I wish I had started this blog several months ago when I started on my serious weight loss journey. I say serious because I've made (several) attempts before this, that I half tried, and gave up pretty quickly. The truth about me is I love food. I've tried the starving myself on a very limited caloric limit, and it just doesn't work out. As humans, biologically we (obviously) don't like the feeling of hunger, and this is the biggest reason diets don't work. The only diet we should try to maintain is a healthy one, where we aren't starving ourselves, and are instead looking for the right food.
I started working out seriously about 3 months ago, and I say seriously because of several half-assed attempts where I'd walk/run around the park across the street, but still ate whatever I wanted, and it just doesn't work. When I was a teenager, it felt like I could eat whatever I wanted, and still maintain a lovely size 6, but I had to let that go. When I moved in with my soon to be husband, we ate out constantly. Very quickly, I gained about 40 pounds, and kept it on for about 3 1/2 years. Looking at pictures, especially from when I was 22, makes me shudder. I was/have never been the skinny girl, but I was not heavy before the last few years.
I realize now that I am an emotional eater, and living a sedentary lifestyle after high school ended, was not in my best interest. In middle school, I was involved in Athletics. In high school, I ran two to three miles almost every single day, and was involved in marching band. After high school ended, I started gaining weight. I didn't participate in any sports, and I didn't continue band into college because I knew that's not what I wanted to do with the rest of my life, and I knew the amount of rehearsal and extracurriculars involved, and I knew I wanted to experience college, and wouldn't be able to maintain my grades. Some people can do it. I'm not one of them, and there's no shame in that.
The biggest detriment to being an emotional eater, is not being active. When you don't work out, or participate in sports, and you have emotional eating issues to begin with, you snack. I snacked when I was bored, I snacked because it was there, I snacked when I felt depressed. Bouts of depression also fed into my eating issues. I realize that my inactivity was part of the problem, but really it was food. I used food as a way to fill some sort of hole, a hole that I couldn't figure out how to fill. The best cure for me is writing and creativity. I have to keep busy, and I have to have physical activity to keep my mind balanced. When I'm unemployed, I turn to food and see no point in getting out of bed in the morning. Now, I'm not trying to advocate some old world thinking of keeping the hands busy, but it's true for me anyways. Keeping a clean house is not enough for me. Some days, even work isn't enough.
Some of my problems stem from school. December 16, 2010, I graduated with my bachelor's degree in PhotoJournalism, filled with the naive belief that I would get this amazing job right away, and I didn't. I ended up taking a job well below my qualifications because we (my fiance & I) were flatlining, about the end of May. I've also realized that my job also creates some tension and depression within me, because it is not creative and tedious. Besides that, I'm coming to realize that having a job I really enjoyed, being married, and eventually having a child would not be enough for me. I was so used to going 200 mph, working and going to school, that being less busy drives me crazy. This is why I have so many unfinished projects, or projects on the sidelines that haven't even been started yet, because I'm not happy unless I'm insanely busy. I guess my mind is just too active. Working out helps with my anxiety and my need to control everything, yes I said everything.
Since I started my journey, such a cheesy word, I have lost 11 pounds. I am so regular it's disgusting. Sorry about that. Anyways, towards the end of September we joined a gym because I realized, as stubborn as I am, that I was not going to be able to do this without something to motivate me. Even though I have exercise videos, the fact that you have to pay for a gym makes it much more motivating. Trying to get myself off the couch to go run around the park doesn't feel as motivating, as say spending $44/month. It almost forces you to go. For example, say you haven't been very diligent in working out like you should, as soon as I get a text from Capital One saying I was billed for it, I instantly want to go to the gym. It's motivating. You're paying for it, so you should use it. There's no excuse. Of course, if you can't afford a gym, I recommend getting a buddy to work out with you a few days a week. If you're like me, you'll feel bad for canceling on your friend, and if he/she is a good friend they won't have any problems with calling you out and keeping you motivated.
But perhaps I should come clean. The real reason I am so motivated right now is because I am getting married at the end of March next year. I have had my wedding dress since early March of this year, and decided I'd rather fit into it, then get a vintage wedding dress taken out. I also want to look gorgeous and thin in my pictures. Is that so wrong?
Besides all that, I've been doing a lot of research over the past few months, looking into what makes a healthy diet, and what doesn't etc. First, let me tell you, if you can you need to cut all high fructose corn syrup from your diet. It isn't natural, and when you ingest it, your body doesn't know what to do with it so it just converts it to fat. I honestly believe it is the biggest contributing factor to the obesity epidemic. In the early 1980's, backed by Roosevelt, sugar was replaced in sugary drinks by hfcs. It's much cheaper than sugar. I wouldn't recommend sugar either, but it's better than hfcs. If you notice, people drank soda 50 or 60 years ago, and people weren't obese. Fast food restaurant chains even put hfcs into hamburger buns. That is disgusting! Not only are you getting all the carbs and fats, but there's an extra ingredient that's adding to your weight gain. Portion size is also one of the biggest contributing factors. Portion size has grown 40 - 50% in restaurants and fast food chains. A size 12 in the 50's, is now considered to be a size 5. I shudder to think what my size would be.
