I have never been on a diet. And this is not because I'm so healthy and happy with my body and my weight. Rather it's more just I'mnot disciplined enough to "be on a diet." What I tend to mean when I say/think to myself "oh I'm on a diet" is that I'm either trying to eat healthier or eat less. Sometimes I'll also include exercise into this new "diet."
The point of this is that now I've decided/resolved to go on a diet. Well no, that's not entirely true. I've resolved to loose weight. But I'm not entirely sure how. I mean, I know what a "diet" entails... no fried foods, more veggies, blah blah blah. I read diet books, and diet/fitness magazines and blogs. So in theory I know what I need to do. It's the actually doing part that tends to be my hurdle.
I think this is probably the people. I mean seriously, by this point we all know that we should avoid refined "simple" carbs (like white sugar, white bread, etc.) and eat more leafy greens and lean proteins. But if it were that simple wouldn't losing weight be easier? I mean, I actually like healthy foods so what's the problem?
I spend bascially all day thinking about food. From getting up in the morning and having my breakfast (usually cereal) to grabbing the lunch I packed and then figuring out my dinner plans. I think about what I should make for the next day's lunch or how I can pre-cook some breakfast items so I don't have to always have the same thing in the mornings...food totally dominates my day. Does this make me a "foodie" or a fat-ass?
Maybe I should just pick up a diet book and eat whatever the hell it tells me to eat... but I hate the idea of not being in control of what I eat. Maybe I should make my own diet book? But that might backfire in a spectacular way.
Or maybe I should just take my ass to the gym more often (read: at all).
Losing weight is simply a matter of repeated self control but complete different from being healthy. Essentially any type of carbohydrates simple or complex will turn into fat if you don't spend the energy. Meats put a hamper on your system because it makes your body work to digest. Fruits and Vegetables are wonderful because they are full of water and vitamins. A lot of citris fruits help the immune system with vitamin C. A lot of berries help with B vitamins that help convert proteins into energy. Eating fruits and vegetables (lightly steamed or raw) is actually like digesting water at the same time. The more water you have in your cells the more efficient your body will be. So essentially its about eating water not drinking water. Complex carbohydrates which are basically whole grains, take the body a little longer to digest so they dont hamper the body and the energy can be used throughout the day as it takes it's long digestive process. To ensure the energies wil be used, we need to eat fruits and vegetables to help us digest water and turn protein into energy, eat complex carbs for energy throughout the day and protein for relatively instantish energy. Exercise is important because if you dont lose your muscle it degrades like everything else. Strong people are generally healthier because their body can handle more bullshit because there is more water in muscle than in fat. The more water are in cells the more efficient your body will function.
ReplyDeleteLosing weight is basically portion control. Eat until you are a little less then full. When you are full your body struggles to process everything in you. The less you eat the more your stomach will shrink to normal size requiring less food. Eat 5-6 meals every 3 hours if you can. I'm talking about maybe one third of the portions you eat before you get full. Think of it as putting a little more fuel as you travel from Los Angeles to Las Vegas. Keep feeding the engine. Don't eat three hours before you go to bed because your body will be trying to process food during your resting period. You won't get enough rest because your body is focused on digesting and you don't burn enough carbs/fat while you sleep so the current food you just ate will turn into fat. Eat vegetarian once in a while. The vegetarian nation is growing. There are a lot more options with chains like Whole Foods opening. There are some ethnic foods like Thai or Vietnamese that almost always have vegetarian options. Vegetarian and Non-Vegetarian food in restaurants cost about the same.
I suggest that you be on a diet. It's important to be on a diet and have proper nutrition. Take lorna vanderhaeghe to support your health while dieting.
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