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How I eat, Spring 2021 edition
How I eat, Spring 2021 edition
There are a few links in this post and some are affiliate links. Thanks in advance for checking them out. Hi and welcome, y’all! May the 4th be with you! If you follow me, you know that I’m a nerd, love food. I collect cookbooks, love to cook, and love eating out. You also know that I am working on my fitness and health goals and nutrition is a big part of it. I follow an 80/20 philosophy for…
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A Note to Those Feeling the Diet Culture Pressure
Let’s talk about diets. I do not do them. I can’t stick with them. Or I will not make myself, rather. I am someone that has strong cravings for a variety of things all over the sweet and salty spectrum and I have found it best to simply indulge myself in the things I enjoy in a moderate way and then pick back up the next meal with a better, healthier choice for something my body needs.
As I have alluded to before, I suffered from an eating disorder when I was younger. I did see a counselor for it and underwent treatment. Truthfully, though, issues like that are deeply rooted and are rarely “cured.” You can overcome them and live healthy in spite of that mindset but the seeds are always there.
So what I have done these last two years is research and cultivate a lifestyle that involves better, healthier choices for the long run. A huge part of my new lifestyle involves exercise. Exercise is what kicked off my weight loss journey (and so many more benefits, including being able to drop my depression meds). However, you cannot out-train or out-run a bad diet. Your success will not be long term or as robust as it would be if you changed your diet too.
I tried Weight Watchers. I tried diet pills. I tried intermittent fasting. All the things, and they all lead to the same outcome. Right back in my disordered way of thinking. And then I found Ultimate Portion Fix. You don’t hold back, you don’t cut out whole food groups. No food is the enemy. You don’t get “points” back from exercising (?!!!). They just lay out the foods you should be eating in categories (Carbs, Proteins, Fruits, Fats, etc) and you build your day around that, tracking your containers. I have trouble eating them all, rather than feeling restricted (and hungry!) This system works well for me, but you need to find YOUR niche program or system! Life is not one size fits all!
Getting myself into the frame of mind to exercise consistently was hard. But getting myself mentally prepared to change to a healthier diet long term felt like a fantasy. Trust me when I say I’d I can do it, anyone can do it. I had to completely change the way I look at food. I was raised in a home where we “cleared our plates” to show we were grateful for the food we were able to eat. I grew up in a culture of associating certain (mostly unhealthy) foods with special occasions, holidays, and as rewards. I had to stop looking at food as a treat or something that had to be irresistibly tasty and instead began looking at food as a fuel source. We all need food to live; to survive. But you don’t have to love and be excited about that every single item that crosses your lips. For me, carbs (especially breads) are my favorite. But vegetables, fruit, etc are just as important to being healthy and balanced. I don’t have to enjoy every serving of vegetables but I do need to make sure I am eating more of them.
I feel like this goes hand in hand with taking care of your body. I used to be of the mindset that when you ate too much or “cheated on your diet” you need to exercise extra hard to work it off. Let me tell you, drop that mindset and set it on fire! Your body wasn’t built in a day and one chest meal or day won’t ruin your body (or progress) in the same way that eating one good, healthy meal won’t solve your dietary or health goals. Your body powers your life. It allows you to live the life you do, have the ability to exercise, the ability to think, love, and so much more. Appreciate the body you have, work hard to get in touch with your body, and love it while always working to make it even better. When you are at peace with your body and genuinely appreciate it, you will naturally begin wanting to take care of your body by giving it all the best fuel you need to power it effectively.
A big adjustment for me was water. I know that sounds silly, you need water to live. But I could go a whole meal and only take two sips of water. Now I make sure I always have it with me. I see much better results not only on the scale but in my skin, energy, gut health (I struggle with GI issues), and more if I stick to my 100 Oz a day. Also, water is great, your body is made up of it and you need a lot. But don’t listen to anyone who tells you to chug water when you’re hungry to fight off cravings! This is toxic. Drink your water and eat your food. But don’t drink your water instead of your food!
I was not someone, and still to this day am not someone who can just 100% cut things out of my life. For example, I grew up truly enjoying Dewey’s cake squares. I don’t want to give them up and I don’t need to. What I decided was best for me is using portion control. If I want a cake square, I enjoy one or two and get back to my regularly scheduled program. Denying your cravings will ultimately lead to a binge and dissatisfaction. You can make room in your lifestyle for treats often if you do it in the right proportion.
Those that are trained or gifted in the kitchen may not need this but I really had to learn through trial and error ways to prepare foods that I don’t “get excited” about or have much experience with. I grew up eating very few vegetables so when I started trying to make healthier decisions about my eating, incorporating new vegetables was overwhelming. Pinterest is a great resource and there are tons of cooking pages on Instagram. But ultimately you just have to lean in to the flavor profiles that speak to you and make tweaks to recipes to fit your needs. For example, it feels like 80% of smoothie recipes call for half a banana but I am VERY intolerant to them. So I learned for a lot of recipes, unsweetened applesauce also does the trick. I still struggle with things like spinach and prefer to just blend it into a shake so I don’t really taste it. Baby steps.
One thing that has really helped me is being very intentional. Not just in my meal planning (making sure to stock healthy foods, buying little to no junk, etc) and never setting out to have a cheat day but letting cheat meals naturally occur as needed so a whole day isn’t sabotaged from the start. But also sitting down for each meal and focusing on what todos eating and how you’re feeling. You notice when you’re full way faster that way. As an added bonus, you spend time with the other humans in your life as opposed to the cast of a TV show or your phone. We 100% know we are going to have meals where we deviate from “the plan” we are following, whatever it may be. One “bad” meal won’t break you, just like one “healthy” meal won’t make you lose loads of weight. But I genuinely know from experience that when you wake up with the plan in mind to eat poorly all day, it becomes a free for all and can go south very quickly. Are you craving a donut? Cake? Onion rings? It is 100% fine to go off script and have a serving to fulfill that craving. It does your mind good. We can’t sustain a diet lifestyle of never giving in to anything fun ever. But if you say well, I had a donut for breakfast so I’m gonna make this whole day a cheat day and try to make any normal decisions, you’ll likely wake up with regret (and a food hangover) the next day.
Alcohol is such a touchy subject. Some people need it, some people are 100% against it. I’m team do what you need to do but keep your eye on the prize. I still drink socially (about once a month at this point) but in my day to day hustle I have cut it out entirely. I feel so much better. No headaches. No fullness. Better focus. But that is ME. Incorporate what you need to, keeping in mind the ingredients of your drink of choice.
I hope this was helpful! I am not a registered dietician or anything; just someone who has struggled with diet culture for 3/4 of my life. If you have lots of food sensitivities, I highly recommend seeing an RD, they are super helpful!
fix your portions with the ultimate portion fix!
fix your portions with the ultimate portion fix!
I’m currently studying for my Ultimate Portion Fix Certification to be able to help guide and mentor my clients better as you go through the UPF program – announcement later this month!!
What is The Ultimate Portion Fix?
Ultimate Portion Fix is the expansion of one of the most successful weight loss programs at Beachbody. This 30-day video-based program from creator and Beachbody…
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Weight loss update - so excited!
Weight loss update – so excited!
It’s a moderate pain day, so I may ramble a little. If you’re not in a rambling read kind of mood, feel free to skip this one.
Hey, y’all! I told you I’d be back regularly, and here I am. I want to share my progress since I haven’t really shared on that front lately. I’ve been continuing physical therapy at home and focusing on getting healthier all around. I recognize that weight can play…
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