I have deleted and re-typed this silly post half a dozen times, for a baker's dozen reasons. Boring, repetitive, obvious... what can I say? I find the topic of nutrition and general healthy living habits fascinating, but those are both broad topics and there isn't really much I can do to uniquely add to the conversation here...
...Unless I take a very personal route in doing so.
Unlike what sometimes feels like
everyone else, I never "struggled" with my weight as a youth. Thanks to my parents, I have always been a
n abnormally happy, confident and "comfortable in my own skin" girl, even when I was undoubtedly heavier than the rest of my classmates in middle school. With my body type, I knew I was never going to be "willowy" but I also knew, deep down, that my chipmunk cheeks and muffin top waist were due to my lack of discipline (and a consistent overconsumption of chips with guacamole). I didn't blame my genes, metabolism, my other jeans, or television - I don't remember having an epiphany about it or anything, but at some point I decided to start running (like my marathoner father) and doing sit-ups in my room. The results to my body were pretty minimal since I often made up for any physical activity with a reward of a burger and a milkshake.
In the back of my mind I was worried that if I actually tried to "lose weight" I would inevitably become obsessed with the idea and do it in an unhealthy way. My mother often told me horror stories of the years she would "yo-yo" up and down the scale, moving from one fad diet to the next, and I've always been a very skilled vicarious learner. To this day, I still do not own a scale for this reason (and others). I was also not too keen on "rules" when it came to food. My eating habits were mostly based around the philosophy that ignorance is bliss, don't ask don't tell. I didn't read labels, I didn't measure any of my portions, and my body suffered because of that. Being athletic and playing basketball in high school saved me from ever crossing into "clinically obese" territory. I also started cutting out soda and fast food before I left for college. My knowledge about what I ate and how it effected me, however, was minimal.
My fascination with nutrition switched on after I went through a kickboxing program called
KUT with a friend. Part of the program was basic nutrition, which included a little question/answer meeting where we learned some basics about eating healthy, and I’ve been hooked on the subject ever since. I have realized over time that there is an overwhelming amount of information out there, and sadly for me most of it has to do with science and numbers. (Ick.) However, there have been many "light bulb" moments that have helped me along the way to strive to put good, healthy fuel in my body in hopes that it will run for many years to come.
Light Bulb 1: Food Values
One day the phrase "not all calories are created equal" came to life.
Observe.
=
What do these two pictures have in common? You guessed it. Each picture is worth about 1,000 calories. Or maybe you didn't guess that. Whatever. Oh, did I say two? I meant three, though this third one is many pictures jammed into one, it's still worth 1,000 calories.
The spendthrift in me loves the idea of my daily calories needs being my body’s daily “budget.” Some foods are expensive, while others are very budget friendly.
Cherry Garcia Ice Cream
1 pint = 1,000 calories
How did I feel after eating it? Sick, guilty, gross.
"Megan, that’s obvious. Everyone knows ice cream isn’t good for you." Yes, yes. That’s not the point I’m trying to make.
Okay, lets buy something else with our 1,000 calories - a burrito with chicken, black beans, rice, salsa, cheese and guacamole. A very satisfying 980 calories.
What I began to realize was how
expensive some food really was. Even the typical hero of health food salad can actually be a time bomb ready to go off. (Red Robin "Fiesta" chicken salad, pictured, is 1,200 calories.)
What else could I "buy" with those calories? How about all the healthy food I eat during the day while I’m at work these days? What does all that cost? Banana with peanut butter, an apple, an English muffin, a hard boiled egg, some turkey, a sweet potato, a smoothie, hot chocolate .. in total roughly 1,300.
I realized it was pretty crazy how much more "bang for my calorie" I could get out of food by simply making more intentional choices. When I eat good food, my body rewards me by feeling energized, strong, and lean. I finally stopped fighting with my body over what I thought it wanted - my stomach was like a spoiled child whining for sugar, but when my stomach was denied these things it adjusted with a surprisingly pleasant attitude.
As time went on, I simply stopped wanting to feed myself things I knew my body didn't really want.
