So I've already posted about the start
of my fitness journey, and how I got started with my exercise. Now
it's time to talk about FOOD.
I love food. LOVE IT. I also love to
use it to fix my emotional issues. Which would be why I gained most
of my weight when I was depressed in University. I have always used food to fix my feelings. Loneliness, sadness, anger...those are the big ones that have caused me to eat too much in the past.
First I thought I'd tell you what I
used to eat. This is probably going to be very embarrassing. These
are the foods I love and used to eat way too often:
Pasta (any type, including fettuccine
alfredo, mac and cheese, plain egg noodles with margarine, etc)
Pizza (I still eat pizza, but not a
whole one in one sitting by myself anymore)
Pop/Soda
Pastries (I warned my husband when we
started dating to never buy me pastries...doughnuts, cake,
cookies...they'll all be gone fairly quickly with me around)
Chips
Cereal (Depending on the type, I'd put
extra sugar on top. Om nom.)
Alcohol (beer, wine, etc)
Cheese (I love cheese so BAD)
That's a rough list. I'm absolutely
sure there's more. I just can't think of them because I don't eat
like that anymore.
Now, when I was younger and danced 12
hours a week, I really could get away with eating whatever and still
be skinny. But then I stopped dancing and started University, and I
continued eating the same way, except with more sitting on my butt
than normal. I'd eat a whole box of Kraft Dinner (aka Mac &
Cheese for the Americans out there) by myself. I'd get a medium pizza
and eat it myself. I'd eat a whole bag of chips. And chocolate bars,
and a bottle of wine, and it all adds up.
When I started my health journey, I
didn't initially start out by counting calories. At first all I did
was exercise and try to cut back. But I was still eating poorly.
Eventually I started counting calories, and tried to eat better, but
I didn't do that well.
When I started changing my diet, I
didn't follow a plan, but I've educated myself well and now make
better decisions.
When I started counting calories...it's
confusing. There are so many ideas out there about how many calories
one should be eating, and it's very overwhelming. Some women find
they can survive off of 1200 calories per day. In my opinion, eating
any less than 1500 calories per day for a full grown woman is not
healthy. I tried eating 1400 calories a day, and that wasn't enough.
Once I started eating more, I did much better with my fitness and
weight loss. What you really need to know is your BMR (basal
metabolic rate; here's a calculator to help you figure yours out: http://health.discovery.com/centers/heart/basal/basal.html), which tells you how many calories your body burns
every day just by existing, and focus on eating that amount everyday.
Mine is just under 1500. So when I was counting calories, I never
went under that. But then how do you lose weight? By exercising. And
eating the right kinds and quality of foods.
The truth is, that all calories are NOT
equal. This is a myth. Take breakfast for example. 200 calories of
doughnut is not the same as 200 calories of eggs and fruit. 300
calories of cereal is not the same as 300 calories of greek yogurt,
natural granola, and fruit. One option provides empty calories full
of processed carbs and sugar (doughnuts and cereal), and one provides
nutritious calories that will give you vitamins, minerals, and fibre
to keep you full and healthy.
I don't count calories anymore. I focus
on eating when I'm hungry (it's called intuitive eating), and eating
protein, fats, and a small amount of carbs. Counting calories gives
me anxiety, and it makes me feel like I can eat whatever I want as
long as I'm under my calorie count. But that doesn't make sense, so
I've taken to trusting myself and trying to eat real food when my
body needs it.
Honestly, I've been putting this blog
post off because until recently, I didn't feel like my diet was
anything to be proud of. My nutrition has never really been on point.
I have very limited amounts of willpower. If someone shoves a
doughnut towards me, I'll probably eat it. Partly because it's
delicious and partly because they brought it for me. I'm just a
polite Canadian like that I guess.
However, for a while, I've suspected
that I have food sensitivities that have held me back in achieving my
goals. I was lactose intolerant when I was young, and dairy continues
to give me random problems to this day. I've also recently decided to
cut out gluten and grain-based carbs to see if that will help me as
well. I've been suspicious for a long time that my diagnosis of IBS
is mistaken or that there are related problems to my digestion that I
don't know about. It's been interesting going gluten-free, and while
I wasn't craving bread, pasta, etc. at first, I am a little bit now
that I'm a few days in. I'll have to find alternatives, and hopefully
that will help. I don't think everyone should be gluten-free, but I
definitely think that as a society we eat way too many processed
wheat carbs, and that it's unhealthy and holding us back. But that's
just my opinion.
The bottom line in diet is that 'diets'
don't work, but changing your diet does. You have to consider whether
you want to have doughnuts everyday or feel better on the inside and
outside by eating a more natural, non-processed diet. Personally, we
don't keep very much unhealthy food in our house. Except for ice
cream, which my husband loves, and I only have a very small cup of
when he has some...I never eat it on my own. I never really want to
anymore.
I think of children when I think of
diet. Children ask for food when they're hungry, and when they're
full at a meal, they push away their plates. We're like the parent
and the child...if only we listen to ourselves. We can choose to put
healthy nutritious things on the plate like we would for a child, and
we can choose to only do so when we're hungry, and put it away when
we're full. Not stuffed-full...satisfied. It's actually quite easy.
Of course, I'm the person who eats the same thing everyday at every
meal with slight variations, so maybe it's easier for me than some
other people. But it's still a choice you're making everyday. You're
responsible for it. You're the parent and the child.
The thing about diet though is that it
might take effort and willpower in the beginning...and you will slip,
and you shouldn't feel bad about that. But after a while, it does get
better. Next time I'll tell you what I currently eat. Yum :)
<3 Amanda
