There’s a basic principle when it comes to eating that people should follow when trying to watch their weight. It’s hard to follow, a big-little concept, but hard to follow. The answer to my riddle is: you are what you eat.
Not literally of course, but it can be well agreed upon that if you eat a lot of pie you’ll eventually become round like one and gain some “filling” (not the tasty kind). Also, it can be agreed upon that if you eat a lot of celery, instead of pie, you will eventually become skinny like one (don’t worry you won’t turn green).
Before I begin giving advice on how to eat healthy, I do not want any of my huge fan base to think that I am the healthiest eater in the world, because I will reassure you that I am not. I do watch what I eat and try to pick the healthier choice, but it isn’t always easy. Sometimes I eat a large piece of chocolate, peanut butter cake or ice cream when things are down and out (which I know is terrible). I will also tell you that I work at Steak N Shake. Yes, shake! Ice cream is most definitely my major weakness. It’s the one food that will get me to crack from my diet and I’m around ice cream all of the time! Let me tell you that I have a milkshake almost every time I go into work (and I work A LOT). However, I am on my feet and constantly moving and sweating at work (waiting on crazy people isn’t easy), so I do burn off most of the calories from those shakes I’m consuming.
Nowadays, it’s all about what’s fast, easy, and portable, because most of us are always on the go. That’s primarily why fast food joints are so popular; we only have the time to dine and dash. When going through the drive-through, keep in mind the healthy alternatives. Ask if places have whole wheat buns as opposed to white buns, or substitute your side of fries for fresh fruit or veggie sticks. Is a grilled chicken sandwich on a whole wheat bun with lettuce and tomato and a side of apple slices going to taste as good as a fried chicken sandwich on a white bun with a large fry and chocolate shake? Probably not. But healthy food CAN taste good, you just have to figure out what you like. Keep in mind that little steps like switching your choice of bread, sides, and sandwich toppings (like veggies) can all add up!
If you can successfully manage to trick yourself, you can also have a more successful diet. What I mean is that when you go to the store, buy HEALTHY, prepackaged, proportioned, and prepared food that you can just grab and go. If you know you’re lazy but you want to start eating fruit, then buy fresh fruit that’s already chopped up or divided into small snack sizes. Another trick you can play on yourself is similar to joining a gym so you’re forced to work out (refer to earlier blogs). Simply eliminate the majority of the bad food consumed in your house. Don’t buy anymore soda, ice cream, or cookies. Sit down and have a serious talk with your parents about becoming healthier and ask them not to buy anymore junk food. Stress how important your “weight loss journey” is to you, and if they disagree, you can always try begging.
Then there are situations that people like Ms. Mary Mingle are in. Ms. Mary Mingle is 17 and her parents are junkies. They believe that you should eat a carton of ice cream everyday and never brush your teeth. But Ms. Mary Mingle is tired of living with junk food and pigs so she tries talking to her parents about buying only healthy food, but they disagree to stop buying the 24 cartons of ice cream that they buy every other week. So what does Ms. Mary Mingle do? She finds one of her motivation devices and uses it to help her gain self-control in order to go from a size hippo to a size zippo.
Making healthy choices isn’t always easy, but I can reassure you that when you start eating healthier and exercising, you’ll feel a lot healthier (it’s really hard to explain how you feel healthy, but I’m being serious). I’m also a firm believer that with a trick there should always be a treat. You’re treat for tricking yourself into eating healthy is being able to look in the mirror and say, “Dang, that’s hot right there.” That’s where we will leave off until next week, when I will be talking about body image and how to start liking the man staring back at you in the mirror (if you’re a woman you should see a woman staring back at you). Until then, ta ta for now (ttfn)!
“Just for Kicks”- If you have a sore throat drink warm green tea with honey, or just honey but I think straight up honey is pretty grody. It helps soothe the throat though.
Health Goal- I will only have one shake from today (the 15th) until my next blog.
