I love fast food! McDonald’s makes the best fries in the world! I also love junk food – Twinkies, Cheetos, Salt and Vinegar Chips…. Ah Yes….. my taste buds are tingling as we speak. Of course, I know that junk food is just that – “junk”. In the past, I would go on a diet and eat a lot of Lean Cuisine or Weight Watchers frozen dinners. I figured that was better than junk food. And I guess it really is – but when I decided that I needed to go on a new diet to reduce my blood pressure and cholesterol, I discovered how much sodium is actually in those “good for you” diet foods – so those were out.
My diet now is very basic – lean meats, fresh fruits and vegetables, just a couple of whole grain products per day, low fat cheese and yogurt… you get the picture. Anyway, being on this diet has helped me to lose about 7 pounds – which is not a huge amount, but I am happy with it so far. I checked my blood pressure at the drug store and it was down. The best thing about this diet though is that I actually feel good! I am not bloated and tired all the time. My clothes fit better. My body just runs better when I am eating right.
The thing that has shown me the most about how much this eating plan has helped me has been when I eat items that are “not on my diet.” Recently on vacation, I ate whatever I wanted – which included ice cream, brownies, fast food, etc. The sweets made me feel tired. The fast food made me feel bloated – and gave me stomach cramps. I noticed that my mouth felt “greasy” after eating some of the food. The ice cream bar I had was soooo sweet! It was really weird.
I still want to be able to eat whatever I want. And in all actuality, I can. But I am beginning to have second thoughts about certain foods. Is the taste and texture worth feeling like crap? For the most part I would have to say no. But if I want to have a few chips now and then, I am not gonna chastise myself about it. I recognize that eating better makes me feel better – and if I choose to have some junk once in awhile I am okay with that because I know that 95% of the time, I am going to eat healthy. It’s like they say, “everything in moderation” – and it really is true. Don’t deprive yourself.
And I have discovered that being able to eat whatever I want has come to mean something new – because now I want to eat apple slices instead of chips, yogurt with low fat granola instead of a cupcake, water instead of soda, lean meats instead of chicken nuggets. Who would have thought?
amylenore 