The Diet Trap

Recently I found a prom picture of myself.  It was a bit of a revelation because I had always held my high school weight as my gold standard.  I knew I would never get back to that miniscule number, but somewhere in the back of my mind, I hoped against hope that maybe I could get there.  But here's the thing...I looked at the girl in the picture, all fresh-faced and newly in love (for real, I married my prom date), and I realized that I looked emaciated.  I can't believe how skinny I was.  And of course, in those days, I ate whatever I wanted.  Not a single thought about calories or health value crossed my mind. 

Now, here it is, nearly 20 (WTF!) years later, and the health value and calorie count of nearly everything I eat is known to me.  I can't blame my children alone for what no longer counts as a girlish figure.  I've eaten my way to 30-odd pounds heavier than my prom self.  Of course, almost everyone gains weight as they age; my (almost) middle-aged boobs aren't in the same locale that my prom boobs were, and other areas have lumped or sagged as my body has stretched to the limit and back again twice now. 

My point in all of this rambling is that I, like many others, want to lose weight.  But unlike many others, I don't automatically reach for low-fat, low-calorie options.  Nor do I punish myself with brutal workouts repeatedly.  (Actually, I would love to workout more than I do, but my children seem to take my desire to workout as a personal affront, and they both flip out the instant I pick up a weight.)

Anyway...man, someone shut me up, I can't stop with the digressions tonight.

Here is my point...DIET!

And by diet, I mean as much what you eat as what you don't eat.  Now it's true that a life entirely devoid of French fries and ice cream is not worth living, but if you want to be skinny, I mean, healthy, you need to focus on a diet of real food.  Don't fall into the diet trap.  Most "real foods" are naturally low in calories and high in nutrition.

I certainly indulge and lately, I seem to be indulging a little too often, so I try to write about both my indulgences and my more restrained moments.  I feel like keeping track of both sides of the coin will keep me on track.  So in the spirit of confession...I sandwiched my real food breakfast of yogurt and homemade granola in between large bites of apple crumb cake leftover from Easter.  Both were delicious, but only one left me feeling guilty.

If you are at a loss for how to live a real food life in a way that will help you lose weight, look to these types of foods:

• Dairy: Organic cheese, milk and yogurt are great sources of protein, and because they tend to be rich and creamy, they can full like an indulgence.  Pairing dairy with fruits or veggies will help you feel full and satisfied.

• Fruits: Nature's candy.  It's about to be full-on berry season, and I can't think of anything better.  Seriously, what is sweeter and more delicious than a sun-ripened strawberry? When you want something sweet, try to assuage that craving with fruit instead of a fake fruit product (juices or fruit-flavored candy).  Plus, so many fruits transport well (apples, oranges, bananas); throw one in your purse as you head out the door and you're good to go.

• Veggies: Most veggies are delicious (and wonderfully low calorie), but if you honestly don't like them, focus on one or two that you can tolerate, and work from there.  Or fool yourself.  You think you hate spinach?  Blend it into a smoothie and you won't even know it's there.  Cut up tomatoes, carrots or cucumbers and drizzle them with a little olive oil and vinegar or sprinkle some salt on them and you have a delicious appetizer.  My favorite way to cook broccoli is to roast it in the oven.  Spread broccoli (fresh or frozen) in a single layer, toss with olive oil, salt and pepper and garlic and roast until it gets a little crunchy around the edges...even my husband loves it that way.  And branch out.  I didn't think I would like cauliflower, but I made it mashed one night (like mashed potatoes) and it was delicious.  My point is, take risks.  If you honestly don't like something, then don't eat it again.  Tell yourself what I tell my kid, "take one bite, if you honestly don't like it, you don't have to finish it."

• Vegetarian protein: The aforementioned dairy fits into this category as does hummus, beans, lentils, tofu, and eggs.  Personally, I can't stand tofu; I've tried it a bunch of different ways to see if I could find one that works...I couldn't, though, so it's off my grocery list.  But eggs are delicious. Try this "real food trick," buy two dozen eggs when you grocery shop, hard-boil one full dozen.  Instantly you have a real food addition to salads, breakfast or just a quick snack.  Chickpeas (aka garbanzo beans) are also a delicious and nutritious addition to a salad.  You can also roast them in the oven and season them with herbs and spices for a quick and healthy snack. 

• Animal protein: I realize technically dairy and eggs are animal protein, but they are more byproducts, rather then the animal itself.  Here's the nutshell version of my love-hate relationship with meat.  I gave up all red meat and most pork in my twenties and never looked back.  I attempted full on vegetarianism, but it just didn't work for me.  I always tried to buy organic, but as I've gotten older (and more knowledgeable if not wiser), I've doubted the large-scale organic food complex more and more.  Last summer, I joined a whole food CSA and it was the first time I actually ate and enjoyed red meat in nearly 15 years.  My rule is, I will eat anything I get from my farmer, but otherwise, I tend to stick to chicken only.  Now all that aside, if you want to include quick and easy meats for lunches or snacks, I highly recommend Applegate Farms deli meat.  Boar's Head is okay because they don't add fillers, you are just getting meat.  What you're looking to avoid in deli meats is nitrates, nitrites and fillers like grains.  As far as dinner is concerned, most meats would fall under the category of real food, but I can't recommend strongly enough, that you buy and eat only organic meats that have been raised in the way that animals are meant to be raised.  Think of it this way...if you are what you eat, then aren't the cows, chickens and pigs what they eat too?  And if so, you are what what you eat eats.

So the long and short of it is, eat real food.  Food that has one ingredient in the list of ingredients, food that came from nature, food that your great-great grandparents would recognize as food.  If you need a master's degree in chemistry to understand the ingredients in your afternoon snack, maybe you should think twice about eating it.