To diet or not to diet.

That is the question.  As a young woman I was trained in the art of "thin eating".  Start when you're hungry stop when you're full.  Lord knows this hasn't been the way I've lead my day to day eating.  Me and food love each other.. too much.

Through the years of having babies I went through fazes.  Eat well, Eat poorly, Eat thin, Eat gorging-ly, Exercise, forget how to even properly spell exercise, diet for medical reasons, diet for weight reasons, pills, no pills.  Goodness gracious, Me Oh My!  Can you say "roller-coaster"?!

My desire through all of these well intended ill-thought out approaches to getting to a healthy weight and maintaining it, was to remove the importance of food in my daily life.  To come to a place where I ate out of necessity and not because I had a constant craving for this or that or both!

I've been pretty regularly exercising for a year and half now.  While I've managed to lose about 9lbs. (I thought it was more until I got on a real scale)  :(  .... I've known in my heart I wasn't having a proper relationship with food and so I was not losing more.  I got to the point where I was eating very few times a day.. but not very well.  Eggo waffles and Mrs. Butterworth's for breakfast (with I Can't Believe It's Not Butter mind you!), whatever the kids were having for lunch Pb&J, Mac and Cheese, Taco Bell or if I felt so inclined left over sweets and treats.  Then of course a sensible dinner because my husband was involved in that and I want him to be healthy and believe that I am doing my best to do the same.  (sad I know)

Aaannnyyyway!, My dear husband has come to a point where he is wanting to help me get thin and stay thin. (prolly cause he's more worn out by my yo-yo attitude about food than I am) So he took me to Max Muscle and got me some vitamins and a cleanse to start on.  Then I got weighed and had my body fat measured by the nutritionist there.  Ugh.  I wanted to cry and drop an elbow on her all at the same time.  As if it was her fault right!?  Her scale says I weigh 10lbs more than my scale says I do, and my body fat percentage was 31%.. which I had to think about that in terms of hamburger.. because 20/80 is the highest fat I buy... 30/70 would be terribly greasy.. ewww.. my insides are greasy!  Blech!

The kind nutritionist lady talked to me for about half an hour about proteins and whole grain carbs and maintaining a steady blood sugar level and fat burning caused by eating such foods.  She also told me I need to eat 6 times a day!  And that I need to have protein and carbs at every eating.. not just meals.   Oh, and I need to drink half my body weight in ounces of water every day!  I was a bit overwhelmed and maybe a tad bit potty mouthed when I left.

This compared with my 99% carb diet and maybe 8oz of water a day seemed crazy.  Not to mention I KNEW I'd be eating MORE calories than I was the way I had been eating.  The first day I felt like I was eating constantly.  I peed even more.  Seriously, I couldn't go to sleep for 2hrs after going to bed because I had to pee every half an hour.  I also had to stop a mile from being home after being at a Molalla BBQ and peeing before I left.  I was crying in my car because it hurt so bad!  Jeesh! This way of eating seemed like it was going to be awful.

Today, my fifth day, I am loving the way I feel.  I have been tracking my food and exercise on Live Strong a web site created by Lance Armstrong.  I have found a way to eat 6 times a day and stay at total of 1200 net calories a day!  This may need to be lowered.. we'll see when I go into get weighed this Thursday.  I've not felt like I'm starving once.  I'll give you an example of what I eat in a day.

Breakfast:
1 container of strawberry Greek yogurt (Greek yogurt has more protein than regular yogurt)
1/2c of oatmeal
coffee
water

A.M. Snack:
1 cheese stick
1 apple
water

Lunch:
1/2c Cottage Cheese
3oz microwaved sweet potato with pepper
1c celery or carrot or whatever
water

P.M. Snack:
Banana
2Tbl Peanut Butter
water

Dinner:
4oz of Chicken breast seasoned to my hearts desire
1c cooked Quinoa
1c steamed broccoli
water

P.M. P.M. Snack:
2tbl. Almonds
water
There is usually a Diet Coke somewhere in there as well.  And this is just a sample of what I've come up with.  There has been Egg whites with Dave's Killer Bread for Breakfast.. smothered in Tabasco.  Turkey veggie wraps in Carb Smart Plus tortillas for lunch.  Or Albacore on a bed of lettuce with onion and black beans covered in FF Catalina dressing.. mmmm that's a favorite.

So it's not at all boring.  And as a matter of fact it's so much more diverse than my previous way of eating.  I am finding that my body feels satisfied in both hunger and cravings.. and I think about food WAY less than I used to.  Thank you Jesus!

Anyway, it's yet to be seen how well I'm actually doing as far as weight loss and what-not.  But for now I definitely feel better!  OH!   And I've been walking with my hubby for 30-45 min a night.. going about 2-3miles.. it's been great to get out there with him.  The kids have even come along on their bikes!

I started the year wanting to say good-bye to my flabby body and find the skinny me that I know is still in there somewhere!  I now, thanks to my loving hubby, am feeling that I have tools that are going to help me achieve that goal as well as maintain a healthy body weight and relationship to food.

(My sister always asks her readers questions.. so I'm going to try)

What are some of your struggles with dieting and exercise?  Or do you have a good grasp on it all?  Is it easy for you to relate to your partner about these issues and welcome them into your journey to achieve good health?  Have any of you ever tried this type of eating or "diet"?  If so have you had success with it?

Ok, I'll stop now.  :)