Light Bulb 2: The Grocery List
It may seem obvious, but at some point I realized that when I
remove something from my usual list of "go to" foods, I have to
add something in their place. First, I cut out soda and fast food. Next went most cheese, then white sugar and white bread. For a while this made me feel deprived (especially when chips were off limits) until I began seeking out more protein and things like fish, chicken, shrimp, eggs and Greek yogurt. Fruit became my favorite desert, and oats my go-to grain. There were so many unprocessed foods in the world I had simply forgotten existed! I rekindled my love of stir-fry vegetables, canned salmon and the exotic mango, along the way discovering quinoa, edamame and lentils. Bell peppers and apples became "clean while typing" snacks at work instead of granola bars and sugary yogurt cups.
I think when people hear the word "diet" they tend to focus on restrictions, they see the list of things they can't have and give up. However when I started thinking about the list of foods I
should eat every day (spinach, chicken, almonds, yogurt, salmon, oats, blueberries and more) I quickly realized it would in fact take me all day to get around to filling up with all of it. I am now convinced anyone "dieting" who is starving is doing something wrong.
Light Bulb 3: Cooking at Home
When I got married, the responsibility for all meals became mine and mine alone. Chris, I'm convinced, could live for
years on nothing but Honey Nut Cheerios. I have actually been asked by employees at Costco if I run a daycare center.
I finally started saying yes. At the same time, I am very proud to say that after almost four years of exposure to my "rabbit food" habits his own diet has grown into something I can honestly label "balanced" and "quite healthy."
We don't eat out all that often, mostly I think because we are too lazy to leave the house, but also because I quickly developed a keen interest in being in control of my food. We all know that restaurants pack on the salt, the butter, the sugar, the
whatever to make their food delicious, but the extent to which that is true is a bit alarming to me at times.
I also came to enjoy cooking in a way I never in a million years thought I would. I have to admit that a big part of this was because I realized that eating healthy usually meant 1) less ingredients and 2) less steps. It seems to me that all the really complicated recipes (and don't get me started on the evil of baking) aren't very healthy, especially when you compare it to say, a salad, which doesn't even involve heat! (Always a plus in my book.)
In Santa Barbara I am lucky enough to be surrounded by enough "health nuts" that there are tons of local restaurants that strive to be fresh and healthy. (Not to mention we have the best
smoothie chain in the world!)
Light Bulb 4: HARD F*CKING WORK
This hot lady in the picture below is named Zuzana Light, and she's my "at home" trainer. (Some of you may have heard me refer to her as the "fitness porn" chick.) I have been following her workout videos on the internet for a couple of years now, and lately her website (
www.bodyrock.tv) has become incredibly polished and fun. (Yes, her boobs are fake in case you were wondering.) Zuzana and her man Freddy film her workout routines every couple of days, in which she challenges her followers to beat her repetitions and push themselves as hard as they can.
If you had shown me a picture of Zuzana five years ago and asked me, "What does it take to look like her?" I would have replied with something super snarky like "having Athena for a mom" or "the money to pay for liposuction and a personal chef." I have come to realize, however, that folks who looks like Ms. Light have worked their fraking asses off, and earned it hard. I'm not talking about photo shopped models or string beans, I'm talking about your average person who is dedicated to pushing their bodies to the total limit. Be it a movie star or that chiseled beach guy who just stole my wave, those bodies are
earned. (Anyone who has seen one of the workout montages on the
Biggest Loser knows what I'm talking about.)
There was a time in my life when I would have loved to hate people like Zuzana, but after watching her sweat and growl and dig and push day after day, I can't help but respect and admire her. She is very open about her struggles to eat healthy consistently, as well as knew ways to push herself. I visit her website daily for motivation and new ideas, as well as read stories about people all around the world who have decided to push themselves into action.
In this crazy culture of misinformation, convenient food and self indulgent habits, never let anyone tell you healthy living is easy - but at the same time when all is said and done, don't be tempted for a moment to believe it's not worth it.
