So...I'm having a bit of an internal debate with the Weight Watcher's system and how to make it work best for me. Now, I have no problems with the point system...I love it actually! I love being made to track my consumption and document everything I do. It helps keep me accountable.
The problem I'm having is with food choice. Now...I know that I need to be making healthy food choices...lots of fruits and veggies, lean protein, and low fat dairy products. I am okay with all of that and I feel like I have been doing a relatively good job. However...there have now been a few instances in which I wonder if I'm making the right choices...even if I'm within my points...
Last night...being grumpy (and a "recovering" stress/depression eater...not sure I can recover from that but I'm working on it) I ate some Chef Boyardee Beef Raviolis...a whole can in fact. Now, I had the points for it...I made sure of that before I ate it. But...we all know that Chef Boyardee isn't exactly good for you.
Today, I had a tooth pulled. The dentist recommended that I get some ice cream an hour after the procedure because the cold helps with the pain, swelling, and helps stop the bleeding. I went to McDonalds and just got a cup of vanilla soft-serve. No sauce or nuts or anything...but its ice cream none the less. Again...I had the points for it...but would I have made a better choice by sucking on ice chips or something?
Also...I'm having a debate about dinner. Kyle and I have a TON of cleaning and organizing to do tonight...my parents come into town tomorrow and they will be seeing our apartment for the first time. We recently just purchased new furniture for the entire place but a lot of our stuff is still in boxes. We were waiting to completely unpack until we had shelves and drawers to put stuff in (we were living with basically a mattress for quite some time) but when we got our furniture 95% of it had to be assembled. This meant that we have spend the last few weekends building rather than unpacking. Anyway...with all that to do tonight, I don't really want to cook. What I really want to have is Qdoba. A burrito sounds just fabulous. Well, that isn't listed on the Weight Watcher's website...but Qdoba has this awesome nutrition calculator on theirs. You just click the items that you would order (including all condiments) and it adjusts the nutritional facts accordingly. Now, I still have 27 points left for the day...if I get what I used to get prior to my diet...I'll still have 7 points left over. But that burrito is huge and has both cheese and sour cream...both of which you are supposed to monitor your intake.
So I am left in this debate...if it fits within my points...doesn't go over at all...am I still doing the diet properly? If I have a few days where my food choices may not be the smartest but still fit within my alloted points for the day...am I still going to lose weight?
The way I look at it is to think long term. I mean, it's sort of pointless and unhealthy to lose weight just to gain it all back. So when I'm making choices, I try to think long term, what will help me actually change my life. like, there are millions of low calorie chocolate treats out there. But does that mean because I'm stressed/depressed/grumpy that I should eat it because it's chocolate and chocolate makes me feel better, essentially emotionally eating. Or should I find a better way to handle my stress/depression/grumpiness? I mean, it's a slightly different situation, but still that same idea - I know it's not healthy but technically it fits within the diet. I try really hard to make the healthier choice, not just the choice that technically fits into my diet, ya know? because in the end, in one, two, three years, I want to keep my weight down and in order to do that, I have to use think about my diet like this... I'm not using my diet to lose XX pounds, I'm using my diet to help me change my habits to live a healthier lifestyle.
ReplyDeleteThough admittedly, all of that is easier said than done :)
Here are my thoughts on the matter. Obviously I am not a doctor, nor an expert, so I can't answer the physiological aspects of the question.
ReplyDeleteI think that in order to make a change in your lifestyle, you need to do just that. While the foods that you chose were within your point system, it sounds like, from your explanation, that the choice to eat them were more of a "normal" response, from before your change. I think the goal is to break away from responding the way you did before. It's easier to just go out and have a meal made for you, but I don't know that this will help you in breaking away from your previous routine/choices.
That being said, it's not easy to do. It takes a lot of effort and energy to cook and be healthy all the time. I wish I had the magic solution..."poof! have some energy!" but I don't. I think we all have those days where we just don't have it in us.
Also, I think it is important to still include going out to eat at restaurants, while monitoring your intake. You don't want to be miserable because you are cutting yourself off completely. You just have to find a balance. Maybe only eating those kinds of meals a couple times a week, and not when you've had some recent "unsure" meal choices.
I think that with a little time you will figure out your balance. Remember, you are only in your first week, and from the sound of it, so far, you are doing pretty good! It is normal to have questions, doubts, setbacks, when taking on a life change. But you are a strong woman and I know that you will work through this and come out stronger on the other side.
I'm not sure if this helped at all...pretty sure I contradicted myself at times, but it's my best effort at giving some attempted guidance and support.
I am very impressed by your conviction and dedication to making this change. If you need anything, you know I'm here. :) Love you.