those dishes are NOT going to help me win The Biggest Loser. I have been a fan of Clean Eating for years, I have the books, I subscribe to the magazine, I tag recipes. I have never, not once, cooked any of the recipes. All of that is about to change! This blog is about to get a makeover. Less Sugar and a lot more SPICE! I'm looking forward to it. I'd even like to try to incorporate more raw and vegan foods into my diet. I am certainly not giving up meat, fish and eggs, I have always been a animal protein advocate. Having said that, I actually am curious about how my digestion would be with less animal protein. I love vegetables and although I eat salad almost every day, I still need to incorporate more veggies into my diet!

I know for sure that gluten and dairy cause major issues for me, but I still have some work to do as far as total and complete digestive health. The biggest devil on my shoulder? SUGAR. You know I love it. Baking makes me happy. Eating what I bake makes me happier. Sugar makes my belly ANGRY. Basically this year my goal is to eat less processed foods in general and eat a lot more of the good stuff.

While digging around the archives, I also came across this little nugget of wisdom that I found on my girl Farty Girl's website a long time ago. I love this:

"While I try to support my nutritional news with proof, it's hard to know what justifies as proof nowadays. Every day, journalists report different health trends. These trends all cancel each other out. Think back to the eighties, when nutritionists claimed that fat was causing Americans to become obese. Now, post-millenium nutritionists claim that fat is good, but bread is bad. We can argue anything and find proof for it.

A few posts ago, my IBS-BFF left a comment that has been reverberating in my guts. She said something along these lines: Listen to your body. Eat what makes you feel good. Don't diet. Work on making yourself feel better."

So, so true. Listen to your body, you'll be amazed what it tells you. Here's to your health in 2011!