So here's a thing...

[lagilman]

I don't often (never) post about weight. I have certain body-acceptance issues that I've worked out (hitting 30 helped, hitting 40 helped more), but they're all tied up in past personal relationships and medical issues, and I tend to keep that shit private.

But two things happened last night.

 I was feeling a little down about my body, so I made one of my favorite healthy meals - brown rice with sauteed vegetables. And, because I learned how to make this dish when I was house-sitting in the French countryside (cue tiniest violin, I know), the recipe includes lardon (pork fat).

Wait, you say. I thought you said this was a healthy dish?

And that leads me to the second thing.

Browsing a new friend's facebook page, I found a link to "15 Habits of People Who Have Effectively Lost Over 20 – 30lbs and Kept it Off." And I figured hey, couldn't hurt to check that out.

1. Do not eliminate foods or deem certain foods as bad or “off limits”

There are certain foods that I've drastically reduced from my diet.  Sodas. Maple syrup. Pastries and other high-fat baked sweets. Chocolate.  Most nuts. Bacon.  But I haven't eliminated any of them.  Because I enjoy eating them, and not being able to eat them would feel like a punishment. I haven't done anything I should be punished for.

Yes, I cook with bacon. Often.  In this case, two slices of bacon, minced raw and mixed with the garlic, will flavor an entire pan of sauteed vegetables, and leave you with nicely crunchy bits to savor.  Limited guilt, maximum flavor, and no feeling of deprivation because  dinner was a plate of vegetables and brown rice (and garlic.  Never forget the garlic).  I could even have doubled the amount of bacon, and that would have been fine.

I don't say "I can't eat that thing."  I say "if I want that thing, I can integrate it into my meal, because there's nothing wrong with something in moderation."*

If you're going to approach...well, anything to be endured rather than enjoyed, then it's going to backfire on you, possibly quite spectacularly.  Eat healthy, but also eat what makes you satisfied.

A lot of it really is that simple.


The rest of the article is solid, even if it did make me want to whip out the red pen a little, and if you're feeling even slightly iffy about your relationship with your weight, your body, and your food, I'd recommend at least skimming through it.




*assuming no allergies, actual addictions, or religious objections among your dining partners.

Comments

[patty1943.livejournal.com]

Very good point! I will read it.

[http://users.livejournal.com/la_marquise_de_/]

That is very sensible and very healthy. I vary between anxiety and alarm over my body shape: I almost never feel comfortable with it. Social conditioning is a bad thing.

[matthewsrotundo.livejournal.com]

That is a great point, and something I firmly believe, too.

[difrancis.livejournal.com]

You mince the bacon before cooking? Does that make a difference to flavor or otherwise from chopping after cooking? Do you then cook it with the veggies or before?

[lagilman]

I mince the bacon, uncooked, and then heat it with the garlic, adding the vegetables once they've started to crisp. That way the vegetables have a little garlicky bacon fat to cook in, as well as the healthier oil I started with.

Plus, it gives you crispy bits mixed in with the vegetables, like wee meat croutons. :-)

[joycemocha.livejournal.com]

This is a very healthy approach. I've found that limiting quantities is more important, or else a temporary denial of something because I want to get the weight loss cascade started. But I'd much rather have a very small amount of something nice than deny it.

[neadods.livejournal.com]

Eliminating something is a guarantee I'll be face-down in far too much of it within a fortnight.

One of the best weapons in my arsenal (and I've had a lot of trouble bringing it to bear this time, alas) is simply:

"Yes, I can... but not right now." Yes, I can have the thing of temptation. I even *own* that thing of temptation, so I can have it any time I please. But... because I can have it any time I want, so I REALLY want it right this minute?

It doesn't stop me from eating, say, the pack of M&Ms. But if I bought the M&Ms on Monday and don't eat them until Friday, that's 4 days I didn't eat M&Ms at all.

[lagilman]

Buying a 6oz pack versus a two pound bag also helps. I used to buy a large bag of chocolate and then freeze it....only to discover that my family LIKES frozen chocolate. Oops.

[neadods.livejournal.com]

Yeah, the "and freeze" can backfire. That said, though, I've discovered the concept of frozen oatmeal and am giving it a whirl this weekend.

[claireeddy.livejournal.com]

My mother always said "Everything in moderation...including moderation." The trick is to eat sensibly; which is what we as a nation have forgotten how to do.

[mevennen.livejournal.com]

I never eliminate things, but I do cut down. At the moment I have a curious inner feeling that I ought to be weighing slightly more (I should not be, objectively, by the way) because it is winter and cold. But I am eating a lot of ginger and garlic and spices, which I think is an attempt to establish a cold-barrier.