In the past several months, I've blogged about all the dieting books I've read, trying to find the magic elixir to losing a few pounds. All it's done, though, is confuse me on what it is that I really need to do. Now, I have a new tactic. It's tried and true; it's proven; it's been used forever. It's called, "Exercise More; Eat Less."
I know, I know, it's really a departure from the instant gratification that we, as Americans, are so used to now.
The things I've learned from reading all those books, though, have not been for naught. For example, I am now eating mostly whole grains and reducing the amount of sugar I intake. Good things to go along with my "Exercise More; Eat Less" plan.
Some aerobic interval training here, some lifting there, and I've noticed a positive change in my body structure. I think I'm looking better. But more importantly, I'm feeling better.
Showing posts with label Battle of the Bulge. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Battle of the Bulge. Show all posts
Saturday, March 21, 2009
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
The Dieting Food Critic
So I work at a candy company, I am a food critic, and I'm solidly in my 30s. Is it any wonder that I have issues with my weight? The thing is that I just don't know how to adjust. As a chubby kid, I started working out and voila! I was thin.
Today, I'm training for a 220-mile bike ride from Hershey, PA to New York City, and I've managed to gain 5 lbs. How is that possible?
In my voracious reading of all things dieting a few months ago, I think I really screwed myself up. Now I don't remember what I ate when I was thin just a few years ago. I don't know how it was that I didn't gain weight. Possibly because I was working at a beauty care company, and I didn't get paid to eat? Possibly.
But perhaps more importantly, out the door has gone my willpower. I vaguely remember eating just a medium soup and side salad when I was in my early 20s. Perhaps I have fallen into the "Supersize Me" trap. Perhaps I just want to enjoy life, and I perceive that enjoyment to be through good food.
My love for food is equalled by my fear of it. It's a strange paradox.
Today, I'm training for a 220-mile bike ride from Hershey, PA to New York City, and I've managed to gain 5 lbs. How is that possible?
In my voracious reading of all things dieting a few months ago, I think I really screwed myself up. Now I don't remember what I ate when I was thin just a few years ago. I don't know how it was that I didn't gain weight. Possibly because I was working at a beauty care company, and I didn't get paid to eat? Possibly.
But perhaps more importantly, out the door has gone my willpower. I vaguely remember eating just a medium soup and side salad when I was in my early 20s. Perhaps I have fallen into the "Supersize Me" trap. Perhaps I just want to enjoy life, and I perceive that enjoyment to be through good food.
My love for food is equalled by my fear of it. It's a strange paradox.
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
What the HECK am I eating?!?!
While in my immobile state post-surgery for the past several days, I have done an enormous amount of reading. I've read Skinny Bitch, French Women Don't Get Fat, The Maker's Diet--and that's just the reading in book form! Yes, there's a theme here. I want to know the TRUTH behind a healthy, sustainable, long-lived body!
It all started when I was a young child. Okay, I won't go THAT far back and bore you to death, but you do need to know that I was an overweight kid. I loved to eat and I ate a LOT. Thankfully, a trip to Japan during my high school years, where a car was not at my disposal, and where I found that I was actually good at tennis and volleyball, reset my body and my mindset about eating and fitness. It also didn't hurt that I grew several inches in the following few years.
Since then, it's been very important to keep my weight in check. I read and tried the South Beach Diet, and it actually worked...until I went mad for the bread basket at a dinner one night. I tried simply eating less and exercising more. That worked until I got PMS or, uh, got irritated. I tried just eating half the food on my plate and having the server box the rest. That NEVER worked. I would pick just one more morsel until there wasn't enough to justify the take home box, so I just ate the rest of it. Why not have have the server box it at the start? Because I didn't want EVERYONE to know I had no self-discipline at all. How embarrassing. So I kept reading and kept fluctuating.
Of the books that I have just read in the past few days, I hold very little credence to Skinny Bitch. A few of the claims that justify a vegan lifestyle are far-fetched, and I really couldn't tolerate all the attitude from the authors. Yes, they have a disclaimer at the end where they admit they were "just being that way" to sell books, and that's even more vile to me.
French Women Don't Get Fat actually has a lot of wisdom in it. It just didn't need to take 256 pages to get the point across. My main take-aways: Watch what you eat, but don't deny yourself. Make trade-offs between delicious things that aren't slimming. Love your inner being; don't try to make yourself something you're not. Drink a lot of water, and learn to incorporate more exercise in your daily life, as opposed to running endlessly on a treadmill. I love that last part.
But really, there's something to the enjoyment of food that many Americans don't employ. We're an on-the-go society. We skip breakfast, work through lunch, and then eat in the car. Why else would we need so many cup holders in our cars? So next time, I'm going to not read, not watch TV, not work, when I'm trying to eat something. I'm going to enjoy my bites and chew thoughtfully and joyfully. That, and I'm going to drink more water, climb more stairs and love myself. Hm. That seems like a lot. Please, Lord, let this last longer than just one day!
The Maker's Diet was...interesting. Dr. Jordan Rubin has an incredible story that lends a certain credibility to his dietary platform, but when you really get down to it all, it sounds suspiciously like an organic version of the South Beach Diet. Well, minus the unclean meats and shellfish, as according to the Bible. But plus the addition of supplements sold by his company. That part makes me very suspicious. As my husband says, everyone likes to buy, but no one likes to be sold, and this book smacks of that.
Now, it certainly has principles that absolutely make sense. Like stop eating chemicals. Got it. The whole antibiotics-in-commercially-sold-meat, milk, and dairy is certainly something that should raise an eyebrow, but what's the solution in this modern world of productivity and speed? Organic food seems to be more expensive than I want to spend, and I hadn't given it much thought. Until now.
