Being healthy is hard work! I love being lazy and I love eating, especially carbohydrates. A few years ago I was frustrated because my diet consisted mainly of meat and starch. If I could fit a veggie in at the end it was sparingly. But by the time I was finished preparing my dinner or other meal I was already full from snacking on the chips, sour cream and cheese that I only would eat the meat. So I decided to become a vegetarian and force myself to eat more vegetables.
Was I ever wrong!
Instead of replacing the meat with veggies, I replaced it with more carbs. More breads, chips, rice, potatoes, anything to get filled up. Or I would make a gargantuan salad or stir fry to get that “full” feeling.
This obviously didn’t work too well and the pounds started to pile on. Of course the shoulder surgery didn’t help things. And to make matters worse I went form a retail job where I was active and on my feet all day to a desk job sitting! Yikes! Luckily I prefer to snack, but this also leads to unrestrained eating all day and its more junk food than healthy stuff.
So I have had to make a serious commitment to not only eating healthier things, but portioning stuff out as well. I think a key component for me is portion control, reducing sugar and carbs, but also allowing myself a reward once in a while. I give myself an ice cream cone on Fridays after work, but that is about the highest sugar item in my weekly diet now. Soda needs to go! Even the sugar-free stuff makes me crave sugary items in general. I like to challenge myself with my diet so it is fun to watch what I eat now. So when I am making my food I snack on a favorite raw vegetable. I use a pump spray bottle for the oil I put on my salads instead of pouring it on, it really helps! I find that for me it is the little adjustments I am making that are helping my change. I think huge changes (see my comments on vegetarian above) don’t always work, especially for me. I never eat directly from the container, but portion it out onto a plate- a small plate! I like to go by the manufacturer’s label of what a serving is, so if it is a ½ cup of something, that is exactly what I eat.
The other step I took was to get my fat lazy butt back to the gym! I wasn’t able to work out for about two years due to my shoulder injury. I got fat and my self-esteem fell off the face of the earth. I was embarrassed of how I looked but I was even more angry than ashamed. Even though I had an “excuse” for not working out (and to be honest a small part of me was enjoying being a fat lazy bum), when my belly was rolling over my belt and hardly any of my pants fit anymore I got over my worry about what all those gym studs would think of this fat guy lifting ten pound dumb bells because I knew that eventually the girth would move from my stomach to my shoulders. I used that anger to fuel my drive. Even though it feels like the world is crashing down on me and I just can’t make it there, once I get there and finish with my workout I never regret having made it. My endorphins and energy surge!
So nothing magical. Diet control, sugar control, and workout. Simple, effective, not easy, but definitely worth it!
-- Eddy Kuras
Chicago
Join in the conversation.
Tell us HERE. Send a pic to the same place.
And we'll blog it, right here.
Read past posts.
To help with managing weight, a friend of mine is suggesting I use Flavor Magic Portion Control Sheets, which he describes as basically a portioning guide that also seasons the food. Kind of like the “deck of cards” rule, but more accurate. Does anyone have input on this one? I want to give it a shot but it looks like it is only available online.
ReplyDelete