I’ve been noticing a theme lately. Maybe it’s a direct result of the New Year and everybody making resolutions…not sure. I’ve been seeing tons of posts about “foods that you should NEVER eat” and “bad foods.” I’ve reads that people refuse to eat bacon (insert: chocolate, pizza, etc). The #fitblog chat recently had a discussion about it too. One of the questions was:
You pick salad over pizza because you want to better fuel your body or because you have to avoid health blogger dirty stares?
My answer? I eat both! I choose the pizza AND the salad! Yes, I denied myself pizza and ice cream for the two years it took me to lose 100 pounds, but that was because I didn’t trust myself enough to eat a serving size. I am so glad I resisted them and was successful in my journey. But to completely deny myself the food forever isn’t the solution. At some point I had to learn how to control myself. I had to learn how to eat right, what a serving size was, and when to stop eating. That was all part of the process of losing weight.
Restriction has a time and a place (read this post) but it can’t be maintained forever. Losing weight and keeping it off isn’t about a diet, or severe restriction. It’s about doing what it takes to lose the weight in a healthy way and developing a healthy relationship with food. It took me a long time. Trust me! There are still good days and bad days, but in general I have a healthier relationship with food than I did before.
The answers on Twitter to the above question shocked me. A lot of people responded that they loved pizza but would pick the salad even though they didn’t want it. That made me feel kind of sad. I wouldn’t want to live a life where I simply ate food because I HAD TO or SHOULD eat it, instead of because I liked it. I LOVE vegetables! My dinner plate feels very naked when I don’t have my veggies on it, too. Why can’t we eat one slice of pizza and have a salad (or a veggie that you DO like)?
Just like with the exercise portion–you have to choose what you will LIKE and stick with. Choosing what to eat while trying to lose weight can be a challenge but once you’ve narrowed the list down to some meals that you like, stick with them. It also makes it easier to count your calories/points. 🙂
Extra Motivation
If you’re looking for some exercise inspiration, read this article: I Lost 320 Pounds Riding a Bike.
If you need an App to keep you committed, try this.
QUESTION: Are the foods you eat foods you “Have To” eat? Or do you like them?
Karen@WaistingTime
I admit it – I pretty much only eat veggies because I have too:(
Lisa Eirene
REALLY?! I’m so surprised at how many people are saying that!
Sarah
Ever since you introduced me to Cronometer, I’ve been thinking more about the value food I put into my body. So I’d probably choose them both because the salad is filled with micronutrients!
I’ve been noticing that watching all my vitamins and minerals (particularly iron, copper and vitamin K) is rewarding me with better performance in my training. It’s a great positive reinforcement!
Lisa Eirene
That makes me so happy! I love hearing that you SEE positive changes after just a few weeks of doing it. That really inspires me to pay closer attention to my food for the vitamins and minerals part of it. What foods have you started eating that gave you the biggest change?
Sarah
Kale! It has iron, vitamin K and copper. It also gives me a weekly use for my food dehydrator that I bought last year and have hardly used. I love that I only need to eat 1/8th a serving of my kale chips recipe to reap big rewards too.
Lisa Eirene
That’s awesome. We discovered kale too and we both liked it a lot. It’s something I’m going to keep eating too. Haven’t tried kale chips yet.
Jill
When I first stared my journey- I restricted food. I only ate healthy food because I HAD to. Now- I prefer the healthier foods. I crave them. I will allow myself any food now. I just have to be careful with certain trigger foods. I agree with you! Salad AND pizza!!!
Lisa Eirene
Jill, me too! While I’ve always been a big salad girl no matter what size I was, I find that I crave healthier foods now too. My body just feels better when I eat them. As you may know, pizza was one of my trigger foods that I couldn’t stop eating once I started. I have come SO FAR since then so that I can now eat two slices and stop. That’s huge.
Katie Squires
totally agree 🙂
Lori
I kind of eat veggies because I should. I do like broccoli, but pretty much all other veggies are just for diet variety and nutrition. I often choose fruit for my dinner ‘dessert’ because I really like it! I hate it when people say I am being “good” for doing that. It’s just what I want. I certainly do eat cupcakes or other sweet things, but I tend not to eat them every day and leave them as treats. That works best for me.
Lisa Eirene
I’m surprised that you eat veggies because you have to. You’re so diligent about having a balance on your plate, I just assumed it was because you liked it. I’m with you on the fruit. I once had someone at work ask me if I was on a diet because I was having an orange for my snack. Um, no, I always eat fruit for my snacks…….!
Karen P
Salad. I don’t eat pizza b/c I cannot stop once I start. It took a while but I finally figured out that wheat triggers me just as bad as sugar does. Doesn’t matter if it’s a slice of pizza or a handful of jelly beans.
Salad all the way, but I’ll want some good veggies and meat to go with, maybe a little bit of cheese once and a while, too. Oil and vinegar unless I’ve read the label on the dressing.
Power to the portion control group of people. I wish I were, but I’m not, so now I know. It’s all good. 🙂
Lisa Eirene
There is nothing wrong with that, Karen! You KNOW you need that extra strength by not eating it. That’s really strong and smart of you!
Raeesa
When I switched to cleaner eating, I didn’t exactly love it. But I learned to like it. It took a while for my taste receptors to re-calibrate, but that clean feeling that isn’t heavy after you finished eating, I love it now.
I like fruit & veggies and there are tons of way one can add flavor if it’s still lacking. And there are no foods on my “bad list” so long as I stick to the plan 20/21 meals a week. I allow myself one cheat meal per week, either food or dessert. I can’t resist comfort food forever, so that’s my compromise.
Lisa Eirene
There was definitely a transition period for me too. When I first started trying to lose weight, I had hunger issues and things didn’t TASTE good like they used to. I also hated diet soda. But once I got used to it, my palate changed and that became my norm. Now, when I eat really fattening food, I can’t eat as much of it. Smaller bites and portions because it’s so rich.