Regarding food and dieting, I've done lots of things on and off over the past 10 or so years. Counted calories and/or points. 400 Calorie Fix. South Beach. Cut out any of the following things, in any given combination, for any given duration: cheese, alcohol, red meat, fried foods, chips, soda, bread, etc.
And they've all worked to varying degrees, but none of them felt sustainable. As my illustrious sister says, I felt like I was constantly "blitzkreig-ing the fat" only to fall back again a few weeks later and not make any lasting change. I'm sure I'm not that different than most other people.
In addition, I changed jobs last summer (2011) and went from working in a school and being on my feet and walking around much of the day, to sitting at a desk for at least 60% of the time. Couple that with living by myself for the first time (as opposed to with a roommate), and I've fallen prey to a lot of unhealthy habits over the past 18 months.
One of my "qualitative" goals during this project is to change the way I eat. If I was more comfortable with new-age-y language, I'd say to change "my relationship" with food. But who wants to sound new-age-y?
Normally, I'd set a quantitative goal of XXX calories per week and blog about my progress, but I'm thinking of starting somewhere different with this, for all of the following reasons:
1. I eat out sometimes. It's just a fact of my lifestyle. And I don't want to not be able to. Yes, restaurants where they tell you how many calories are in something are great, and I can usually do those for lunch, but most of the restaurants I eat at for dinner don't do that. So when I'm counting calories, I freak out about estimating how many calories are in something at a restaurant. I spend time googling or searching on my app (www.mynetdiary.com...very good!), get frustrated and annoyed, give up trying to estimate, just tell myself "whatever it's a lot" and use it as a reason to order the least healthy thing on the menu and eat my face off. #caloriefail
2. Something about knowing I can eat "exactly" this much...it's like it programs me to want more. As soon as it becomes "forbidden," I want it even more.
3. Mainly it's because it's exhaustive. I feel like I spend at least an hour a day planning-calculating-searching-scanning barcodes with my phone to figure out how many calories are in what I'm eating. And then it makes me resent it, and feel like a neurotic, and I just loathe it.
4. I have found it actually inspires me to eat more processed foods. At the end of the day, I'm like "well I know how much is in a frozen dinner" and so I eat that, rather than make myself a salad (which is much more healthy nutrient wise) because I feel like I have to spend time measuring out how much dressing I put on it.
So, my plan this time is to start with some smaller food goals that are more "mindset changes". Especially with the holidays coming up, I don't want to start down the road of calorie counting or cutting out foods. I just feel like I'm setting myself up to fail. I'll likely incorporate some of those techniques later on in January, but I think I need to address my mindset about food and eating first.
With that being said:
Week of Nov 12th Food Goal - Eat More Mindfully
Pay attention to when I'm hungry. Don't eat when I'm not, and don't continue eating when I'm full. If hunger is a scale from 1 (painfully full) to 10 (starving), my goal is to eat when I'm a 6-7. If I let myself get to 9-10, I tend to cram it in and eat everything in sight (and end up at a 1). And I also can be guilty of eating even when I'm not hungry because there happen to be snacks/food in front of me. Especially when I'm working from home.
Actions, Tips and Tricks I'm Going to Try
- Try and eat while talking to somebody or doing something (besides just watching tv)...it will help me eat more slowly and decide when I'm full.
- Set my fork (or sandwich) down between every bite. Sometimes I've noticed I literally have a forkful of food in the air ready to shovel it in before I've even swallowed my previous bite. Gross.
- Make a small plate (or if eating out, after I'm halfway done) and wait at least 10 minutes, and drink a glass of water, before going back for more. Allow my body time to see if it is full.
- If snacks are out (I'm going to a dinner party this weekend), make a small plate/napkin and then walk away from the dishes. Wait at least 10 minutes before going back for more.
Metrics of Success
- I won't feel "uncomfortable" from eating or drinking too much at all this week. I'd say on average I end up that way at least twice a week, so this will be a good test.
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