5 posts tagged “diet”
There has been and still is so much hype about the low carbohydrate diets. Supposedly eating low carb recipes will help get rid of the extra flab on your body. I'm not buying it, though. To me, the answer is, has always been and will always be eating sound nutritious foods in the right portion sizes for your body and getting a decent amount of exercise in on a regular basis. I think the whole low carb craze is just that - crazy. I feel like I can speak with some authority on this subject, too, since I've managed to lose and maintain a weight loss of about 115 pounds over the past 4 1/2 years.
What are your thoughts? Think low carb is the answer?
You all know I'm not into diets - I think they're a short-term solution to a long-term problem. I do believe that diets work - while you're on them. It's the staying on them that's the problem. I don't believe that there is one right answer for everyone, because we're all individuals and we all have different needs. There seems to be a trend lately in the weight loss world with online weight loss programs like my-calorie-counter.com. They are really taking off.
I would be extremely interested in the statistics for these programs - do they work better long-term than traditional diet programs do? My guess is that they might do better because of the online community and support that is available. One thing that I know to be true is that going on a diet in a vacuum does not seem to work for the majority of people. Getting support through online communities is such a valuable tool. The other great thing about online plans is the availability of tools like calorie counters, exercise trackers and nutrition databases to help you make better choices. Heck, I don't diet - I follow a prescribed food plan, but I still use all of these types of tools because they're all helpful for me. And that's my biggest belief - do whatever works for you. If it's working - keep doing it! I love that sites like this are available to me today - they're definitely useful and beneficial for me and my journey.
I just discovered something very, very good: sugar-free ketchup. I haven't had ketchup in 4 1/2 years until today. Here's how I made it:
Small can of tomato paste
About 2 Tbs. balsamic vinegar
Spicy Turkish Red Pepper (optional)
I made just the plain ketchup first, tested it and was pleasantly surprised. Then I remembered the spicy ketchups we used to enjoy when we lived in Turkey and decided to get creative. I order Turkish spices online since I can't find them locally... and I added that pepper to the paste to give it a kick. Loved it!
One of my biggest challenges eating this way is going out to eat. There are very few restaurants that don't add at least some sugar or flour to their meals. It's frustrating! But it goes along with my theory that manufacturers all add sugar to their products in order to get people to like them and crave them.
I've gone out to eat twice in the past week, which is high for me. I usually only go out about once a month or so any more. Both times I ordered fajitas as they were the safest items on the menu. The first night was at Applebee's and the steak meat tasted sweet. I immediately took pain medicine because I knew I'd be getting a headache afterwards and I wanted to ward it off. I was right, but I do think the medication helped, thankfully. Today I went to Friday's and that was better. The other thing that is a pain is that I need a protein, a vegetable and a starch for each meal - and I need specific amounts of each. Obviously, I'm flexible with this when I eat out because I have to be, but I still usually end up having to order an extra side salad to get enough vegetables in, even when ordering fajitas. And if the place doesn't have beans, then I have to order another side for my starch.
The starches are the hardest when I'm out to eat. I need a potato or brown rice or beans. A lot of places don't carry any of these! When that happens, I just order extra protein and vegetables and go without a starch.
When I first started this way of life, going out to eat caused me to have panic attacks. I drove myself and everyone around me crazy. I wouldn't know how to act if I didn't get my exact portions. I'm not sure what I thought would happen to me, but I always lived to tell about it. I guess my biggest fear was that I would end up going off of my plan either at that meal or afterwards. Today, I'm much better about it. I will tell the waiter or waitress right up front, "I'm a pain in the ass, just so you know." Then I start asking questions.
I remember when someone told me that it was okay to be high maintenance at a restaurant and insist upon getting what I needed and I thought, "I will never be able to do that!!" And now I do it every time. I guess practice does make perfect... or close to it. I have no qualms saying, "I can't have sugar or flour - can you ask the chef what is in this dish?" I find that when I'm pleasant and upfront, the servers don't usually have a problem with my special needs. And I be sure to tip well when I'm well accomodated.
Oh! That's the other major problem with going out to eat that prevents me from doing it more often than anything else: the cost! It costs a lot more to eat this way than it does to eat just any old thing. I have come to realize, though, that I'm worth every penny. :-)
My first post talking about Health & Nutrition is about a site I found yesterday: SparkPeople.com.
I am amazed at this site because it has a lot of interactive dieting and exercise tools, a plethora of articles, loads of email newsletters, message boards and who even knows what else - and it's all free. I've been using the nutrition tracker to enter my foods for the past two days. There are definitely some things I would improve on, but for being a free service, I really can't complain.
What intrigued me was the history of the site. I read an article written by the founder who talks of his journey thus far and how SparkPeople came to be. It's a great read. SparkPeople isn't just about a quick diet to lose the weight as fast as you can. It's about making healthy food choices, getting active and staying motivated as ways to improve your self-esteem and confidence. Yes, weight loss (or gain, depending on your needs) might be a side-effect of eating within the guidelines the site gives you, but that's not the primary focus of the site. And that's why I like it - I like that philosophy. You know, ALL diets work. Losing weight is a simple formula. You burn more calories than you take in. It's simple math. The problem is doing it for any length of time. Everyone has to find what works for them. I've found what works for me is to attend 12-step meetings, utilize a sponsor, follow a food plan, pray, journal, make phone calls to "program friends", reading program literature. Using SparkPeople.com is just a tool to track my foods, but for others it could be the support that gets them on their way to a new life.
If you're looking for some simple tools to keep you motivated and on track, I'd highly recommend SparkPeople.com.
If you're looking for something deeper than that and more spiritual - well, my contact info is on here somewhere. I'd be happy to talk to you about it outside the blog! :-)
