Week 3: Think you’re eating healthy? Check out these little-known diet saboteurs
I might be crazy, but all I want to do is get on a scale. This has never happened before; usually I run in the other direction with arms flailing like they do in horror movies. But I just know in the past two weeks, I’ve made progress, and I would give up a whole lot more than dessert to measure how much. But in a way, I’m glad I’m not looking at numbers every week since that’s not what this is about. I employ other agents to determine my weight loss, ones that don’t depend on seeing a specific number. Presently, I determine my worth, not by a number, but by how I feel – physically and emotionally. And Skinnies, I’m feeling good! Yesterday, I had to buy a belt. I can’t believe it. I’ve never worn a belt… and now here I am in London, needing one. I love it.
When I reflect upon the changes I’ve made to get to feeling this good, it’s pretty apparent why I’ve had success. Though I’ve been always drawn to healthy foods, Tanya showed me that I was eating them in all the wrong ways. Allow me to elaborate…
I love fruit. Last summer I would literally eat fruit all day, in every way and shape – as meals and as snacks; as salad or as juice; raw or in a pie; in some form of alcohol. I was that shrimp guy Bubba from Forrest Gump, but with fruit. Besides the obvious splurges of pie and alcohol, I ate it because I thought it was healthy. When I started working with Tanya, she explained that eating that much fruit was actually working against me. In fact, I was eating so much of it that my carb intake was equal to that in a half loaf of bread! So I cut back on my fruit intake and upped my veggie load. But I still put raspberries and blueberries in my yogurt at breakfast. They’re my favorite, and as a bonus they are loaded with fiber
My other big diet change? It now consists only of unprocessed, fresh foods, as opposed to the “low-calorie” packaged snacks and frozen dinners I used to eat. It’s easy to be sucked into the sexy parcels, laden with healthy promises. But in retrospect, I realize that the nutrients in those boxes come from an additive and the rest of the food is the product of some chemist in a science lab. Not to mention that I would end up starving 45 minutes later! Tanya showed me how to respect my body by feeding it things it needs to operate, such as the lean protein of fish, turkey, or chicken, and fiber, which I get from lots of veggies, instead of over-processed “diet-friendly” crap.
But perhaps the best change I’ve made is that I am honest with myself. I do this by writing down what I eat and holding myself accountable. That’s the biggest tip I would give you Skinnies, if you’re making big lifestyle changes like I am. Writing down everything I eat, makes me conscious of what I’m putting in my mouth. And yes, I write everything down. Especially if I screw up – it’s a reminder that I can redeem myself before the end of the day. And if I didn’t screw up, then hey, I have that great, healthy eating day in writing! Now that is something to feel good about.
When dieting, there is no moment more encouraging than feeling a difference in your body from one week to the next. In most cases, watching that haunting number on the scale shrink to a smaller, more agreeable number may be the only motivation necessary for one to keep up the hard work. Since my arrival in London, however, I’ve had a difficult time finding a scale that caters to the American system of measurement, and with my regrettable math skills it’s been quite the challenge to convert kilograms into pounds. So because a scale is not a viable option, I need to use alternative methods to track my progress over the next 6 months. Therefore, for the remainder of my stay, I’ve decided to use my clothing as a gauge. Unfortunately, I won’t have a scale to see those numbers go down, but I will (hopefully) feel my clothes get looser. And call me zealous, but in one week I think I already can see a difference! I have more flexibility in my just-washed-jeans, and my favorite patent leather “rib” belt has become the waist belt it was always meant to be!
One of New York’s most idolized Brits infamously said, “Nothing tastes as good as skinny feels.” And although Kate Moss received more backlash for this statement than Elliot Spitzer did for engaging in – ahem – foul play, I am beginning to think that not only was she misunderstood, but she actually had a point.
This is going to be my last column for a while. I’m not going far away, I’ll still be plugging away on my diet and meeting with Tanya to stay on track, but I want to make way so you can meet the next Skinny Size Me candidate! I wish her much luck! But really, it’s not about luck, is it? It’s about hard work, a positive attitude and stick-to-it-ness! There are SO many things I’ve learned over the past months.
Hi Skinnysters!
This week was my first time meeting with Tanya in a while. Yes, I’ve checked in, and we’ve chatted. But I hadn’t actually seen her since Thanksgiving! So I was both excited and nervous to stop in. As you know, I’ve been keeping up with my F-Factor eating plan and I’ve been working out a lot more too. (I’ve been doing my weigh-ins at the gym.) And slowly but surely the pounds have been coming off.
Do you remember me? It feels like it’s been so long, but I’m still here plugging away on Rachael 2.0, my revamped diet and lifestyle. You may remember back in December, I told you hubby and I were going to Aruba for vacation. Well sadly our plans didn’t go so well. A giant snowstorm swept through the East Coast and our flight was canceled. All of the airlines were so overbooked because of holiday travel, they were completely unable to rebook our flight. Ugh. So we called up the resort (a big name chain) and asked if there were any hotels in driving distance from New York they would let us swap for... And that’s how we ended up in Colonial Williamsburg for Christmas.
I can honestly say this was one of the most stressful weeks of my life. I had my last day at my old job, and it took a lot of work to get things squared away. It was also devastatingly sad to say goodbye to the people that have been my family for the past seven years. But I know it’s time for me to begin the next phase in my career — and my diet.
Kate's Tweets: @ssmkate
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