Today, my husband started his own clean-eating plan. I'm not going to go into any real detail about what he's doing because that's his personal business and not for me to be sharing with everyone else. But I will share a bit about my experiences with Day 1 of this new eating mentality in our home.
- I will admit that I'm JEALOUS! He's getting to eat eggs, oatmeal, and protein shakes! He doesn't really understand why I would WANT to eat these things, but then he's not eating how I'm eating. I don't really understand why he WOULDN'T want to eat these things.
- I've learned a number of lessons along my personal path of eating clean, but that doesn't mean that other people have learned these same things. I'm very focused on making sure I eat when (if not before) I get hungry. I have a timeline in my head for the day, starting with when I'll eat my first meal and when I'll wrap up with my last meal. From there, I work backwards to fit in my other 3 meals and make sure they're spaced out well enough. I'm used to planning out these meals and know what will happen to me (mood and energy-wise) if I don't plan in advance. I'm not willing to bulldoze my way through hunger, especially if I don't need to. That's the beauty of 5 meals a day.
- To me, unless it's a cheat meal, food is less about an experience and more about refueling. Sure, I want it to taste good, but I'm okay with things tasting "good enough" as opposed to delicious. Maybe that's why I put so much stock in finding quality cheat meals and can be so disappointed when they don't pan out.
- I've found strategies for helping to quell those cravings in between meals. That's partly why I drink so much. I'll also drink different diet sodas because the carbonation helps me feel full and the sweetness is dessert-like. I'll chew sugar-free gum for many of the same reasons.
- What may feel like second-nature to me wasn't always that way. I've built up to this level of intensity/discipline over an extended period of time. When I think back to December 2007 when I started Weight Watchers, there were times when I was frustrated, confused, or overwhelmed. And this was AFTER having done other forms of food monitoring quite successfully in the past. Most other people haven't tried this approach, especially not with the level of precision (or some might say rigidity) of these plans.
- Similar to it being second-nature to me, I'm used to eating this way and have adjusted my standards, expectations, tastes accordingly. Yes, I think a chocolate protein shake (made with water) tastes delicious, especially with raw oatmeal mixed in. Throw in some vanilla, cinnamon, and a touch of Splenda and I'm in dessert heaven! Others would say this doesn't even qualify as food, let alone a meal.
- The more I keep busy, the less likely I am to think about food or be tempted to graze. People tend to consume more calories on Saturday or Sunday as compared to the work-week. I feel like I'm always doing something, even if it's while I'm sitting on the couch (hello, blog entries!). When I'm out-and-about or working on a particular goal, the thoughts about food tend to fade away or at least get quieter.
None of this is to pass judgment or to say that I'm "better" than someone else. I'm definitely impressed that my husband would consider trying this approach, given how restricted and relatively hardcore it is and given how stressful and demanding his daily life is. Instead, it's about appreciating the different perspectives that people come from when approaching a situation or taking on a new endeavor. Given who I am - my personality, my mentality, my priorities, my goals - it might be easier for me to push through some of these food- and fitness-related points. But that's not to say I handle everything with grace and ease. (Remember my breakfast of cookies and cookie dough not too long ago?) Even beyond the scope of eating and exercise, there are plenty of things that I struggle with or that I fail to grasp/comprehend. When I ask questions about someone's experiences with a particular approach, it's not attaching a value judgment to the individual or the approach. Rather, I'm looking to understand and to be educated about how other people do things. I want to know what works and what doesn't and why. I'm not interpreting your statements as saying "it just doesn't work" but I'm wondering how your experience differs from mine. Everybody's body is different and there's no cookie-cutter approach, though there are approaches and principles that are generally accepted as effective. I want to understand those circumstances in which they're not effective and how they can be modified to work for a particular person.
Food Log:
- Meal 1:
- 3 egg whites with salsa
- 30g dry cream of rice (cooked in water)
- 1 tbsp coconut oil
- Meal 2:
- 0% flavored Chobani Greek Yogurt
- Meal 3:
- 3oz chicken
- Green beans
- 1/2c cooked rice
- Meal 4:
- 3 oz chicken
- Green beans
- 1/2c cooked rice
- 1 tbsp coconut oil
- Meal 5:
- 0% flavored Chobani Greek Yogurt
- 1 tbsp coconut oil
- Time: 50 minutes on elliptical on stairmill, 25 minutes on elliptical
- Calories: 850
Weigh-In: 146.8 / 146.3
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