Watching food intake is hard enough and then adding calorie counting as an added pressure can just make someone want to quit. Even ME and I have an MS in Nutrition. Mind you I got the MS in Nutrition because I needed help so I turned to education.
I have implemented a new plan to go along with my 40 workouts in 40 days. If you want to know about that I have linked that for you here.
Now I need to dive deep into my own personal food pyramid. I am taking a newer, less stressful approach. My hypothesis is that I will make better choices and lose weight faster by using this approach. And it won’t be hard!
The plan
First and foremost I am NOT weighing my food or counting calories. I am not even going to read many more labels. This will be hard for me because I am kind of addicted to label reading. It’s not a bad thing but overdoing it can cause me too much stress. I will read labels that are new to me but I am going to quit re reading them over and over as those numbers can weigh on you.
Second, I am going to eat until I am satisfied, slow down (I am a fast eater), and eat my cravings. Let me say a big BUT here. Cravings can be a bit tricky. Just because you crave sugar does not mean you really are…meaning, sometimes, that could be a fruit craving and we mistake it for a candy craving, etc. So basically I am going to listen to my body and let it tell me what it wants.
I have found that when I force my cravings to be something else I really eat more because I try to alter the sweet craving with protein or something like that and then I eat what I think I should have and then I eat the craving anyway so I just ate double. And it weighs on me because I think about it til I eat it.
Third, I am going to remember that moderation is the key. I am not going to watch calories but I do need to pace myself, again slow down, and let the cravings and hunger be satisfied with less food. One of my biggest downfalls is that I eat too fast. This is going to be the hardest habit to break.
Implementing
I know what foods are better for me, that is easy. I buy mainly healthy foods, like whole grain, no white grains. Fresh and frozen vegetables and not canned vegetables. I don’t keep snack foods in the house like chips and dip etc, but I do indulge when I am PMSing and I don’t feel bad about that, I am less bitchy when I get my salt and chocolate for 2-days.
When I have a craving I will satisfy it. If I have one that causes me to go out of the house to purchase it then 9/10 I won’t go get it.
When I am craving sugar I will first start with some fresh fruit. If I am out of fresh fruit, which is usually not an issue, then I will suck on some peppermint or a hard candy like that. Usually one piece does me in anyway.
At meals, if I can, oops, WHEN I can, learn to slow down I will be full after one moderate helping. When I manage to do this and after 15-20 minutes (because that is about average on how long it takes to feel full) I am not going to beat myself up if my body wants a bit more. I don’t need to pile a whole other plate full, but a few more bites should do it. The problem with depriving myself, when my body says to eat more, is that I think about it ALL night and then want to binge later. I want to feel completely satisfied when I get up from the dinner table. We eat around 5-5:30pm and I go to bed about 11, so if I need to eat more then dinner is the perfect time.
I am going to workout every day and not beat myself up if the day gets away from me and I miss a day here and there. It happens. Bad food happens, missing workouts happen. It’s how you bounce back after messing up the schedule. 1-2 days won’t hurt to miss but 1-2 weeks will, so I won’t go through the blame and guilt game if 1-2 days gets messed up…just relax and go back.
If I go somewhere that has “bad food” I am not going to avoid it. I am going to eat it and again not overindulge, but become satisfied.
Summary:
This whole attitude with the working out will work. I know it will. One of the biggest obstacles that I have and I am sure others have is that once they miss 1-2 days they give up. They then put so much damn guilt on their plate that it sucks the positive energy right out the window. Well then that won’t get you anywhere…
So this new outlook will be a good change. I tend to feel guilty about everything and food is a huge nightmare for me and I need to change that. Besides we all know, or should all know, that our mind plays a huge role in everything. If I can just chill out and do what I need to do, worry free, then I know that this other 30-35 pounds will come off. If I make myself too stressful over it, it may take twice as long or not come off at all.
I will keep you posted on my 40-day workout and this new approach.
Peace!
Here is another blog post from me if you are interested: Do you want it in the beginning or not at all?
