Should food be seen as Fuel or Fun?
I’m sure you’ve gotten bored with your diet at one time or another. The same things day in and day out … it can get quite numbing, especially if your working out and losing weight. Is that really a bad thing though?
Lets seriously think about this for a second. If your like me you have a set of staple foods that makeup a large portion of your diet. For me, my staples are:
- Greek Yogurt like Fage with Honey or the Plain 2% version
- 2% Cottage Cheese
- Fruit like Bananas, Apples, or Figs
- Nuts like Walnuts or Almonds
- Veggies like Broccoli, Sweet Potatoes, Lettuce, or Peas
- Natural Peanut & Almond Butter
- Meal Replacement Shakes like Myoplex or Full Strength
- Pastas, usually whole or enriched
- Brown Rice and Beans (kidney, black, northern, etc)
- Lean 95% Beef
- Chicken
Now lets be honest, you can only make so many meals with those items, even with spices. I highly suggest a good cookbook like Eating for LIFE or Biggest Loser Family Cookbook for creative ways that “mostly” fall in a consistent food list.
One thing you’ll notice about my list is that the full gamut of the food spectrum is represented. This means that means I can balance almost every meal nutritionally. I can eat for weeks off this list without having to think, without having to make a decision.
That’s one of the biggest keys to success, making decisions. When your trying to lose weight like I am, sometimes not introducing decisions or indecision is your best option. The moment you try to add too much variety you have to introduce self control and deal with trigger foods or cravings. I don’t know about you but the moment I introduce those food decisions my resolve to eat healthy starts to weaken.
With my staple foods there isn’t any of that indecision. I have my standard recipes and even have a few waiting in the wings that I cook when I have a certain craving. I can still make it fun when necessary but my point is I’m not trying to be a world class connoisseur or eating little portions of trigger foods every day to give into cravings. Those foods got me fat for a reason, I’m unable to control my portions. There will be a day when I take a little more and that little more will turn into a lot more.
I know this controlled staple food idea isn’t for everyone. One thing I have noticed though is that most of the people I read online that are huge experimenters with food are already close to or at their goal weights. They’re at a point in time where they’re maturing their food to make it a life change that’s enjoyable instead of just a weight-loss program.
I think we all strive to get to the point where we can eat whatever we want (within reason). When your seriously working to lose weight and regain control of your health it’s in your best interest to limit your food options to a small, controlled, healthy list. That’s not to say it can’t be fun to eat but that certainly shouldn’t be the the primary motivation.
Food should only be your fuel for a while … fuel to change your body … fuel to change your mind … fuel to obtain your fitness and health goals.
What are your thoughts on this? I know it’s a fine line and it’s difficult to not give in but I’ve never been successful (for very long) when I introduce too much variety.
Sometimes…SOMETIMES…a little variety is okay, and for the most part I am completely okay with having largely the same stuff (or minor variations thereof) for a long while. If I try to mix things up, I tend to eat alot more, or I end up buying too much stuff and it goes to waste.
I’m married to a professional chef and I’m very food and wine savvy myself, so when I started losing weight, I thought it would be an annoying challenge to the way I eat. I think that was one of the reasons I didn’t want to lose weight, because I wanted to be able to enjoy my food. Well, I’ve discovered it’s just the opposite, both my husband and I are losing weight and working out together and we’re both still very much enjoying our food but now we’re enjoying finding new ways to eat and cook healthy. We’ve always enjoyed buffalo but now we’re making it a staple in our diets. We’ve also always enjoyed rabbit but now we’re enjoying it at home also. Of course, there are certain things in my diet that I now eat religiously out of habit. I usually go through a half pound to pound of raw spinach in a week but I can honestly say, I’m enjoying food now more than ever. Especially since I’m feeling healthier and not guilty or bloaty after I eat -and- losing weight. Food is fun, it’s an adventure and this weight loss has been a process that I’m enjoying much more than I ever thought I would.
I think that one of the biggest reasons why there are so many overweight people in this country is that we’ve pushed food too much towards the “fun” side of things. It’s certainly OK for it to be on that side from time to time, but strictly speaking, food is fuel for our bodies, nothing more. Our body doesn’t care how wonderful or sweet something tastes, just that it’s getting the fuel it needs to keep it going.
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I think that when food has been your ONLY fun for many years, you have to learn to see food in a completely different way, and find enjoyment out of other areas in life. I know this is true for me. Eating was the only thing I looked forward to every day for many years! The only area in which I am trying to have a lot of variety is with fruits, veggies, and protein sources. These are things that will not cause a binge for me.
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