"Diet" is a Four Letter Word

As counterintuitive as it may sound, many women begin to see the numbers on the scale increasing along with their mileage. This can be blamed on gaining muscle, but it can also be caused by being "rungry"...You know, that feeling you get where no matter how much you're eating, you never feel full?

(I am going to spruce up this post with pictures of foods I'm eating on vacation. I'm enjoying every bite of them and intend to continue enjoying food even as I more carefully monitor my choices. Because food makes me happy and keeps me alive.)

Gluten free red velvet cupcake and ice cream?! YES PLEASE.

I make it a point to never step on a scale unless my pants suddenly stop fitting. I spent too many years weighing multiple times a day, stressing about the number, and letting the results determine my mood. I've never been "overweight", but eating disorders are rarely just about weight. The scale was a powerful and cruel master. 

I'm in a place now where I'm very happy with my health, fitness, and fit of my clothes. Until, of course, I went to pack my favorite jeans for California and realized the waistband was snug. Very snug.

Animal fries from In N Out Burger? YES PLEASE.

So how do you "diet" as a woman who has a history of disordered eating? You don't.

Diets don't work. Anything that asks you to drastically change how you eat, has a cutesy name, or seems unsustainable for a lifetime of eating isn't a good choice. 

And how we eat has to be about good choices. 

A good food lifestyle and relationship should allow you to enjoy foods you like, eat socially, avoid obsession, and fuel your body.

Crab mac n cheese in a homemade gouda and fontina sauce? YES PLEASE!

For me, this means I'm going to be more true to my motto: "Everything in moderation." Moderation is key, and I need to be eating with my lifelong health and marathon in mind.

The first step to this is to find out how much I actually burn a day. You can't just go around cutting huge chunks of calories out of your daily intake. Using this basal metobolic rate-calculating equation, I'm going to spend the next few days figuring out how much over my necessary intake I'm going, and why. 

(Hint: cheese-laden and dessert-oriented fare is probably the culprit.)

How will I measure success? Why, by how my favorite jeans fit, of course! The scale is just going to have to find another victim.

Linked within the BMR article is one about fad diets, and I thought I'd share some key points. This is generally why I dislike diets. (I have no idea why these won't line up like nice little soldiers. Just deal with it.)

I don't mean to sound like a paleo-basher, but the lack of evidence in support of this diet drives me nuts.

I've ranted on this before because I'm gluten free for actual health reasons. If you're going gf because you think gluten is inherently bad, you're doing it wrong. Also, if you're going gluten free and then eating gluten free pastas and breads, you're missing out on the conventional stuff, which is cheaper and can be way healthier. Whole grains, anyone? (Gluten free breads are notoriously high in calories and low in nutritional value.)

I feel so strongly about this. If you cut out an entire food group, you're depriving yourself. What happens when you tell yourself you can't have something? You obsess. It becomes all you want. The next thing you know, you're eating pounds of that "forbidden" food and feeling like a failure.

(Don't even get me started on "good", "bad", and "safe" foods.)

I really think the bottom line here is that if you love something, you should eat it. My idea of a healthy food lifestyle is one that allows you to be social, eat what you enjoy, and fuel your body to its optimum level.

Have you ever tried any crazy fad diets?
How do you monitor your food choices?
Have you ever gained weight during periods of more intense training?

ABK