So off I went into cyberspace to search for alternatives. There are many great websites that write about humane and sustainable protein sources. When I began the quest, I had a suspicion that I was in the perfect location to take advantage of those sources, and boy was I right. Lancaster county is teeming with healthful alternatives. Stay tuned as I turn the research into something more tangible in the next coming months. I'll let you know how I'm doing as a French woman eating grass-fed beef...
It all started when I was a young child. Okay, I won't go THAT far back and bore you to death, but you do need to know that I was an overweight kid. I loved to eat and I ate a LOT. Thankfully, a trip to Japan during my high school years, where a car was not at my disposal, and where I found that I was actually good at tennis and volleyball, reset my body and my mindset about eating and fitness. It also didn't hurt that I grew several inches in the following few years.
Since then, it's been very important to keep my weight in check. I read and tried the South Beach Diet, and it actually worked...until I went mad for the bread basket at a dinner one night. I tried simply eating less and exercising more. That worked until I got PMS or, uh, got irritated. I tried just eating half the food on my plate and having the server box the rest. That NEVER worked. I would pick just one more morsel until there wasn't enough to justify the take home box, so I just ate the rest of it. Why not have have the server box it at the start? Because I didn't want EVERYONE to know I had no self-discipline at all. How embarrassing. So I kept reading and kept fluctuating.
Of the books that I have just read in the past few days, I hold very little credence to Skinny Bitch. A few of the claims that justify a vegan lifestyle are far-fetched, and I really couldn't tolerate all the attitude from the authors. Yes, they have a disclaimer at the end where they admit they were "just being that way" to sell books, and that's even more vile to me.
French Women Don't Get Fat actually has a lot of wisdom in it. It just didn't need to take 256 pages to get the point across. My main take-aways: Watch what you eat, but don't deny yourself. Make trade-offs between delicious things that aren't slimming. Love your inner being; don't try to make yourself something you're not. Drink a lot of water, and learn to incorporate more exercise in your daily life, as opposed to running endlessly on a treadmill. I love that last part.
But really, there's something to the enjoyment of food that many Americans don't employ. We're an on-the-go society. We skip breakfast, work through lunch, and then eat in the car. Why else would we need so many cup holders in our cars? So next time, I'm going to not read, not watch TV, not work, when I'm trying to eat something. I'm going to enjoy my bites and chew thoughtfully and joyfully. That, and I'm going to drink more water, climb more stairs and love myself. Hm. That seems like a lot. Please, Lord, let this last longer than just one day!
The Maker's Diet was...interesting. Dr. Jordan Rubin has an incredible story that lends a certain credibility to his dietary platform, but when you really get down to it all, it sounds suspiciously like an organic version of the South Beach Diet. Well, minus the unclean meats and shellfish, as according to the Bible. But plus the addition of supplements sold by his company. That part makes me very suspicious. As my husband says, everyone likes to buy, but no one likes to be sold, and this book smacks of that.
Now, it certainly has principles that absolutely make sense. Like stop eating chemicals. Got it. The whole antibiotics-in-commercially-sold-meat, milk, and dairy is certainly something that should raise an eyebrow, but what's the solution in this modern world of productivity and speed? Organic food seems to be more expensive than I want to spend, and I hadn't given it much thought. Until now.
So off I went into cyberspace to search for alternatives. There are many great websites that write about humane and sustainable protein sources. When I began the quest, I had a suspicion that I was in the perfect location to take advantage of those sources, and boy was I right. Lancaster county is teeming with healthful alternatives. Stay tuned as I turn the research into something more tangible in the next coming months. I'll let you know how I'm doing as a French woman eating grass-fed beef...
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
The Biggest Loser
We don't have cable. Well, we have basic cable, but that only allows us to clearly watch those channels which are supposed to be free without turning our viewing pleasure into a miserable migraine-laden experience. I'll leave my distaste for the gouging cable company, which also is my internet provider, ahem, for another blog entry.
Okay, so back to my original intent. We don't watch a lot of TV. I mean, we don't really have the channels to watch a lot of TV. But I have found myself actually racing home to watch the Biggest Loser. I'm not even sure what time it starts, but I know it's sometime around 8-ish. Out of all the reality shows, I find this to be truly inspiring and uplifting. I hate the elimination round because, as competitive as I am, I really like most of them. They're all doing something that is so noble and...something that I can't do myself. My goodness, when it came to the contestants' last chance workout, it was so intense, I was almost sweating in my 60 degree living room just watching them. Contrast that with my workout tonight. It's so embarrassing, I won't even tell you what I did. Put it this way: I won't be sore tomorrow.
So thanks to the Biggest Loser, I'm going to work out hard tomorrow. I'm going to work out until I drench my t-shirt in sweat. I'm going to work out until I'm sore the next day... well, I'll start with an extra 10 minutes on the treadmill.
Okay, so back to my original intent. We don't watch a lot of TV. I mean, we don't really have the channels to watch a lot of TV. But I have found myself actually racing home to watch the Biggest Loser. I'm not even sure what time it starts, but I know it's sometime around 8-ish. Out of all the reality shows, I find this to be truly inspiring and uplifting. I hate the elimination round because, as competitive as I am, I really like most of them. They're all doing something that is so noble and...something that I can't do myself. My goodness, when it came to the contestants' last chance workout, it was so intense, I was almost sweating in my 60 degree living room just watching them. Contrast that with my workout tonight. It's so embarrassing, I won't even tell you what I did. Put it this way: I won't be sore tomorrow.
So thanks to the Biggest Loser, I'm going to work out hard tomorrow. I'm going to work out until I drench my t-shirt in sweat. I'm going to work out until I'm sore the next day... well, I'll start with an extra 10 minutes on the treadmill.
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