People often ask me what it is that I eat and don't eat, and want me to draw up a menu for them with a "eat this, not that" attitude. When I began the journey to lose weight, I certainly was looking for just that--and I had it. 1200-1400 calories a day with 35 grams of protein and 25 grams of fiber. There are several problems with this: It only works as long as it is followed, it makes me want to eat everything I "can't" eat list (on the can't list was peanut butter, candy, any snacky items, chips, etc.), and made me feel as though I was being punished. After a suggestion from Coach Lynn, I bought a book that I am suggesting to you all today, Eat What You Love, Love What You Eat, by Michelle May, M.D.
My black and white approach to eating seemed to work--for a while--until I found myself running full speed into a brick wall of emotions I had not planned for, nor expected, and I started to feel out of control. The black and white food approach allows us to feel in control, but not necessarily in charge. With Dr. May's book, I was able to address several errors in thinking: That there is no such thing as good and bad foods, that it is possible to lose weight without living by "rules," and that there is a way to relearn healthy eating patterns----eating when one is hungry (called instinctive eating), rather than when one is stressed, bored, or 4 hours have passed. And when one has gone overboard for a day, it is okay--no need to feel guilty, but instead problem-solve what to do differently next time.
Without rewriting the entire book here, I can tell you that she provides lots of information about how to regain healthy eating cycles, how to deal with various food triggers, what types of foods to include in your daily intake to allow for ensuring your nutritional needs are met, and she even provides a whole chapter of healthy foods that her family enjoys (pizza, Mexican, stew, brunch ideas, etc.).
I will share with you one of the greatest analogies from the book--again, this is her work, not mine. If you are out of milk, you go to the grocery store to pick up a gallon of milk. If you are cold, you put on a sweatshirt or a blanket. If you are out of gas in the car, you go to the local gas station and fill up your tank. But going to the grocery store for a blanket, or putting on a blanket to fill your gas tank--those ideas are illogical. So why is it when we are emotional that we eat--rather than dealing with the emotions? Eating is to provide nutrition & sustenance, not a means to help with emotions. Additionally, if your gas tank is full, you certainly would not pull up to the gas pump (especially with gas at $3.66/gallon!) and dump the gas onto the ground. That would be wasteful-both of resources and money. So if we are eating when we are not hungry, we are filling our own "tanks" (stomachs) when it isn't necessary.
So what do I eat? Whatever I want. I eat peanut butter every day. I love cheese. But with the knowledge I have gained, I make sure to ask myself WHY I am eating before I do, have learned to recognize hunger when it comes, and I make sure that what I put into my body is going to meet my needs & make me feel better (i.e. I will be less hungry if I eat wheat bread instead of white because there is more fiber, and eating fiber in general makes me feel better because it helps to cleanse the system regularly).
Feel free to check out Dr. May's site or order her book--read it slowly and take it all in. It is a great guidebook to help you navigate the world of gray in your eating habits.
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