portion control…or not
I decided that this year, my 28th year, I’m going to get into great shape. I want to be fit and healthy and strong. And, if I’m being totally honest, I want to look HOT in my jeans. I want to wear strappy little tops without fretting over bulges in the wrong places. I want to be able to run for a few miles without feeling like my muscles are turning into pudding.
So far, I’ve been kicking ass at the gym. I’ve been doing cardio every day and weight training every other day. I’ve even added the bench press to the mix, which I object to on the basis that I have thin, wimpy arms designed to carry shopping bags – not to casually extend forty-five pounds.
I feel leaner and stronger. My thighs are tighter. I don’t get winded as easily. I’ve started having really ambitious fantasies about kick-boxing and possibly saving some unsuspecting citizen from a reckless driver. I am She-Ra (in my mind).
The thing is, I’ve always been a binge eater. No matter what I’m feeling – boredom, elation, depression, anticipation – there’s no question I’m also feeling my teeth close over hotdogs, french fries, or anything else I can get my hands on.
My sister once pointed out that while she stops at two pieces of pizza, I always eat three or four. My need to feel completely stuffed doesn’t stop at pizza, either. I’ll eat two or three hotdogs, a whole can of soup (as opposed to a bowl) – no matter what I’m eating, I’m the first in line for seconds.
I’ve tried portion control with varying success, for short periods of time. It never lasts long. I get hungry, and then - feeling as though I’ve denied myself - I go overboard. Big time.
When I started working out regularly, I expected to lose weight. At least SOME weight. Instead, I’m holding steady at 150lbs. It’s obviously because I won’t alter my eating habits. I’m not looking to live on salad and beans, but I would like to find the strength of will to say no thank you after two slices of pizza.
Despite my love-love relationship with food, I feel great about the progress I’m making. I talked to Heidi today and she told me she got the Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred DVD. She claims it’s awful, in a good way. I can’t wait to go try it out with her.
Does anyone have any ideas, tips, or tricks to scaling back the food intake? (You know, other than self-control).
The one thing I have successfully scaled back on portion-wise is cereal. I actually measure the serving size on the box. The first time, it was shocking, and my stomach growled all morning. Gradually my body got used to it.
I binge on some things – Particularly pizza – But I do find that I get full more quickly. Now when we get Subway, Hubby and I share a footlong. We used to each eat our own footlong.
Part of it is just dealing with the shock to the system until you get used to it. Other things include having reasonably healthy snacks in the house, things you like but don’t LOVE so you aren’t tempted to eat the whole package, trying to eat filling, high-protein foods, and setting yourself non-food rewards for meeting certain goals.
Good luck! And even if you don’t lose any weight, I’m sure all this working out is doing great things for your body.
I hope you like the 30 Day Shred. I need to get back into doing it, because when I was, I felt GREAT.
I need to get back to leaving food on my plate. Somewhere down the road, I stopped leaving food and started polishing everything off. Since I refuse to change what I eat, I’m going to try smaller portions of what I like.
You’ll get there!!!
These may be basic and old-hat to you by now, but…
1) If eating out, have half boxed up before they ever bring the plate to the table (not actually something I’d have the ovaries to do in a really nice restaurant, but I totally would at Cheesecake Factory or something!).
2) Make yourself a plate, then immediately transfer 1/2 into a tupperware for the next day’s lunch.
3) Count your chewing. (More to slow down your eating in the hopes that that’ll help you realize you’re full earlier.)
4) Put your fork down between bites. (Same as above.)
5) Don’t eat in front of the TV (they’ve done studies).
6) Don’t drink (alcohol) with your meal (again with the studies).
7) Remind yourself while eating (even every bite if you need to) that you can eat more pizza/fries/whatever tomorrow.
So I guess that’s a variety of approaches. I hope they’re useful.
And Jess is right, improving your cardiovascular endurance and building muscle is good for you no matter what!