My Choice

When I saw my fat Dr. the first time, he told me he wanted me to eat 800 calories a day for the first month. My jaw hit the ground and all I could think was, "I am pretty sure I had that for lunch yesterday!" He provided me with a list of foods to eat and foods to avoid. He also taught me a few new things about my diet and what I should be doing as well as a very simple exercise plan. Though I did not stick with the 800 calories a day and I decided against taking the phentermine that was offered, I did stick with some of the principles that he introduced me to. (On a side note- As far as diet drugs go, to each their own. My decision was this- why take these drugs to lose the weight and then be faced with keeping it off without the meds? It sounded like a recipe for disaster to me!!!) Below is a list of some of the parts of my diet:

- I count calories every day. Seriously. If it passes my lips then I put it into a calorie counting website. Even when I cheat or splurge it STILL goes into this site! After all, how else will I REALLY know what I am putting in my body?
- I eat a fruit or a veggie with every meal.
- I do not eat processed carbs with breakfast. If I eat a bagel, then that is the only thing I will burn off all day... I would much prefer to burn off my thighs instead!
- I now drink skim milk, fat free yogurt, fat free sour cream.
- Cut out red meat with the exception of VERY lean cuts. I pretty much only eat chicken, turkey, and pork with veggies.
- I cut out almost all processed carbs. ie- pasta and bread. When I do choose to have these things, they are always whole wheat and it is a rare treat.
- I drink AT LEAST 2 Liters of water a day. I know what you are thinking, yes... I spent half of my day in the bathroom at first. But your body gets used to it. I bought a gallon pitcher and I keep it on my desk so I do not have to get up to refill my glass. I also gave up drinking Soda which was a HUGE change for me! I was a self proclaimed Diet Coke junkie! I could easily drink a 6 cans a day. I quit drinking them all together at first and now I have maybe one a month as a treat.

So here is the hard truth that all of the diet specialists and trainers won't tell you- Dieting is hard. Dieting is not fun. If it was fun and easy then everyone would be skinny. The hardest part is learning to tell yourself "no." In this case, you are your own worst enemy. It is so easy to think "oh it's just one cookie" or "oh I will just have a few beers with my friends." Until you know what effect that one cookie or those few beers has on your body, its easy to not count them as part of what you had that day. Now when I look at a cookie, I know that I could have that OR I could have a grilled chicken breast with asparagus and a salad for dinner. I will be honest with you, sometimes the cookie is really worth it! But I make that decision consciously and I adjust my diet for the rest of the day accordingly.

It is not the worst thing in the world for you to go hungry for a little bit. You won't actually starve. Trust me. Americans as a whole have become such major over eaters that it is a MAJOR change for us to eat a smaller (and healthier) portion size. Our stomachs are stretched to a point where you will feel hungry from time to time as you make this change in your life. My suggestion- Suck it up, drink some water, and deal with it. I do not subscribe to "eat when you are hungry," because lets be honest, that is what got you in this position in the first place! Do not misconstrue this.... I am not advocating starving yourself.... but I am saying to give your body a chance to get balanced again. Ask yourself this, "am I really hungry or am I just bored/nervous/sad/depressed?" We eat for such a variety of reasons that we almost do not know the difference any more! Drink some water, chew on a piece of sugar free gum to try to curb the hunger and then eat a healthy, normal meal later. For instance, I no longer snack in front of the TV. If I am really hungry I commit to eating in the kitchen. That way I am satisfying my hunger and not satisfying my boredom. When we look at food for its nutritional value and not for its comfort level, we make better decisions.