Says who?!

I’m baaaaaaack!!  Alright, fine…no, I never went anywhere.  But my eating plan did.  I honestly feel that one of the most common mistakes people make when trying to “diet” and lose weight is being TOO strict.  Yes, it’s possible.  While there are those that need to be ridiculously structured and strict with themselves (lest veering completely off course at any given time), it’s more detrimental than anything for the rest of us.

Example?  “I’ve been so good.. I deserve a treat.  Family is in town, it’s the holidays.  I’m going to eat WHATEVER I want!”   ..the next day, though.. “I can’t believe I ate like that.  Way to screw up my diet.  Shit.  Oh well, I already screwed it up for the week (AND I’m busy feeling sorry for myself, though I won’t say it), so I’ll do whatever I want for now and get back to it next week.”   Sound familiar?  STOP THAT!!  People aren’t perfect!  I’m not, you’re not, nobody is (well, Eminem might be.. but that’s neither here nor there).  It seems all too easy to forget that LIFE HAPPENS.  In a perfect world, your diet would be easy to follow.  In a perfect world, you wouldn’t have to work out as hard or as long.  In a perfect world, it’d be easy to say no to your favorite sinful treats.  But guess what!! In a perfect world, you wouldn’t need to “diet” or modify your lifestyle – you’d already be perfect!  So, let’s all stop that nonsense together, shall we? 

On to week three for me.  For the second week running, I’ve not gained or lost a single pound.  And for the second week running, that’s okay with me.  I spent some much-valued time with my dad, who was visiting from Indiana for the Thanksgiving holiday.  We ALWAYS go out to eat, it’s part of what family time consists of.  There is no good reason I shouldn’t still enjoy myself, right?  Right.  I merely make smarter choices when it comes to what I’m eating.  Also, I DO have dessert.  I DO have a drink or two.  I DO have a piece of bread if I want it.  Look, torturing yourself will only lead to binge eating after a while.  Who needs that?!  It does make me happy to realize that I ate while he was here unlike I normally would/do, and still managed to keep myself and my weight in check.  It’s super easy to do when I’m eating straight protein and drinking nothing but water and milk, but not so easy when you’re eating out at a new restaurant every night.  Don’t mind me, I’m only patting myself on the back over here for a moment.

Back to what I know best now, though.  I had the most fantastic oatmeal for breakfast – REAL oatmeal, not instant – with bananas, strawberries, peaches, a drizzle of agave nectar, and some slivered almonds.  Seriously, people – I know “real” oatmeal (sans maple syrup, cream, sugar, et al) sounds disgusting, but it’s totally not.  As with any other “boring” or “plain” or “diet” foods, you simply need to jazz it up!  For those of you with sweet tooths (teeth?) like me, fruit is your friend!  Fruit is nature’s candy – savor it (in moderation).  Blueberries are my favorite oatmeal fodder, but they’re not in season and I’m a non-frozen-berry snob.  What else?  Oh, lunch – I had baked chicken breast (garlic lemon chicken, even) with roasted onions (seriously one of my favorites), and a teeny little spinach salad with clementine segments on top.  The moral of my typing out today’s menu: take the time.  Processed and “fast-” foods ARE easier.  To you, they may even taste better.  But given enough time and proper preparation, I all but guarantee that you’d fall in love with fresher, healthier, home-cooked food.  Regardless of my surgery and my lifestyle(s) before and after, I’ve NEVER liked fast food.  I imagine that’s a function of my never really being able to have it as a kid, but moreso due to my parents cooking meals constantly.  We’ve also had gardens everywhere we’ve all lived, for as many years as I can remember.  Nothing – NOTHING – beats walking out in your back yard to pick your own veggies, bringing them up on the deck, drizzling them with extra virgin olive oil/salt/pepper, grilling them up, and then picking your own berries and apples off the vine and tree for dessert.  I’ve got my parents to thank for that (thanks, Mom & Dad!).

I’ll leave you with one of my meals from this past week.  If it isn’t already completely obvious, I love to cook.  I decided to cook one night for my dad and I while he was here, and I decided to do so without meat.  I wasn’t necessarily going for an uber “healthy” meal or vibe, just cooking two of my favorite dishes of all time.  Behold, meatless three-bean chili and cinnamon carrot Israel couscous:

Don’t hesitate to shoot me a line if you’d like these recipes – I’ve got them scanned and ready to send your way.  I’m warning you, though:  Your taste buds will never be the same.  😉