Thoughts on Diets and eating habits.
My personal feeling is that diets suck. Unless you plan on being on a diet your whole life what's the point? Why not just learn how to eat well and right. Cutting all of anything out of your eating is a plan for failure. I'm not training because I'm going to be a pro athlete or because I have a competition. Now I may compete in something at some time in which case I will change what I eat to help achieve my goal. Right now I just want to be as fit as I can without being on an RX each hour of the day.
I do watch what I eat, and keep mental notes on what I have been eating. Eating empty calories is just a waste of time. So for me I don't drink soda and I try not to snack on candy or cookies. At work is the hardest time. I try to eat often. So instead of getting super hungry I will eat a protein snack, like turkey meat or peanut butter and celery. Or have some yogurt or piece of fruit. When my co-workers order out most of the time I say, "no thanks". I don't have the cash to eat out often and if I do it's going to be good. Sometimes I really feel like ordering out so I will get sushi. Which is a better choice than General Tso chicken that I use to get. Anyhow, Chinese food gives me a headache. I've never had luck finding anything not fried or half way healthy at a Chinese place.
One of my rules is to not drink on school nights. I love beer, good rich amber or dark beers, yummmmy! If I were to cut that out altogether I would be very grumpy. If I cut all carbs out or all sugar out, I just could not stick to that for the rest of my life. My goal is life fitness. Not just till my body weight gets to 130#, or until a certaint event. It's a forever deal. So I let myself slip and eat some bad stuff. Well it's really not that bad if I'm not doing that everyday. We eat so poorly as a nation that we've for gotten that having the not so good for you stuff is a treat not a staple.
For me my weakness is chocolate, OMG I could eat it all day. If I had a bucket of it I would stick my head into it and suck it down like a beer at a frat party! So how do I deal with my craving, a small piece here or there. That's it, that's the plan. I think it's call moderation?
Overall I stay away from fast food. We love to go out to eat and in the DC area we have some great places. So why the hell would I spend my money on fast food. It's fast alright in one end out the other. Every once in a while I will go get a burrito from Chipotle. If I'm riding they travel well. You can eat half and the other half can go in your back pocket! I'm aware that the warp is high in fat, but I've had like 3 this year so I'm ok, I think?
Staying away from fried food is a good plan. Once in a while I will crave a beer and some good fried food. Sometimes I go for it others I don't. I've found that when I have really strong cravings if I just make a good choice and eat healthy that the craving goes away.
We have no idea what being hungry is. In the ER the first thing people ask for is food. What the hell, you just told me your were having an emergency! When was the last time you let yourself feel really hungry? The other day at work some kid and his over protective mom had to wait for a long time to be seen. So Mom gets all in my face, " my son is starving, he's been here for and hour. He has not eaten since 8am". Well, bitch now he's going to wait for another hour! Ok, I can say that but that's what I was thinking. So I go him a bag lunch that we give to homeless people, then they drove off in there Mercedes-Benz to Five guys or wherever.
Let me end by saying this. Try to eat greens and nuts, baked not fired. Moderate you carbs, eat whole wheat. Try to eat before you go to the party so you don't go feeling like you could eat the whole cow. Eat chicken, fish and pork over red meats. It you eat red meat get the lean kind. I like Buffalo burgers from trader Joes, they are really lean. Just think before you put it in your mouth. As I have said before don't over fill the tank, if you do work it off! Don't waste fuel!
No workout for me today. I've been struggling with headaches that I get every winter. It has to do with the dry air in the house.