I promised that my Hot by Blogher (button coming soon!) post would only be the first of many, and I’m making good on that.
Today, I’m thinking about food. Fooooooood…yummm. *drool*
Food and I have been BFFs for a long, long time. Possibly codependent lovers, even. When I find good food, it’s hard to stop eating. Food and I sometimes party long past the point when others would call it a night, and then the next morning I do my walk of shame past the fridge, regretting all that I ate as I avoid making eye contact with the pantry.
Have you ever heard someone casually say, “Oh, I forgot to eat today…” Yeah, well, those words have never escaped my lips. I’ve had moments where I’ve been extremely busy – forgetting meetings, dinners with friends, or forgetting my ID when going out – but never ever have I forgotten to eat.
That’s part of the reason I’m at this point today. My love affair with food has reached a toxic level, and in order to be healthier, I need to redefine that relationship.
Here’s my master plan to deal with food: less and more.
What do I mean by less and more? Well, I’ll start by less of this:
Emphasis on less chocolate…
and more of this:
Heaven in a box: chocolate yet only 100 calories.
Less of this:
Neon orange isn’t a food color found in nature.
and more of this:
Still processed, but at least it contains real veggies.
Less of this:
What do you mean ice cream isn’t a side dish?
and more of this:
I’m surprised by how much I love these.
Also more fruits and fresh foods, but I need to go to the grocery, so I don’t have any of those to show you at the moment.
Simple, no? OK, well, it’s a little more complicated than that. I will be making a conscious effort to include lower fat, less processed food in my diet. More veggies and fruit, less junk. And when I do eat junk, I’ll try for junk with less calories or a smaller portion size.
I’m trying to keep my calories down as well, but there is no exact number and no food is off-limits. I’m keeping a rough estimate of how many calories I’m eating each day, with a goal somewhere around 1600-1800. The other rule is that one day a week, I’m free to eat however I want, with no calorie counting at all. I did that on Saturday, and found that after eating well for several days, I couldn’t eat enough to do much damage.
This might sound really lax to many, but from past experience I know that setting strict rules for myself doesn’t work. If it works for you, great – post a list of rules on your fridge and use them to keep yourself accountable. But I’ve tried most of the diets out there – strict calorie counting, Weight Watchers points, no-carb, the soup diet, the food-of-the-week diet, etc. – and always ended up “cheating” at some point and giving up. It never works.
I’m not on a diet. I’m choosing to change my eating habits permanently, with weight loss being a desired side effect. If I want chocolate, I’m going to eat chocolate. I just won’t eat an entire box worth, and I’ll do a mental check to make sure I really want the chocolate (instead of really being bored, or unhappy, or some other non-craving feeling). Cravings are OK, but eating out of boredom is a bad habit I plan to break.
My greatest problem will be portion control, and I’ll be repeating my mantra often: You don’t have to eat it all today…it will still be there tomorrow. There’s no chance of bakeries everywhere running out of cake permanently in the next 24 hours. It’s unlikely that Little Debbie will go under by the end of the week. I will have the chance to eat it again.
So that’s the big plan. Less of the bad stuff, more of the good stuff, and permission to screw up now and then. As I get used to eating more of the good stuff, it should get easier to stick to the plan. I’ve already started the plan, and in one week I’ve lost two pounds. I have no specific weight I want to get to, but two pounds is a great start.
Lots more to come, of course. For those who are playing along, how are you going to change your eating habits?
(PS – Thank you to those who are cheering me on, and those who want to join in. The extra motivation from your support is awesome!)
I am doing pretty well at planning healthy meals and sticking to that plan, but the in-between time is when I get in trouble! Donuts and brownies in the breakroom are killer. When I get around sweets, especially homemade ones, I feel this desperation like I HAVE to eat them right now or else they will be gone and I will have “missed out.” I’m bringing lots of healthy snacks to work, light string cheese, celery & hummus, 100 cal packs of popcorn, fruit. Most of all I’m just trying to repeat positive messages to myself. I am a big “cheater” on diets as well, but if I do cheat I’m going to get right back to it and start again. New mercies every day! 🙂
I am doing pretty well at planning healthy meals and sticking to that plan, but the in-between time is when I get in trouble! Donuts and brownies in the breakroom are killer. When I get around sweets, especially homemade ones, I feel this desperation like I HAVE to eat them right now or else they will be gone and I will have “missed out.” I’m bringing lots of healthy snacks to work, light string cheese, celery & hummus, 100 cal packs of popcorn, fruit. Most of all I’m just trying to repeat positive messages to myself. I am a big “cheater” on diets as well, but if I do cheat I’m going to get right back to it and start again. New mercies every day! 🙂
Go you! I am starting to go to a gym across the street from my school 2-3 days a week (when we have school that is!!) and I feel so much better. Foodwise.. I am…..trying….sort off…. .but the week between my birthday and our anniversary is always just a horrid scary scar on my soul.
