You really are what you eat....

Well, the holidays are almost over, which makes me a bit sad. But it was mostly relaxing, and my family really needed the break from our normally hectic routine.

Last night, my husband and I had our first date night in months. The grandparents looked after the baby, and we were free! to! see! a! movie!. I can't tell you the last time I saw the inside of a movie theatre. He even let me pick! I'm a sucker for Johnny Depp (and Tim Burton!) so I picked Sweeney Todd. It was a ton of fun. We did share a small popcorn and some coke at the theatre, and I made sure that we didn't finish the bag. I also had a pint of beer at the pub afterward. I didn't feel crazy-guilty, since it was a date.;-)

Other than that, My holiday eating hasn't been too shabby. Unfortunately, it wasn't really due to amazing willpower or anything! I came down with the stomach flu, followed by my husband - so there wasn't a lot of eating going on around here. Which made me realize that sometimes, my husband and I make the perfect storm when it comes to junky eating. It's frustrating, though - he's in good shape. He can get away with eating stuff without gaining. Me, I gain weight by just *smelling* a piece of cake. Seriously.

But there has been a really weird "switch" in my head. I haven't felt compelled to eat crappy food lately. I've started to equate food with fuel for my body. And when I look at a piece of chocolate, cake, chips, I think - I am going to feel SO crappy for eating that afterward, and I just don't feel like it anymore. Don't get me wrong - I'm not a saint. But I'm starting to realize that i want to fill my body up with really good food.

For example, I spent one day last week filling up on salads, veggies, and fruit. I made it to the gym for a 30-minute workout, and then I went for a 30-minute walk outside. I drank water like a fiend, and I also spent a couple of hours relaxing in the evening. This is not my typical day. I can't tell you how incredible I felt - inside and out! I had so much energy, I felt positive about things - I just wanted to put the day in "repeat" and do it again and again.

Of course, there are going to be tough and stressful days where nothing will feel more satiating than stuffing my face with chocolate. I need to brace myself for those days, and will have to pick myself up off the floor afterward. But as long as those days are far and few in between, I'll be fine. For now, it just feels good to not want to shovel garbage into my body.

Plus, I feel like my plate looks so pretty when it's adorned by a big, colourful, salad and lots of protein. I love preparing my food, rather than opening paper bags with take-out. It just feels good all around.

The biggest thing that is going to help me succeed this time? Planning. No question about it. I need to plan meals, and stock my fridge in advance of the week or this is never going to happen. And for that, I have my wonderful vegetarian cookbooks to use!

Well, here's to a New Year! I hope that everyone meets their goals in 2008 - no matter what they are!