Holly M Nelson

I admit it. I'm obsessed with food. Always have been, always will be. It started at birth, I believe. I was an overweight baby. My parents proudly say I had 5 fat rolls on each arm! As a toddler I had a brownie in each hand, one in the mouth, and still asking for more. Oh, how I still love my chocolate.

  As a preteen I was extremely thin. But as soon as puberty hit, I skyrocketed!  I discovered food again. I became overweight and chubby in high school.  Once I realized  how chubby I was and nothing I wore looked good, I tried to eat healthy. I tried to have will power to not over eat. I tried skipping meals, diet gum, energy shakes, diet shakes, etc.... Nothing worked. 

 But as soon as I was out on my own and going to college, I actually dropped 20 pounds instead of  gaining the usual "Freshman 15". Living on your own, working 40 hours a week and going to college would do that to you. But I still did not look good at all. Still a bit chubby. 

 It wasn't until after I had my first child would I become very thin again. That's how most of my friends now have seen me. Most of my time as an adult I was a size 3/4 , 105-110 pounds. I could even wear a bikini after 5 kids. But I was what the doctors call, "Skinny Fat". Thin, but flabby.  I focused on feeding my son and husband good foods. I became obsessed with feeding my son healthy organic, and dye-free, preservative-free foods. I was obsessed with food: eating it and the not eating it.

But, I did not eat well at all. I was extremely unhealthy. I had horrible insomnia. I HAD to take a nap every afternoon.  I suffered from horrible migraines.At first it was easy to stay thin, then it became hard to keep the weight off and stay in my size 4's. I became easily irritated. And my Meniere's Disease became so severe that I was not able to function at all. This is what I was doing:
~ Skipping meals, maybe having one a day with a few slight snacks
~ Eating lots of chocolate, and processed foods; fast foods   
~ Not getting enough sleep; maybe 4-6 hours a night.
~ Did not eat enough fruits and veggies
~ Cooked unhealthy; like fried foods, prepackaged, processed foods

When I got pregnant with my last child I went over board with eating again like I did as a teen. My motto when I was pregnant, "But, he's so hungry!!" . As cute as the saying seems, it was very unhealthy for me. I gained 60 pounds while pregnant. Then I couldn't take the weight off like I had after delivering my first 5 babies. I actually gained weight after having Jack! AHHH!  

I was still obsessed with food. I love food and everything about it. I love cooking and baking. But something had to change. So, I started studying nutrition and how food effects our bodies. Did you know that the way our bodies look is made up of :
~ 80 % nutrition
~ 10% genetics
~ 10% exercise
I couldn't believe it when I read it! 

 I started reading about the "Eat Clean" diet. It's not actually a diet but the real way God meant for you to eat. Lean proteins and complex carbs at each meal. Fruits and veggies prepared without the artificial flavoring and preservatives. drink water, water, water!

I highly recommend that you buy "The Eat Clean Diet" by Tosca Reno. There were others that I read, but this one by far was my favorite. Maybe because I felt like I connected with her and understood her. She was 40, 3 kids, unhealthy and overweight. Then she turned her life around.  What she said in her book was matter-of-fact and so simple! 

 Since I've been "eating clean" one month ago:
~ No more insomnia!! woo-hoo!
~ LOTS more energy!! I don't need naps anymore!
~ Lost 13 pounds, without hardly exercising at all.( Now, I'm starting to do weight training and cardio)
~ No more migraines!! If you suffer from migraines you know, that is a blessing in itself! 
~ Meniere's Disease is easy to handle
~ Losing cellulite
~ Toned muscles
 

I dedicated a section of this website to "Clean Eating". I feel like it is so important to be healthy. As America is becoming obese, we are becoming obsessed with becoming thin. We don't need to be thin!! We need to be lean and healthy! With a healthy lifestyle comes a lean physique, naturally! And we don't even have to work that hard! Now, don't you just love that?

I have already added new recipes to my site. I will be adding food ideas, too. Soon, I will have a section for easy food combinations, foods with vitamins, foods that speed metabolism, etc....


Will you join me in becoming healthy? Come on, let's go!

 

Clean Eating Page

Health Page ~NEW- Cleaning Eating Break Down

 Clean Eating:

1. Eat 5-6 Small meals a day

2. Eat fresh fruits  and vegetables. No processed foods, white flour, or sugars.

3. Drink at least 3 liters of water a day. Here is a break down:1 liter = 1.06 qt, 1 qt = 32 oz/ 3 liters = 3.18 qt/ 3.18 qt = 101.76oz.

4. Eat a combo of a lean protein and a complex carb. at each meal. 

5. Eat fat! Yes! It's true, but it has to be a HEALTHY FAT such as : olive oil, nuts, cold-water fish, nut or seed oils.

6. Eat within a hour of waking-up. 

7. Use smaller portion sizes. Stop using large dinner plates and use the salad plates, instead. 

8. Eat every 3 hours: make it a routine. Our bodies thrive on routine.

9. Get 8 hours sleep at night.

Things to Avoid/Stop Doing now:

1. Do NOT skip any meals!! This damages your metabolism!

2. Stop eating processed foods; whites, flours, sugars.

3. Stop drinking sugar, sugar free, and artificial sugared drinks. They have no nutritional value. (Artificial sugars have been proven to trick your body, and actually make it crave food.)

4. Stop eating "fat free", or "reduced calorie" foods. They are called "anti-foods" because they have no nutritional value. If you are going to eat food , eat something that will fill your body with healthy nutrients.

5. Stop eating foods that contain preservatives. 

6. Do not drink or limit alcohol. It's full of sugar!

My Meal Schedule:

5:30 am~ Drink water with prayer time

6:00~ Breakfast. ex: oatmeal or high fiber cereal, hard boiled egg, hot tea(no sugar)

9:00~ Snack. ex: apple, palm full of almonds, water

12:00~ Lunch. ex: mini whole wheat pita with 1 tsp of roasted red pepper hummus and lean turkey, grapes, water or veggie salad with lean turkey and no dressing

3:00~ Snack. Ex: pear and walnuts, water

6:00~ Dinner. Ex: Northwoods seasoned salmon, steamed asparagus or green beans or baked sweet potato, veggie salad with no dressing or lemon juice and EVOO(extra virgin olive oil) , water

9:00~ Snack. If I'm not trying to lose weight I will have a snack: yogurt and mixed berries, green tea

Benefits of Clean Eating:

1. No more insomnia!

2. More energy

3. Better skin/complexion

4. Stronger nails

5. Leaner and naturally toned body

6. Healthy hair

7. Increased metabolism

8. Better overall Health! Doctors can see it in your blood work!