Eat Like a Girl

It’s been a while since I’ve written about my fitness journey; I guess I was just so burnt out from training for Tough Mudder that I needed a break from clean eating and working out every day. Also, the holidays. We all know how hard it is to eat healthy during the months of November and December. Am I right?!

Now that it’s January, I’m ready to start working on getting back in shape again. Besides, I don’t really have a choice: my clothes are snug because I’ve gained EIGHT POUNDS since my job ended two months ago thanks to stress eating and sitting around in my apartment all day long with nowhere to go and not a lot to do. However, I’m going to approach my weight loss goal a little differently this time around. I’m not going to workout every day and beat myself up if I miss a workout. I’m not going to eliminate almost everything from my diet that’s not “clean.” And I’m not going to post weekly updates to show what little progress I’m making.

What I am going to do is change my eating habits. I’m guilty of stress eating these last few months because of my unemployment/money situation, but I’m also guilty of something else: stressed or not, I eat a lot. Often times, more than I should to the point where it becomes over-eating.

This is something I’m not proud to admit, but it’s true, and I’ve known it for a long time. I’m known as a “good eater.” In fact, I eat more than the average female typically eats. Sometimes I eat the same as Chris does– sometimes more! And you know what else? I eat my food rapidly, so I’m usually done eating before the people I’m eating with (especially if I’m eating with other women). So not only can I go to The Cheesecake Factory and finish a whole entree on my own, but I can finish it before everyone else has even asked for their to-go boxes. Both of these eating habits are embarrassing, and they’re probably the main reason why I’ve always struggled with my weight.

It’s common knowledge that it takes the human brain about 20 minutes to register that the stomach is full, so if I’m finishing my food in about 10 minutes, it’s no wonder I still want more. I’ve been doing some research these last few days on portion control and how eating slowly can help with weight loss. Here are some tricks I’m going to try in order to help change my eating habits and hopefully shed some pounds:

• Take half of my meal home in a to-go box. American restaurants and eateries are known for serving huge portions. These portions are typically twice what the average person needs to consume. When going out to eat, I’ll ask for a to-go box as soon as the server brings my food.
• Try to split an entree with whomever I’m dining with. This keeps the portions small AND the cost cheap.
• Stretch out my meal as long as possible. Take smaller bites. Finish chewing and swallowing my food before taking another bite. Take sips of water in between bites to slow down the eating process.
• Eat five small meals throughout the day to ensure I’m never starving. If I’m starving, I’m more likely to overeat when it’s time for dinner.
• Use My Fitness Pal to measure/weigh my food and count calories. It’s tedious, but it’ll definitely keep me on track with how much I eat and to not go overboard.

I think that changing my eating habits (along with what I eat) has been a long time coming because these bad habits are contributing to my weight gain. Plus, it’s not very lady-like or attractive when I can out-eat my husband, and finish my food before him, too! I’m hoping that after I’ve been practicing these new eating habits for awhile, they will become normal for me, I will no longer eat like a man, and I will have lost some weight. Of course, I’m going to exercise daily as well, but like I’ve said before, weight loss is 20% exercise and 80% diet. Along with consuming healthier foods, I’m hoping to slow down and eat less resulting in some much better eating habits once and for all.

Now that the holidays are over, are you getting back on track with healthy living? What are you trying in order to lose weight?