dieting
I go on another message board every so often, not many vegans, just average people. And people post A LOT about dieting, but when people talk about dieiting, their actual diets sound awful!!! "diet" "fat free" "low sodium" products are in almost every meal. turkey dogs, turkey jerky, "light" sour cream, "diet" string cheese.... its just crazy! I almost posted "buy healthy foods" but i didnt wanna seem like a dick since I have no idea what they are going through being overweight and such. But it seems so basic to me. I've gained weight before where my pants were getting tight, so I stopped eating fried foods, baked goods, no more sweet teas and took more walks and the weight went back down. It is so overwhelming when I have a problems and people suggest this whole slew of steps for me to take to reach my goal, I am thinking that maybe just saying "get rid of all of your unhealthy food and buy healthy fresh food" but I can't back it up with "that helped me loose 30 lbs".
what do yall think. should i keep my skinny little butt out of dieting threads? Or should I put in my two cents since I've never had to diet.
what type of message board is it?
I understand your frustration. I don't know about what you should do--it seems like you might not want to but in. I don't think most people want to hear that losing weight is just as easy as going vegan (but really!). I do understand your conundrum, though.
I used to be 30 pounds heavier, and I told myself that I had tried everything and nothing worked. But then, I started running a lot and watching calories. And I'll be damned if I didn't lose 30 pounds! But I just had to be at the right place in my head, and hearing advice from other people that was outside of my comfort zone wouldn't have helped much (especially if they were a skinny, hot vegan!).
When I went vegan I had to stop looking at those message boards--I felt like they stopped offering me support at that point.
its for teachers. ok. i posted. i couldnt resist. this is what i said.
"Get rid of your unhealthy food, don't even keep it around. I have a coworker whos been dieting and then sleep walking and eating a ton of junk food in her sleep!! Keep healthy snacks in the fridge, carrot sticks with a fresh hummus dip, bean salads, cooked brown rice, fresh cut vegetables. Just having them around can be inspiring to cook fantastic healthy and easy meals. To pump up the flavor in basic dishes, use lots of herbs and spices instead of salt or processed flavorings. ooo, when I open my fridge and see a full vegetable drawer it just makes me want to cook an amazing meal! All of the colors are so inspiring. Like tonight for dinner I had potatoes, carrots, celery and tofu baked for an hour at 400 with a bit of olive oil, lemon juice, and oregano. divine!! eating healthy can be reallllly easy, cheap and delicious."
i wanted to put that meal idea in there because alot of the other suggestions sounded boring "salad with chicken and cheese" i mean... maybe they all like salad. *shrug* a lot of my coworkers who are dieting just eat salad for lunch and complain the whole time. i just want to say "you dont have to eat salad! you can take those veggies and do something else with them thats more awesome" but i dont.
I must say that you did a good job of making healthy food sound tasty! I know what you mean about the relentless salad recommendation--so boring, even for a vegan! I think you did an excellent job, and you weren't preachy at all. I like that you used the phrase "pump up the flavor." Who could resist that???
I think it's fine what you said. Your ideas sound good. I've got baby weight to lose, but I've got Celiac and it's taken me longer to lose than I would like. Granted, it's coming off pretty darn easy since I went vegan even though I went vegan for ethical reasons and not to lose weight.
I think you posted plain old good advice. I have a little mantra: If it's in the house, it'll end up in your mouth. So there are things I just flat-down don't buy anymore. No chips, no junkfoods, no candy. DH buys cookies for his breakfast (blergh) but I find that soooo unappetising it's not a problem for me. Once in a great whiile I will make banana bread but very seldom because of the "don't have it in the house and you can't eat it" idea.
I've struggled with my weight all my life. Diets? Tried em all. Acupuncture, Atkins, Diet Centre, you name it I've done it. And they work for awhile but they avoid the true point which is this: It's about changing how you eat, and how you look at food. You can't diet down to the weight you want and then go back to eating the junk...because the weight will come back and bring all its little friends. There's no pill, no magic bullet. It's about learning what your particular body needs and respecting that. And then deciding what you want: health or junk.
My nutritionist told me to avoid "light" products because (at least here where I live) the "low-fat" products often add tons of sugar, while the "sugar free" products often add hidden fat to make them tasty. So it's swings and roundabouts. The "low fat" mayo he suggested I use was yes, egg free--but disgustingly sweet. I'd rather go without, thanks.
Fresh, natural foods may take a little longer to prepare, but not all that much once you get a few good recipes and cooking techniques down. And you know exactly what's in what you make yourself, and that you're getting your money's worth.