I love food. I have always loved food. For as long as I can remember, holidays and family gatherings have largely focused around food. We eat when we celebrate, when we're happy, sad, whatever. I can remember being upset as a child and being comforted by things like ice cream. Eventually that catches up with you in one way or another.
Luckily for me, I realized the detriment of my ways fairly early on. In high school I started looking at what I was eating and really considered whether or not I really needed those french fries. Granted, I haven't been that successful with my controlled eating until lately. I would go through phases of really clean eating, where it would be chicken breasts and vegetables nearly all the time. But then I'd "fall off the wagon," as they say, and resume a not-so-perfect diet. I've never been a really bad eater, though, fortunately.
Something has shifted recently, however, and I've finally start to see some pretty serious changes in the way I look. It might be easy for me to say this now seeing as the body I have inhabited as of late has spent more time pregnant than not in the last 2 and 1/2 years (luckily NOT as of now!). But, those 50-plus pounds of baby weight are gone. I can finally tell my husband I weight less--dramatically less--than him once again. Even my pre-pregnancy #1 clothes are getting loose. And my two-pack abs are making another appearance (I've never seen more than a barely visible 2).
So... how do you make the simple changes in your diet to really make progress? I've read a lot about fitness and nutrition, have tried different "diets" and methods, but have only had success when my plan has been simple and sustainable for my everyday life. This is what I do.
1). Eat often. For me, this is an absolute must, just ask my husband. I get extremely irritable if I do not eat regularly. Headaches, light-headedness, lack of energy--it all sucks and it all can be avoided simply by eating. I try to eat every 2 to 3 hours. I know this sounds like a lot, but it's not like I'm sitting down to a steak dinner that often... I wish. I eat small meals throughout the day to keep my blood sugar levels even and to keep my metabolism going. When you start to eat more regularly, your body looks for the fuel to burn and keeps on stoking your internal furnace.
2). Balance, balance, balance. You need to eat a balanced diet--and that's just my opinion. I've tried no-carb, low-carb, etc., etc. I just cannot do diets that completely eliminate entire food groups. It doesn't work for me, practically or personally. I love carbs. I could eat rice, potatoes and bread all day long, but I don't... not anymore at least. I try to keep my carbs under control and enjoy them early in the day, like pre- and post-workout when I know my metabolism is going to be running highest. And if I do eat carbs, I make them quality carbs. I try not to eat highly processed foods. I stick to whole grain brown rice, steel-cut oats and the like.
3). Don't fear the fat. When I first started to think about "eating healthy," I remember eliminating all things I deemed fatty. I quit eating cheese, red meat, pork and anything I felt was overly oily. Granted I lost weight, but after a while the losing stopped. You need to eat fats, good fats, to be healthy and lean. Just like protein and carbs, fats play an important part in the upkeep of your body. Healthy fats help keep your cholesterol in check, protect your heart and often improve your mood. Olive oil, avocados, nuts and seeds are just a few foods that contain "good" fats and should be included in a balanced diet.
4). Cut the sugar. Just cut it out, seriously. Most people either have a sweet tooth or look to the salty when it comes to cravings. I, unfortunately, go for both. But sugar can wreak havoc on your body. While it gives you a quick burst of energy, the aftermath of sugar consumption is usually not worth it. Your body responds to sugar by releasing insulin, and the insulin in turn converts the sugar to fat. Bad, right? And the body tends to respond the same way to artificial sweeteners. So, the easiest way to help yourself out is to try and limit the amount of sugar and fake sugar you eat. This has been a huge help to me.
5). Don't be afraid to cheat. But don't turn a cheat meal into a cheat day and a cheat day into a cheat week. Sometimes one of the rewards of eating clean is enjoying an occasional treat. For me, that means, perhaps, my favorite pizza from Pepe's or a piece of chocolate. Or both. I let myself have them when I know I've been on-target for several weeks. But just because I let myself eat pizza or chocolate doesn't mean that I'm going to eat like crap all day. That sort of thinking often creates a snowball effect. You think, "I'm going to have pizza for dinner so why not just eat pancakes and syrup for breakfast? If I ate pancakes and syrup for breakfast, why not eat a burger and fries for lunch?" Then things just get out of hand and you feel horrible about yourself and what you've done to your body. It's not worth throwing away weeks of discipline for one day of poor eating. Just don't do it. You'll thank yourself later.
6). Make swaps. There are things most people eat on a regular basis that, on second glance, may not seem like the healthiest, best option. One of the things I have revamped as of late is yogurt. I practically lived on no-fat, no-sugar yogurt for years. Then I switched to sugar-sweetened Greek yogurt when that became popular. Now the only kind of yogurt I buy is plain, non-fat Greek yogurt. Here's why: plain, non-fat Greek yogurt (the Kirkland signature brand) contains no fat, 7 grams of sugar, 25% of your daily calcium requirements and, the knockout punch, 24 grams of protein. I say booyah to Greek yogurt. Another switch I've made is to almond milk, which I use in smoothies in place of skim milk. I can't rave enough about it: 40 calories, 3.5 grams of fat, no sugar, 30% DV calcium, 25% DV Vitamin D and, the clincher, 50% DV Vitamin E--which works in the body as an antioxidant. Research what you eat and find out if there is a better version out there.
I'm not a nutrition expert. I'm not an expert on anything. What I know is what works for me. And just maybe that can work for you too.
