We'll Start at the Table: Diet Talk!

Before I begin, let me just explain that I am not a nutritionist. These blogs are filled with my thoughts on diet and my personal experiences and opinions. I'm doing my best to make educated decisions and provide useful information, but please feel free to leave your comments if you have any questions or concerns about the content of these blogs.

One of the things most of us struggle with is diet. I definitely have and I'm familiar with how daunting it can be. Whether you are trying to lose or gain weight or simply maintain a balanced, healthy diet, today's media is constantly confusing us with this 'proven method' or the latest diet fads. Sometimes I just want to scream. It's almost like every week we have a new study that proves the results of last week's studies false and its hard to know who is right or what to do. When I decided to take up bodybuilding I found that a lot of the diet strategies were so technical and anal...and not to mention confusing. There were 'ripping' as opposed to 'bulking' diets with precise calculations of how many grams of carbs you should eat vs. grams of fat and protein and when each should be eaten...it was enough to make my head spin. They claim it's straightforward but then they have all of these little side rules like fruit only at breakfast and complex carbs (like bread) only within 2 hours of exercise. Some say no carbs after 6PM, some say it doesn't matter what time you eat, some say you have to eat every 3 hours while others insist that three meals a day is the better option. All of this aside, the one statement that kept popping up that drove me insane was, 'Only view food as fuel.'
No thank you.
This is something that I think is what will make or break an eating plan. I don't think that anyone should have to stick to a bland diet that you don't enjoy because someone nutritional fat cat says it's the only way you'll lose belly fat. I refuse to eat another rice cake! I'm also not a fan of these low-carb diets. I've tried that and I swear my head was spinning all day from hunger. It just didn't work for me. I don't believe that diet should equal deprivation.
Now, that's not to say that I think that you should go and eat any old thing. We have the right to fill our plates with what we enjoy, but we also have the responsibility to take care of our bodies and you won't be doing that by swapping your whole grain bread with a moonpie and your lean proteins with bacon. One may raise their eyebrow at me because I usually will pass on dessert or order the salad, but that is not to say that if I really feel for ice cream or chocolate that I am going to stuff myself with celery and pretend I'm happy. I believe in responsible moderation of what you eat on a day to day basis. I love the food I eat. I enjoy playing around with new recipes and I know that healthy food does not have to be boring! I don't think you should treat your mealtime like a scientific equation. There is so much great food out there and I don't think its simply there just to get me through those extra 5 reps.

So, what have you changed?
As I mentioned, I have cut out some of the complex carbs that I was eating before because the amount I needed for training for a marathon was huge which isn't really necessary anymore as I'm not running for 2 hours straight. I still eat them though!

I also mentioned sugar. I've always been a little negligent about monitoring my sugar intake. This is because I figured I am someone who doesn't have a sweet tooth or touch table sugar so I probably wasn't having that much...but I didn't realize that all of the added sugars in the fat free yogurts that I ate, and the honey, brown sugar syrup and sugar that was all in one of my granola bars really weren't the best thing for me. There are some fitness enthusiasts that would rather eat a boat load of fat than sugar. I still haven't quite figured out why its so bad for you but considering that the body doesn't need it at all makes me think that I am wasting calories on junk instead of obtaining beneficial nutrients. Have I quit granola forever? No way...but I'm not eating it everyday like I was before. I will say that I am noticing more definition in my stomach since I have made this change and I chalk it up to less water retention. For people who don't want to give up sugary treats I'd say to at least make sure that your snacks are not store bought and are made from real ingredients and not high-fructose corn syrup. Rule of thumb, if you can leave it on the counter (sealed or not) and eat it next week...its probably full of icky additives. Have a homemade cookie or ice cream. My mom happens to make the best coconut ice cream which I happily tiptoe down the corridor at night for and I personally think that Ben and Jerrys can kiss it.

Something that I am trying to work out at the moment is cheese. I adore cheese. I usually buy soy cheese which is nice but the truth remains that cheddar 'flavoured' soy cheese is a) processed and b) isn't fooling anyone. I'm trying to reduce the amount of processed products that I am eating. I'm eating more seafood and a bit less soy to start but the issue of cheese remains. I'm all for good fats but an ounce of cheese really does have a lot of saturated fat. So the toss up is between processed soy cheese, fatty real cheese or SUPER processed fat-free cheese. I like the good fats in my soy cheese, but I love the taste of Parmesan on my tomato sauce or a nice sharp cheddar with some grapes and the soy cheeses just don't have that zing...and then there is the processed, tasteless, fat-free plastic that they have the nerve to label cheese, packed with sodium and things I can't pronounce. I've been looking for reduced fat cheeses and most of them have about 6g of fat, 3.5 of which are saturated. I guess it's not terrible but I will have to make sure to really make an ounce, an ounce and no more. I feel that this is ultimately the way to go. Once again, even saturated fat is okay in moderation. I just wish that the groceries would moderate their PRICES as all of the quality reduced fat cheeses are about $22 a block.

Now, you may ask what my typical eating day might look like. I try to switch it as much as possible, but here is a good example. I would use today's but I was Christmas shopping and had a light chocolate mint latte and bought sushi which isn't typical. Anyways:

Breakfast: oatmeal made with almond milk and blueberries

Snack: Grapes and dried pineapple

Lunch: Baked sweet potato with Grilled vegetable burger wrapped in lettuce with tomatoes and rice cheddar (was experimenting with that and it's gross. No more rice cheese)

Snack: Protein shake

Dinner: Salmon chowder

Snack: 2 cups air popped popcorn sprinkled with dried currants

Midnight snack (if I'm hungry I'm gonna eat!) Toasted whole wheat bread with honey, a handful of nuts (or peanut butter) and a glass of skimmed milk.

I'm trying to reintroduce wheat into my diet and being able to sleep right after eating it helps sometimes if it makes me bloated and uncomfortable. As you can see, I'm not against late night eating. If you're hungry, I don't see a problem with having a small meal or snack. Just don't eat the whole fridge because no one is looking!

I didn't choose a particular bodybuilding diet. My main focus is on eating quality food regularly, intuitively selecting my meals instead of eating my rice now because the book says I must eat it NOW, limiting saturated fats and most importantly, enjoying everything that I put into my mouth. Lets not go down the 'good' food 'bad' food road. Feed yourself responsibly. If you really tune in to what your body is asking for you won't have a hard time choosing the banana and peanut butter on toast over the 'low calorie' oreo cakesters. Those give you black teeth anyways which is very unbecoming...

My challenge for you is this:
The next time that you are hungry in between meals, before you even look in the fridge or wander over to the vending machine, ask yourself what you truly feel for. Visualize your potential snack options and what is it that really appeals to your needs? Not your cravings...your needs. See if you can tell the difference.
I seriously don't expect you to do this every single time that you want something to eat...but I do want to encourage a little more self awareness and even gratitude when we approach eating. Eat your meals slowly and don't focus on cleaning your plate. Really pay attention to the flavours of your meal and notice when you begin to feel full. Don't force yourself to eat more than you really need and try to appreciate each bite. This sort of self awareness is handy when you are now trying to figure out your ideal portion size as well. We all need to figure ourselves out! ;)

Anyways, the point I would like to make is...I still don't have a calculated diet and I don't feel like any less of an athlete for it. I still fully intend to block my ears to the food ONLY as fuel demands and I will continue to try and eat food that wouldn't make mother nature smack me. If I make any diets changes, you'll know about it!

For one thing...I am considering reintroducing lean chicken into my diet....we'll see!

Thanks for reading!