Reflections on a lifestyle change… September 21, 2007
Posted by kimayars Diet, Ramblings
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I’m 4 1/2 weeks into my diet lifestyle change, and found myself thinking about it a lot today. It all started when I wondered what I had for lunch yesterday. I am VERY food centric. Love food. Love to eat. If it’s chocolate, deep fried, and covered in salt I’ll be the first in line to try it. But I couldn’t remember. I know I wouldn’t have skipped lunch. I would never do THAT. Not me. Ever. Even if I did skip lunch, I would have made up for it with some sinful snack that afternoon (probably a masterful creation by Starbucks). But I didn’t. Hmmm… It was a mystery.
A little over 4 weeks ago I bought the book “You on a Diet” by Drs. Mehmet Oz and Michael Roizen. They advocate eating smarter. Use what science knows to work in your favor. Eat whole grains. Avoid high-fructose corn syrup. Remove “hydrogenated-X” from your menu.
The first week was brutal. I was hungry, cranky, and unsatisfied. The book said to stick with it. Let your body adjust. So I did. There was just a lot of grumbling involved.
For week two I found I had a rhythm. I followed their advice on picking your hardest meal and eating the same thing for that meal every day. For me, lunch is the worst, mostly because I tend to skip it and then it’s a slow slide into disaster for the rest of the day. I found some soups I liked, and had soup and a salad for the entire week. Week 2 was proving to be easier. Cravings were subsiding.
Week three was the real test. This week was the week before “THE WEEK” (and girls, you know what that is). It’s a wonderful time of bloating, cramping, and “give me chocolate or die”. But I must say overall I felt better than I have before. I was beginning to think that I’m moving in the right direction.
Last week (week four) I went out for dinner with my friend Sherene. I knew I wanted to have a great time with food and drink, and I did. I ate a lot, drank a lot (argh, the hangover) and enjoyed 5 hours of wonderful company. But it wasn’t so bad to go back to “the plan”. I was actually starting to be optimistic.
So that brings us to the mystery of yesterday’s lunch. I eventually did remember: I had pizza during a lunch meeting. But it was only half a piece with some salad. I ate like a skinny person, and didn’t even give it a second thought. Hallelujah! This actually works.
I’ve had to go back to the basics a few times, but each time it gets easier to stay on track. It’s sounds silly, but when I make a mistake I actually tell myself: “Make an authorized YOU-turn”. (If you read the book you’ll get that.) It gives me permission to stop, regroup, and make a better decision. I’m listening to my body more (am I really hungry?) and overall feel so much better. So far, this is a good thing.
Tomorrow is my 5K fun run. I found myself wishing I had registered for the 8K. Maybe I’ll ask if I can switch… (I must be nuts.)
Comments
8k would be great. That would prepare you for increasing your distance a little more next weekend.
you’re doing great…positive food & positive outlook — YAY! Keep up the good work!
BTW: have you tried keeping dark chocolate around for the absolutely-must-have now moments…or is chocolate totally not allowed? I read recently that avoiding a chocolate craving is actually bad. Giving into it with “the right chocolate” is better. We keep a few bars of dark chocolate frozen just in case. I find eating a square of that is quite satisfying & gets me past the “must haves” pretty well. Plus, if its frozen, it takes a little more energy to eat!
Oh, I couldn’t live without chocolate!
The book totally recommends dark chcolate. I cheat a little here: when I NEED to have some, I have one of these little pieces of chocolate with liquor inside that I picked up in London.
Chocoloate AND alcohol: A winning combination!
I guess I’m lucky that I’ve always liked the so called “good for you” food. A strange kid that loved vegetables and would horde Halloween candy from one year to the next (except Junior Mints, those were gone in a day, two at the most :+).
Everything in your post sounded sensible, obvious even… Until the last paragraph. Please, someone explain this concept of “fun run”! Always makes me think “happy torture”
Don’t get this Dark Chocolate thing, it is THE BEST ! We keep a stock of Lindt 70% in the chocolate crate, it’s the first thing to go, apart from Cadell’s Freddo Frogs, he’s a one a day guy ! How can you eat that Hershey’s stuff …. I guess it’s all a cultural upbringing thing.