I've been thinking a lot about the food that I'm eating. Am I wrong to approach my lifestyle change by still eating 'anything' I want, just in moderation. I lost 140 pounds doing just that. I didn't have pizza everyday. I did have to manage and limit my bread. I did it all and I honestly did well. When I wanted to have one of the items I worked it into my schedule. Last week, I made the brownies in the morning. I KNEW that I would want a piece of brownie that night. I managed my food all day to allow for my brownie. This is what worked for me in the past and this is the route I plan to take this go around.
For me to take food away and put it on the 'extinct' list in my life is just not feasible. I know me. You say I can't have it and I will move heaven and hell to get it!!!! I spent some time on my morning walk today talking to my side kick about this. Her words to me were "it worked for you before and why bother with elimination diets when you don't have health issues that need elimination'. She is also not doing any elimination diet....not in the strictest sense of the word. Yes, she's giving up diet soda because of the chemicals. She's giving up ingredients in food that are un-natural. She's moving to a natural lifestyle. So I guess birds of a feather flock together.
That said, I eat mostly natural and organic foods. I cook from scratch, so that eliminates much processed foods. I eat a healthy diet. I just don't eliminate. God gave us these foods. I'm a firm believer that he gave us these NATURAL foods for a reason....and everything, in moderation works together to create a healthy and vibrant lifestyle.
Cravings? Really? I honestly don't have cravings. My binges are usually not based on a craving mentality. They are usually born from emotions. Any cravings....I've always said when I'm taking my multivitamins the cravings disappear anyway. Cravings are our bodies telling us we need something...so if we are getting our proper nutrients...bye bye cravings. :-)
So as I went through this thought process I went home and started folding laundry. Out of my husbands pants pocket fell this packet of Pure Via. Stevia. You know, we've all seen it. We've all seen the ads. We've all heard about the product. I picked it up off the floor where it fell and sat amazed that the package was somewhat intact after going through the washing machine AND dryer! But as amazing as the package was...there was something that absolutely shocked me to no end!
I
opened up the package and poured out the contents. Holy cow. It poured
out onto the surface like I had just poured it from a sugar bowl. The
grains of sugar were pure and unadulterated. This sugar had been through
the clothes washer AND dryer. What? It didn't dissolve in
water?????? It didn't melt in the heat of the dryer?????
How can this be?????? OH wait....that's right. While they say it's
'natural' there is something intrinsically wrong with this picture. VERY
wrong. I think I'll stick with straight up sugar...because, oh
wait.....that's natural too...but at least I know that organic sugar melts and
dissolves in my gut!I got out hiking yesterday and I walked with Sherry today. Ok, so lunch ended up being at Bucca di Beppo. Yummy Italian. But my breakfast was really light as was my dinner. Moderation and management!
The awesome thing today???? This big boy was just hanging out near our house. Gorgeous!!!!
I agree with you. No foods are off limits for me but I mostly eat healthy, unprocessed foods, and exercise a lot. I'm very healthy. That's creepy about the stevia!
ReplyDeleteI don't like the idea of eliminating foods. Although last week, I desperately thought I needed to give up sugar. But what I realized was that was actually a sign of me getting back mentally into the food. I started feeling out of control. I haven't drank a regular or diet soda in a long time. I just didn't feel good about drinking them, but I still don't say I have "Given them up"! Honestly if I really wanted tomorrow, I would allow it. I just keep working on fine tuning my eating. I am adding in more fruit and discovering my love of foods I didn't realize. I just want to keep getting better. That was why I took a few days off the blog. I have been getting my priorities straight, cooking, and trying to read others blogs. I needed to get out of my own head just for a couple of days. I love reading your blog.
ReplyDeleteHey sugar! It's been a while, I know.
ReplyDeleteI love this blog post. I'm not a fan of giving up your favorite food either. Everything in moderation.
xo
The Other Side of Paradise
I agree. I think you can eat whatever you want in moderation.
ReplyDeleteI agree about the natural but remember that actual sugar was really NOT a part of the natural diet and there's nothing natural about refined sugar or anything made with flour. those two things are when humanity took a big right in our eating and went off track big time. in the 1800s the amount of flour and sugar consumption was almost nil.....so for the purposes of this discussion sugar is NOT a natural food. sugars occur naturally in fruits and some veg and those are fine but the white stuff is simply pretty poison! why not make brownies with applesauce (sugar-free) as a sweetener! it works for muffins and cakes if you "must" I know you're super creative so just figure out the substitutions and you're good as gold. and I LOVE my crustless pizza, gives me the flavor without the dough!
ReplyDeleteThe thing is, everyone WANTS 'everything in moderation', and yet people keep gaining the weight back ON, so clearly 'everything in moderation' doesn't work for the majority of people. But hey, we each get to choose the path we take. Even if we keep taking the same path over and over and over again.
ReplyDeleteI wish there was an easy answer!!! Love the Bald Eagle!!
ReplyDeleteI have the same approach as you: eat everything you want in moderation. Like you I do not use much processed foods, having a box delivered at home with fruits and veggies helps a lot but even before that I didn't use them because I love to cook.
ReplyDeleteIf I bake something I use real sugar. The stevia thing worries me too, it's strange that it survived a washer and a dryer.
Early on I restricted some foods. I still do to a degree because I do not purchase foods that know I have no will power to eat in normal servings. Like potato chips.
ReplyDeleteI mostly eat everything now with little restriction. However, I plan for foods that are high in cals (like carrot cake) so that I do not go over my cals a day. Plus, I exercise regularly.
I have lost 30 pounds by using moderation in what I eat. I do limit desserts, however, and make a point to eat healthy foods. For me, restricting is a sure way to regain.
ReplyDelete