There are a lot of diet plans out there. Everybody seems to have their own idea of what to eat and what to avoid in order to shed the pounds...many of them mutually exclusive of each other. One says go low fat. Others say forget worrying about fat, slash carbs and concentrate on animal protein. Still others who say stick to carbs and reduce protein. There is weight watchers, body for lifers, nutrasystemers, Jenny Craig, Atkins, Subway Jared, and about a million others that offer the opportunity to lose weight eating foods that you may particularly like.
I have a theory. I think that the body pretty much knows what is good for it and will let the brain know if we listen. Is a small portion of lean meat like chicken good for you? My body seems to like it. Is a pound of fried bacon good for you? Though my taste buds may like it, usually my body feels a bit sluggish and queasy afterwards. Veggies and fruits seem to be things that make a body function well though I'm sure they can cause problems if consumed in massive quantities; which brings to mind another aspect of diet plans.....how much to eat.
I can't keep track of calories. Ditto with calories from fats. I get tired of spending the day using mental calculations of "well, that meal had close to 500 calories so my next should be close to 200 or I skipped one meal so that means I can go over my next or it's 4pm and I've already eaten my allotted calories for today so I just don't eat anything else, etc, etc.". I also hate feeling like a failure because I may have snagged a bagel at the office one morning.
What I am doing is a no-diet diet. I'm just eating. I love food and I refuse to deprive myself of the enjoyment of eating. Now, that doesn't mean that I will cram everything I see into my mouth. I'm basically following the BFL plan of five or six small meals a day. I measure food by portions and just make an effort to balance out protein and carbs with each meal. IF I still feel hungry after eating, I'll have another portion. No biggie. I am avoiding low fat processed foods. I'm avoiding artificially sweetened foods. I'm avoiding saturated and trans fats though I'm not going to obsess about it. I'm avoiding sweets. I'm increasing my consumption of fruits and vegetables. Hunger is the enemy of dieting.
In short, I'm eating as if my Mom were feeding me again. Real food. Food that is good for the body.
Oh...and exercise too...but that's my next post.
1 comment:
There are a lot of excellent books out there, and one I'd recommend is a book called Green Gorilla.
It's by my spiritual teacher, but it's well worth a look, even if that's not your thing. (I'm certainly not here to preach!)
It's mainly about the benefits of a raw vegetarian diet, which isn't for everybody, but you can mix it up a little, and add ideas from there into your current diet.
I do. I don't by any means eat a fantastic diet, but this book is great.
You can find it here:
http://www.dawnhorsepress.com/ProductDetail.aspx?PID=3654
You're absolutely right, it's about common sense, and listening to your body, at the end of the day. Good luck!
And your cat is so cute! :-)
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