Amen sister. It’s like you are in my head right now!!! Seriously, who forgets to eat!? We can do this!
does anyone else just eat cause they are tired? by afternoon i am willing to eat pretty much anything that doesn’t require cooking, especially if it has sugar or caffeine.
there are days i eat all day-picking, and days i don’t eat because nothing is easy enough or what i want, then i eat a huge dinner.
i know i need to eat better-not sure how to start.
You go, girl!
It is a great start! Success is a powerful motivator.
I wish you the best of luck with your new plan!! But I got to tell ya, that as for me, my love affair with food is too strong! I know that soon it’s gonna bite back when I look in the mirror and see myself, but hey I’ve had 3 kids to this point, I can eat all I want right? 😉
Trying To Have a Baby – A Mother’s Story
Go you! I used to not understand how someone could forget to eat. Then I cut my calories to about 1700 a day and fat grams to 20 and I started forgetting to eat!
I love the 100 calorie packs, greenbeans and squash with just a little garlic. Counting has so far let me drop 14 lbs over all. Just be careful. I dropped too much weight too fast and stopped getting my period at first.
Keep up the good work, it becomes easier the longer you stick with it !
Oh I’m so cheering you on!!
Hot by BlogHer is a great goal. But you know what?? I don’t care what you look like, I’m going to stalk you anyway. 😉
I’m so jealous at the products you can buy in the US that we can’t get here in Canada. I don’t think I’ve seen more than two of the products you’ve pictured here in my grocery store. URG.
I’ve always thought it so unfair that if your bad habit is smoking, you can just cut cigarettes out entirely but if your bad habit is eating, you can’t just cut food out of your life forever. It’s so much more difficult to redefine a relationship than to end one, no? That said, people do it every single day, which is so encouraging. Your post today reads like about three thousand journal entries from my early twenties and I think I can finally say that I’ve redefined my relationship with food (I’m a former binge-eating-disorder chickie) and it’s so nice not to have to think about food all the time. That’s exhausting. I’m totally rooting for you.
One recommendation I have is that in addition to thinking about food you might think about BEHAVIORS. What behaviors do you want to continue, which ones do you want to end?
Also, how will you measure progress? Is it just about weight lost or would it be better to measure your progress in some other way?
How will you reward your progress?
Just things to think about (and topics for blogging in the future!)
I’ve been making the same effort, and I am feeling better — healthier and stronger.
Reducing portion sizes has been a little easier of late. Of course, that may be because my spinach salad isn’t nearly as tempting as a big helping of mashed potatoes and gravy!
Let’s keep at it!
(that pic of the mac & cheese is now wedged firmly in my head — love the stuff, shameful, i know)
Good luck!! “srict” plans don’t work well for me, either!
Way to go sweetie! The first week is the hardest. I’ve lost about 10 pounds in the last month. I’m walking at least an hour 3 days a week and I’m eating yogurt, apples, tangelos, greens fresh veggies and lean proteins. Little bread and no fried. Eat colorfully (natural colors) it pleases your eye and your mind. Try eating off of a salad plate instead of a dinner plate. It really helps and drink TONS of water!!
Good luck and can’t wait to hear about all your success!
I can tell you right now, you and i are soul sisters. Those are some of the same foods I’ve loved for so long. And I had to ditch them. Just because if i didn’t ditch them, I’d be tempted to eat them. And that’s no good!
I hate it when people eat a half an apple and chirp, “Oh, I’m full!” That would never ever happen to me. Ever.
I can honestly say that I’ve never forgotten to eat. Nor have I been so stressed that I didn’t feel like eating. Good for you! Your plan sounds like a good one.
Sounds like a great plan!
I am definitely cheering you on – and I love the “Hot By BlogHer” concept as I was happy looks-wise for ’06 but 20 pounds heavier for ’07. I want ’08 to be back to the ’06 glory!
Just writing about it here will help, I think. That whole “accountability” (and honesty) factor goes a long way.
Best of luck… And you aren’t alone.
Good luck with the weight loss. I think you’re on the right track with portion control – that seems to be most people’s downfall.
Have you tried Sparkpeople? I’ve been using it for a while and it’s a great tool. It will give you menus or let you track your calories. I find it extremely helpful to keep track of how much I eat every day. It keeps me honest. I’ve lost 14 lbs so far – not too shabby. Although I will admit, 2 of those lost pounds came from having some sort of stomach virus and puking for 24 hours straight. Lovely.
My kids love those broccoli cheese singles, I got them for me but they spied them so I fixed them and they not only ate their’s but they begged me to split mine between the two of them. Let’s just say I still don’t know what they taste like 3 packages later