Just Cook It: Progress, not perfection, is key to healthy eating
I was in San Diego this past weekend for a health and wellness conference, and while I was there something interesting struck me and it was profound enough to warrant it’s own column. I know I’ve talked about some of this in the past, but it really is that important that it’s worth talking about again. If this column can help at least one person (although I hope it helps many more), I will be ecstatic.
Allow me to set the scene for you: It was the second day I was in San Diego, and unfortunately I was downright exhausted. I had taken an extremely early flight the day before, and coupled with the time change, hadn’t been able to get much sleep.
As tired as I was, I couldn’t resist the urge to have a couple drinks with an old friend I hadn’t seen in a while. We had a couple of fantastic dark beers at the hotel bar, and then I went back to my room.
I was hungry, but couldn’t muster the energy to find/wait for a meal. If you ever see me too tired to eat, then you know that I’m extremely exhausted and the situation for me is at about DEFCON 1.
The circumstances being what they were, I downed a newly released (and delicious) Nutty Caramel Cashew protein/meal replacement bar and then proceeded to collapse on my bed and drift off to sleep.
Don’t stop reading now, the story’s just beginning.
Since I was still accustomed to Eastern Standard Time, I didn’t realize that I actually fell asleep around 8:30 P.M. Pacific Standard Time (PST), which would be 11:30 P.M. in Pennsylvania.
A few hours flew by as I was in dreamland, and then out of nowhere, I happened to wake up and realize three things – first the dream I was having was extremely odd, second it was only 11:30 P.M. PST, and third I was starving.
I quickly assessed the situation, collected my wits, and then reached for the room service menu. It was at this time that I realized something else extremely interesting – sometimes late at night you just want a cheeseburger and French fries, even when you are at a health and wellness conference.
It was at this exact moment that I knew I had found the topic for my next column. I’ve been there many times in the past, and it’s all too true – sometimes you just want greasy food that you know is bad for you.
Sometimes you just get that craving for pizza, burgers, French fries, onion rings, fried chicken, macaroni and cheese, and the list goes on. Sometimes for reasons beyond our control, we just have to have something we know we shouldn’t and sometimes that fact makes it taste even better.
I used to feel guilty when I would eat foods like that, especially late at night. By the way, I did end up ordering a cheeseburger with bacon (if you’re going to do it, you go all out), an order of fries, and just because I was in the mood – a bowl of chicken noodle soup.
I have been on quite the health and wellness journey during the early portion of my life. I have on two different occasions lost more than 50 pounds, and when I lost 70 pounds this second time around, I refused to ever go back.
Feelings and promises like that can make someone fanatical and never want to eat “bad for you” food again, but I learned that fanatical isn’t always the best way to go.
I learned that self-deprivation when it comes to food is a recipe for disaster for me personally. I learned that consistency and progress instead of perfection is the real key to my food life.
When I deprive myself of the foods I love for a long period, a trend begins to occur. First, I start to get moody and irritable, then I get angry, and finally I turn green and devour everything in sight until I’m huge and ready to pass out.
Maybe that was a bit of an exaggeration.
Now I have a better plan. The “yo-yo” dieting thing isn’t something that most of us enjoy. The big question is how do you lose weight or stay healthy and remain that way while still being able to indulge with the foods you love?
The answer is consistency, or a phrase that I use on a regular basis – progress not perfection. My plan is that on Monday through Friday, I watch my diet very closely and very seldom, with the exception of special occasions, deviate from that plan.
On Saturdays I cut myself some slack. I continue to watch for the most part, but some junk food might cross my path for one or so meals. On Sundays I completely let loose. I eat whatever I want whenever I want for this one day every week.
It sounds reasonable, but there are a few additional keys to my success. First, I have a fantastic and specific system that I follow when it comes to personal nutrition guidelines. I’ve developed this over time and have tweaked it until I found what works for my body.
I use a specific nutritional technology throughout my day. I typically eat six to seven smaller meals per day (I count meal replacement protein shakes as a meal) and taper my carbohydrate intake as the day progresses.
I work out or more specifically do a lot of weight training and that also impacts my diet and food intake. My meals are usually protein heavy and I vary the types of protein that I consume between beef, poultry, fish, eggs, etc. I also eat a lot of vegetables and leafy greens throughout the day.
On the weekends I still consume my protein shakes, but the meal plan goes out the window for the most part. This bit of indulgence makes the weekdays easy to get through while at the same time allowing me to not feel guilty about enjoying certain foods.
That’s the other very important point – I do NOT allow myself to feel guilty about cheat meals. I give myself permission to be imperfect so if I slip up during the week (which does happen occasionally) I forgive myself, and then move on to better choices next time.
Eating more meals that are portioned smaller throughout the day also give you the advantage of making slip ups not be so terrible. The meals are smaller so the impact is smaller and you have another meal coming up in a few hours to make up for the last one.
It really is a lifestyle and the faster the world as whole moves from the “diet” mentality to “lifestyle” mentality the better off we will all be. Be the change and help others. There are more people out there looking for help and answers than we realize. It starts in your head and ends on your plate because we really are what we eat consistently.
Mario Porreca of Belle Vernon is a food personality, entrepreneur, author, and the host of Just Cook It Radio on WMBS Radio 590 AM. He can be reached via his website at: www.MarioPorreca.com. Twitter: @MarioPorreca