Every once in a while, a new diet takes social media by storm. There are countless before and after shots of dramatic results proving the great success rate and the grateful customers. "In only three weeks" "In only two months" "In only four days" the testimonials proclaim, along with insane amounts of poundage lost.
The current craze has pretty dramatic parameters. I know personally that my own body would biologically go berserk if so deprived.
I've been obsessing a little with body types. A woman I know, after a few kids, is so insanely slender that she looks like she's levitating in her high heels. Then I speak to another three-time mother who's frustrated because she can't shed the baby weight (and yet she's still built something adorable). I wonder at the methods of the women who idly lick an ice cream on the street as they stride on toothpick legs.
Yet I have not been drawn in by the idea of a dramatic diet plan. I'm not delusional; I know when I cheat. I know when I take too many portions. I know that I have to rediscover my self-control. I also know that weight is not gained overnight; yet many expect to not only shed it overnight, but that will remain a permanent state even if they revert to their old habits.
Changing habits is HARD. So, so HARD. Yet more people find it easier to stick with a dramatic, short-term program as opposed to learning a healthier, long-term lifestyle. I'm proud with the progress I made. But I still have farther to go in terms of not letting food run my life.
Some people prefer all-or-nothing approaches, but that methodology rarely works in general. Going slowly, tackling one bad habit at a time, is healthier and more likely to generate permanent success. It's not like one can do this diet then go back to eating half a challah every Shabbos meal. Change is required. Which is HARD. Blurgle.
4 comments:
Yes!!! Since I was a teen & had to go off white flour & sugar when I had mono, I have stuck to a HEALTHY eating plan & lifestyle & always been a consistent weight. Currently I'm 30, have had 4 babies & my weight is 4 lbs more than when I was married. Wonder of wonders, I don't have much jiggle & am almost as flat as before. I do NOT have amazing genes & I'm not one of those people who can eat cartons of jelly beans every day & have nothing to show for it. I don't even have time or energy to work out much.
What I DO do is, eat portions as large as I want- I make myself HUGE lunches, with a piece of whole grain bread, full fat butter, a protein (usually a soft boiled egg, but sometimes salmon or cheese), & a massive salad with tons of vegies, dressed with olive oil, vinegar/lemon & some spices. Breakfast is either Weetabix with blueberries & some dried fruit, or plain yogurt with blueberries, strawberries & granola. Dinner is whatever I make for my kids- usually some kind of chicken or fish alongside vegies like broiled broccoli/cauliflower, snap peas, stir fry, etc. I make a starch for my husband because he loves it, but my kids & I usually don't eat it because, shocker: by the time we're done with the protein & veg, we HAVE NO MORE ROOM for a starch. I call my diet 'The God Diet'- if God created it, I eat. If it's processed, I skip it.
I am not afraid of fats & sugar; I eat reg butter, marbleized steak, chicken bottoms, cheese, olive & canola oil, fruits, maple syrup & a daily chocolate with my coffee. I will never touch anything with fake sugar- I would rather eat a few regular cookies with sugar & white flour & stop at a few, than eat a whole bag of 'healthy' cookies made with whole wheat & fake sugar & eat the whole bag. I just try to keep it all balanced- normal amounts of each food type.
Also, I try to drink about 3 liters of water a day- I have a 1.5 liter water bottle that I sip from throughout the day, & as long as I finish it twice I know I drank what I had to. I used to do a 20 minute workout 3 times a week- nothing fancy, just a video on youtube. These days I don't have the energy after my full workday & being with my kids, so I try to walk to work (a 10 minute walk) every day & count that as my exercise.
I also sometimes eat cheesecake! And on chanuka I'll have donuts! And I have eaten out & eaten fattening, unhealthy foods. And been to weddings, & had from the Zigelman cake. I have a piece of chocolate every morning with my bitter coffee. The thing is, when I'm indulging, I treat it as something to enjoy. I savor it. I don't plan on how I will make up for the terrible "sin", how much I will deprive myself tomorrow, how hard I will exercise to lose the weight I'd gain. I know mostly, I'm eating foods that are good for me & it's ok to have a treat! I don't think of it as 'cheating'. And as a result, I don't feel the need to overindulge. I actively enjoy what I'm eating & stop when I've had enough.
The thing is, what works for me is the mindset. I am healthy. I don't meal prep & cut thousands of vegies & cook myself fancy foods- but I WILL rather put a few vegies for a quick salad together instead of reaching for a danish for lunch. I don't peel my vegies & I cut large chunks to save time. Seriously, it takes less than 3 minutes. I've watched friends go crazy with their diet meal plans- measuring & weighing, going on & off diets for years, fluctuating in weight from just over 100 lbs to 140 lbs, back & forth forever. I'd rather stick to a steady, healthy plan, with occasional guilt free indulgences, & this has worked well for me so far.
I know this sounds preachy or self righteous- I don't think that what works for me will work for everyone. But I do strongly believe, that the key to being healthy is working on the mental/emotional areas that trigger our eating patterns- focusing on gaining/losing weight is like putting a bandaid on a wound without cleaning it out or examining first.
Omg, this is awful, I've written a whole blog post ;) But this has really touched a nerve since I always have people commenting on how I never gain weight, or how I'm always watching, or how I eat whatever I want... And watching people I love struggling with their weight & eating all kinds of processed diet snacks & diet snapple or coke, skipping all the 'bad' foods like carbs & eating marinara sauce with melted cheese & mushrooms instead. It's hard to watch!
Do you realize how much better off you would be if you took that same huge baking dish of marinara sauce mixture, put an 1/8th of it onto a piece of whole grain bread, & ate it that way?
1. You would eat only 1/8 of the sauce, which is 1/8 the amount of sugar, which is an amount your body could actually deal with.
2. You would be eating a full slice of bread, which would actually keep you full for a few hours. The whole baking dish of marinara sauce would not keep you full after 1/2 an hour! You would not have to be constantly fighting against the urge to eat something else that's hanging around the house, because you would be FULL!
3. And all that sugar in there will have you craving more sugar the rest of the day! I also wouldn't be able to resist intense cravings on a hungry stomach!
Now I'd better run away before I keep typing on & on!!! :( :(
I understand your passion completely! We don't gain weight overnight, yet many treat weight loss as though it has to happen as fast as possible. What works better in the long run are small, sustainable steps as you train your body to crave good foods, and to KEEP AWAY from processed junk.
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