Clean eating ~ Summer

Before I get to my main subject, Genna would like me to let you guys know that she will be staying in N.C until Friday( 21st ) then going to a home school conference, and then leaving next day for work camp until the 28th! I'm not sure how often she will be able to blog, if at all, but she will be back before you know it. So before my surgery on my left shoulder back in the beginning of march I used to be the typical swimmer, eating TONS of food, not really assessing the nutritional value and quality, food was just food, and you could say I was on a sea food diet. I'd sea food and I'd eat it! hehe. Most of what I ate was packaged and processed foods, or fast food. I'd rarely drink enough water if at all and this resulted in my feeling tired, head achy, and just not able to preform my best ON TOP of having an injury. I carried on like this for about a year and steadily lost motivation and doubted whether I should just quit or not, but my coach was determined not to give up on me and persuaded me that we will just take it one step at a time and get through the pain until surgery. High school season came and went and I made two high school school records in the 200 IM and 500 free style, as well as 3rd and 6th best times in state of Virginia for the month of December in the 50 butterfly and 50 breastroke for club swimming, all with a shoulder constantly dislocating and shredding away cartilage. After my shoulder was all fixed up through surgery I was left with a recovery time of 4 months and 6 weeks of it in a sling, 3 months of it out of the water. Now combine a 3,000+ calorie intake diet with lack of exercise and BAM you are now a house. Something had to change. Although I still went to the gym and sat on the bike for an hour I was burning no where nears the amount of a 2 and a half hour swim workout does. So I did my research and downloaded the app my fitnesspal, to keep count of my macro nutrients and calorie intake, I discovered something called clean eating, or a no processed food diet. It was incredibly HARD the first 2 months, I had to give up many scrumptious foods. Clean eating is a raw food diet consisting of non man made foods like vegetables, fruit, healthy grains, lean meats and little dairy, processed foods are all junk food, fast foods, sodas, and basically anything with over 5 ingredients or preservatives and ingredients you can't pronounce. I lost 6 pounds just by changing my diet along with a calorie deficit, along with feeling 100% more amazing about my self and my energy levels have soared farther then any energy drink could ever get me. Of course I cheat on this LIFE STYLE of clean eating, but in moderation. I like to say life style rather then diet, because diets get you from point A to point B and then when you get to point B it usually ends. Once I start swimming more I will start increasing my calorie intake slowly so as not to gain too much fat and start putting on more muscle. I also drink a gallon of water a day to help flush out any toxins and extra fats in my body as well as to stay properly hydrated, and to accomplish this I literally have my own milk jug thing that I cleaned out and I drink from that. Yes I am a bit crazy but then again a normal person never made history did they?. Quote - " To look like you've never looked before, you must do something you've never done." ......Love ~ Summer