By now, you've probably seen the Weight Watchers commercial that's little more than Oprah saying, over and over again, that she lost weight and still ate bread. Amazing! Who knew you could eat things you like AS PART OF A HEALTHY DIET?!
Obviously this commercial annoys me a bit, but it does bring up a few good points. For starters, what year is it that we still think bread is so unhealthy (apologies to people with Celiac)? When I started working back in 1998, my boss at the time was obsessed with the Atkins diet. I worked at a hot dog/ice cream shack during the summers, and every day I watched him pile a few hot dogs up with chili and cheese and call it "healthy" because he skipped the bun. Even as a teen, I knew that wasn't quite right. There's a reason bread is at the foundation of the food pyramid. Like many other foods when eaten in moderation, it's good for you!
The other thing that bothers me is the idea that you can't eat certain things AT ALL if you're trying to lose weight. The problem with that assumption is this: If you cut out bread entirely in order to lose weight, one of a few things is probably going to happen. Maybe you'll start missing bead so much that you'll go off the deep-end and find yourself on a bread bender. Believe me, I've been there after completely cutting other things out of my diet (several times while on Weight Watchers). Or you'll reach your goal weight and decide to go back to your old bread-eating ways and wonder why you're starting to gain weight again.
In this second example, this applies to everything you used to eat, but stopped eating just to lose weight fast. This is pretty much what happened to me every.single.time I did Weight Watchers. I was extremely restrictive and cut every "bad" food out that I could, only to reach my goal weight and start eating the same way that I used to. That doesn't work, and it's not sustainable for the long-term. So why not just admit that you like bread and eat it in moderation as part of a healthy diet?
For the past few years I've learned the secret to being healthy in a way that you can keep up for the rest of your life (though it does take a little work). Don't "diet;" change your lifestyle, and stick with it. Easier said than done, I know. Find healthy foods that you like, and eat those. Stop eating processed crap and pay attention to your portions. And if you want to splurge a little? By all means, go for it. I don't deprive myself of anything that I really want (although I do think pretty hard about how much I really want it). Yes, my weight still goes up and down (and it's currently on the "up" side because I started splurging more and more last year), but I'm more likely to stick to a healthy meal plan if I feel like I still get to eat the things I really like from time to time.
Obviously this commercial annoys me a bit, but it does bring up a few good points. For starters, what year is it that we still think bread is so unhealthy (apologies to people with Celiac)? When I started working back in 1998, my boss at the time was obsessed with the Atkins diet. I worked at a hot dog/ice cream shack during the summers, and every day I watched him pile a few hot dogs up with chili and cheese and call it "healthy" because he skipped the bun. Even as a teen, I knew that wasn't quite right. There's a reason bread is at the foundation of the food pyramid. Like many other foods when eaten in moderation, it's good for you!
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| I. LOVE. BREAD. |
In this second example, this applies to everything you used to eat, but stopped eating just to lose weight fast. This is pretty much what happened to me every.single.time I did Weight Watchers. I was extremely restrictive and cut every "bad" food out that I could, only to reach my goal weight and start eating the same way that I used to. That doesn't work, and it's not sustainable for the long-term. So why not just admit that you like bread and eat it in moderation as part of a healthy diet?
For the past few years I've learned the secret to being healthy in a way that you can keep up for the rest of your life (though it does take a little work). Don't "diet;" change your lifestyle, and stick with it. Easier said than done, I know. Find healthy foods that you like, and eat those. Stop eating processed crap and pay attention to your portions. And if you want to splurge a little? By all means, go for it. I don't deprive myself of anything that I really want (although I do think pretty hard about how much I really want it). Yes, my weight still goes up and down (and it's currently on the "up" side because I started splurging more and more last year), but I'm more likely to stick to a healthy meal plan if I feel like I still get to eat the things I really like from time to time.
Losing weight is hard as I like to eat especially dessert. I have lost over 35 lbs since I took up running as a daily thing. I have kept the weight off except for the occasional 5 to 8 lb. fluctuations. If I wasn't running, what's is the difference to me if I weighed 10, 20 or 30 lbs. more than I do currently? I am trying to get faster, so every lb. counts right now. If I wasn't running I can easily see how my weight might get out of hand. Anyway, lately I've been struggling to get to optimal racing weight and am starting to have success. I have mainly eliminated processed foods and eat as many vegetables (and low sugar fruit) as I want all day. For dinner I splurge (yes, sausage and a pretzel roll), but only after I've filled up on a big salad, so I won't go back for sausage seconds! Also I'm trying to eat dessert only on the weekends. Carbs are the fuel of endurance athletes, so I don't fret about eating bread, just not too much! :)
ReplyDeleteAwesome point on the carb factor too! Encouraging anyone who is active to cut out bread is pretty bad advice!
DeleteI think it just comes down to what is more important - is it more important to run faster and achieve your goals over the next few months, or to eat that thing right now and get a few minutes of enjoyment out of it? That kind of thinking makes it pretty easy for me to stick with the healthier choices.
Another good point is definitely the portions! Eliminating seconds (as hard as that is for me since T and I are both really good cooks) made a huge difference. And I still get to eat awesome food, I just don't need to keep stuffing my face with it.
You are right on with your point about deciding what's more important: Eating something for a few minutes of enjoyment vs. achieving a goal. It makes it easier to eat this salad with (no dressing) in front of me right now, knowing that doing so may allow me to be a few seconds faster on April 16th. If I had a pizza in front of me and I ate it, it might make me a few seconds slower (via let's say a 0.05 lb. weight gain) and that's a trade-off I'm currently not wiling to make! :)
DeleteDo you need some vinaigrette recipes? :) Salad without dressing is dedication!
DeleteHa! I'm not that crazy, sometimes for a splurge I'll put some red wine vinegar on my salad! But actually I am kind of getting used to these no-dressing salads. I can actually taste the individual vegetables and they aren't that bad when they aren't drowned in dressing (or so I tell myself)! :)
DeleteHaha, well that's why I stopped drowning my salad in Ranch dressing. But there's something to be said for a good, fresh vinaigrette!
DeleteI haven't seen that commercial but I did read that the WW stock tanked after Oprah bought a lot of the company. Or something similar.
ReplyDeleteUgh. I hate hearing about people cutting certain foods out of their diet because they are labeled as bad. I actually had food rules in general (ironic from the vegan, I know). But it's because restriction doesn't work for me, and never has, like you. I eat what I want and deal with the consequences :) And you can eat bread (and sweets! and fried food!) and still lose weight! I have!
I was actually happy to hear that the "Oprah Effect" didn't work for WW. Their plan just seems so misguided. You could eat so much garbage and stay within your Points allotment each day, lose weight, and think that's healthy (not to mention that they think I should weigh 135 pounds, ha ha ha).
DeleteFood rules are a little ridiculous. I don't think you being vegan is you following rules at all! It's the kind of diet/lifestyle that aligns with your beliefs and works for you. Hey, and a lot of fried food is vegan, so it's obviously healthy ;)
We have so much in common when it comes to this stuff (or hell, just in general). Bread is amazing. Lifestyle is where it's at.
ReplyDeleteAmen, sister.
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