In case you didn't know - I am on a strict self-inflicted diet. It's changed everything about the way I look at food. The first few weeks were the hardest but not because I wanted to munch a chocolate bar or shovel a bag of chips into my mouth, it was because I've been grazing without even knowing it.
The first whoops was chocolate milk. (My kids love it and since they don't drink soda or kool-aid and they rarely have juice - they both prefer water most of the time - I figure the chocolate isn't going to kill them. And since my kids are both healthy and physically fit I'm right and Jaime Oliver is wrong.) Anyway, here I am on day two of my diet and I make them both a glass of chocolate milk - stirring to get the perfect creamy chocolatey taste and then.....I licked the spoon and put it in the sink. DANG IT! I didn't even realize I was doing it so I must always do it. Bummer.
The next time, I was making lunches and poured Cheeze-its into baggies, I had one halfway into my mouth before I noticed what I was doing and stopped myself! Then it was fries on their plates, then crackers with their lunch or a slice of cheese while I was making sandwiches, or the honey that ran down the side of the jar and I caught it with my finger - that one I missed.....right into the mouth. Frakk. It didn't end there - every time I make something for my kids or opened a package, or walking by food I knew that without my new diet regulations I wouldn't have even thought about it - I would have just grabbed something to munch on.
It dawned on me that I was grazing.....like a cow wandering around in a field all day. Eating a little bit here, a little bit there.....not because I was hungry or it was tasty but it was there and I was there......I think that's part of how most moms and even dads get a little fluffier as we get older. We're grazing on all the unhealthy things our kids eat or the unhealthy things that people bring to work or parties - whatever. It doesn't seem like much but it adds up and it adds up fast when you're doing it all day every day.
It sucks. And then suddenly you turn around and realize that you no longer have to turn around to see your butt in a full length mirror....it's there no matter where you turn. I'm pretty sure that mine got there because I was happily chewing my cud, wandering through life, grazing on birthday cake and cheetos.
So if you're a normal sized adult and you want to lose that 20 pounds that your body has hung onto since giving birth to your little parasite or you just want to get healthier what do you do ? How do you stop this pattern? I'm actually on a real diet with restrictions and HCG drops and rules. It's not for everyone, you have to decide what type of diet you're willing to commit to but I'll tell you what has been a big eye-opener for me and a huge tool in keeping myself on track - write it down. I know, it seems silly because you remember what you ate.....but do you really? Try writing down EVERYTHING that you eat or drink for one week and as you go through your day write down the calories and fat grams too. If it's not packaged with the nutritional label readily available you can find them online or you can use a fitness calculator on your phone. I do both and I keep a cheat sheet of my favorite foods in the front of my food journal for easy reference. I've got it memorized now actually.
Or you could just fill your kids lunches with veggies and lean proteins.......yeah right.
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