The biggest and best way to control how much you eat is to get a scale for your kitchen. You should also check out
http://www.choosemyplate.gov. Did you know half of your plate should consist of fruits and vegetables? The last time I went to the grocery store, I stocked up on more fruits and vegetables than I have ever bought in one grocery visit. I'm talking oranges, apples, raspberries, blueberries, avocados (which I always buy), edamame (or soy beans), broccoli, cauliflower, brussel sprouts (which I call the chocolates of the vegetables, and also so, so good for you, and I always stock up on), artichoke hearts, bananas, and grapes. If you get tired of eating them raw, try looking up new recipes. Vegan and vegetarian websites have some amazing recipes that don't take away from the raw deliciousness of fruit and vegetables.
The key to a diet that promotes weight loss, is a high, lean protein diet that avoids fat. I try to avoid red meat, because it tends to make me sick (because I do not eat it very often), though I do indulge every once in a while, though my tummy does not agree with it. However, we are human and there is a lot of protein in red meat. You just have to buy lean cuts. If you cannot go without, buy lean or extra lean cuts. A lot of chuck or ground meat you buy in a grocery store, consists of the fatty scraps from an animal, so you have to be careful.
Me personally, I love chicken, but before I became a food nazi, I usually just ate it when I went out to eat, but it's so overloaded with oils and fats, that it's not nutritious anymore. Since my fiance and I buy a lot of lean white meat, we cook with extra virgin olive oil. Trust me you do not need much, and if you add tomatoes, mushrooms, or whatever vegetable or fruit your heart desires, you get the same taste without all the fat. Mushrooms are very low in calories and a good source of protein, vitamin c, iron, among others. I love mushrooms and tomatoes and for some reason they make me feel like I'm cheating on a diet, when I'm not. Mushrooms are not the greatest source of dietary nutrition, and I would recommend experimenting with as many different kinds of vegetables as you want, as long as they are bought raw. I buy some frozen vegetables, which is good if you don't have a lot of people in your family, or just don't consume vegetables very quickly. You want to buy vegetables as raw or with as little added ingredients as possible, since a lot of the sauces and some of the additives in vegetables that are canned or sauced, can include 200+ mg.s of sodium. I often crave salt, especially after working out, or a very high paced day at work, when I've sweat quite a bit, but it is from dehydration. The best way to quench this craving, is to first try drinking a glass or two of water, and see if you're still having the craving.
If you are, try a tomato with sea salt or drink something that replenishes that lost iron, which translates to a nutrient deficiency. If you're like me and often crave salty snacks, try sea salt. It is much better for your body than a regular salt which is often loaded with sodium and too much is bad for your heart, and causes high blood pressure; the result of artery blockage. Your body has to work harder to control blood flow. Another way to control your salt cravings, is to eat fruits and vegetables with a lot of iron, such as sun-dried tomatoes, spinach, and lentil sprouts.
Iron is especially important for women. When you have your menstrual flow, a lot of iron is lost. Often times, after or during mine I will crave red meat. When I was in the ICU a few years ago, after losing a lot of blood, after a bad reaction to birth control (a different topic), I remember the next day, all I wanted was a cheeseburger. At that point, it is necessary to let yourself indulge in probably more iron than you would on a normal day. Replenishing iron and sodium is essential to making sure you don't develop anemia. There are many vegetables and fruits that have natural sodium, but especially during the teenage years it is essential that you consume enough. Anemia runs in the women in my family, so I am always careful to replenish mine, especially after working out. Powerade Zero, which does not contain aspertame, is a zero calorie way to replenish lost nutrients during working out. I also have a snack with high protein and a little bit of sodium to replenish myself after working out.
But, back to protein. Out of all the fish, salmon is the best, and I say that because, besides the omega 3, the protein in salmon is amazing. What protein does is control hunger, and can drastically reduce the amount of calories you have to consume in a day to feel full, and be healthy. I do not recommend a high-protein diet with low/zero carbs. You should try high protein with moderate carbs. While carbs can contribute to weight gain, that is only if you consume an excess. Odds are you are consuming way more than your body needs to function, because most people eat way more carbs and fat than they need, and way less protein and fiber. The best way to lose weight, is to follow nutritional guidelines. Try to remove or lower your consumption of oils, fats, and sugars. Odds are if you consume enough nuts, you will have already gotten the necessary oils in your diet. Fats are in most things you eat, so consuming sugary or fatty foods is not necessary, and detrimental to a healthy diet. On
usda.gov you can even get a customized food group plan to steer you towards healthy weight loss, or weight management for your weight.
The last time I went grocery shopping, I also bought black beans and reduced sodium pinto beans. Beans are a great way to get protein without all the fat. As you can tell, I've become very passionate about making sure I'm consuming the right amount of nutrients, while still gearing myself towards weight loss, and ultimately a healthy weight for the rest of my life.
Tomorrow, I will post an update on how my experiment with going "poo free" or shampoo free, for those of you not familiar with the term, is going. 18 days into the experiment, and it's probably becoming more of a lifestyle choice than an experiment. Also, I will include some links about going shampoo free and some more dietary/nutritional help links tomorrow. This post is too long already, so until then dearies. :)
Some Sources:
http://piggington.com/ot_how_much_has_average_portion_size_grown_per_meal_since_the_50
http://usda.gov
http://www.healthaliciousness.com/articles/fruits-and-vegetables-high-in-iron.php
http://www.mealsmatter.org/articles-and-resources/healthy-living-articles/Portion-Distortion.aspx?articleId=53
http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=104
http://www.livestrong.com/article/497669-why-do-girls-need-iron-sodium/
