So here's a thing...
Jan. 9th, 2015 06:41 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
lagilmanI 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.
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.
