I
acknowledge this post is a bit fast after the last one BUT in the interests of
trying to get back on track I thought it was worth doing. I have unsurprisingly
not lost weight since yesterday. However, as you may have guessed from the
title I wanted to go back to the issue of food rather than exercise as I
haven't really visited it for some time. This is because the focus of my diet
regime has become exercise for the recent past but that will normalize after
I've been going to the gym regularly for awhile I expect.
Firstly,
I'm eating a lot more now. This is because I am exercising. "But surely
you should just not eat, surely that would only help you lose weight?" -
Yes, through starvation. Let's do the math:
Daily calorie intake (aimed at
losing 2lbs/wk): 1420
Starvation limit (the minimum I
require to stay out of my body's emergency fat storage mode): 1200
Average workout in calories:
450-500.
So,
1420 - 450 = 970. This is 230 below the starvation limit. Yes, I could in
theory set my calorie limit at 1200 but that leaves no margin for error as well
as leaving me to very little to eat. Arguably, I could exercise to gain some
back as I am doing at the moment but there are a few things that put me off
this. Firstly, the margin for error is, as mentioned, zero and I'd rather have
a safety blanket for the days I do go under. Secondly, the extra 220 calories a
day gives me a lot more freedom with my food choices and means I don't have to
stress about it so much, in turn making the whole diet thing easier. Thirdly
there's a lot of professional advice (almost overwhelming) that strongly
suggests trying to lose more than two pounds of weight a week is bad for you.
And,
finally, losing 2lbs of weight a week is a lot. That's three and a half 8oz
steaks a week I am meant to be losing from my body mass, or the equivalent
weight of one and half litres of water. That's loads! It's probably more than I
eat in a day, and only about 60% of that is actually taken into my body!
(Obviously this is how dieting works. I highlight it for comparative reasons). It
averages out at a stone every two months. So losing more than that is probably
unnecessary anyway.
Ergo,
if you are trying to lose weight but are putting effort into going to the gym
while on a restrictive diet, DO reward yourself with a little bit extra to eat.
DO NOT assume it's all bonus calorie loss and think three sandwiches will power
you through your normal day as well as a five mile hike or treadmill run. The
human body is a biological machine which needs fuel to achieve activity. You
wouldn't hold off on filling your car up because burning fumes for longer makes
the engine more efficient, would you?
I
have become slightly lax with my restraints as well, following the gym
endeavours. Sometimes I need some emergency calories - like if I work too hard
at the gym or haven't eaten enough beforehand. Ergo, I have had 3 packets of
crisps in the last month and about thirty chips. The chips didn't even feel
good but I was out for a meal and desperately need to make up for calories
after I found out that we weren't going to be getting popcorn. I also
occasionally get to have a beer or two as opposed to being laughed at for
drinking spirits with diet mixers rather than 'manly' drinks. Those jibes cut
deep, lads, but when I hit my goal I'll still show you all up at the
celebration.
I
have just returned from the shop to get more multivitamins. I also bought some
of the Sun-Bite crisps as they're low in calories (more by virtue of being few
in number than being well made) for emergency calories and a twenty-four pack
of diet coke. I went down in cut-offs, flip flops and a Hawaiian shirt which I
threw on so I wasn't indecently clad. Not fantastic gear for October in England but I
drove there and back so the cold didn't catch me. Nor the rain, thankfully.
However
I did over-hear two girls/women/female denizens of my home town commenting on
my purchases behind me in the queue. I admit, it wasn't the most amazingly
balanced set of items to buy but to be fair it was none of their business. One
of them made the comment, "If he wants to get in shape why not buy foods
with that stuff in and not multivits and junk?" I turned around and,
rather than yelling at them which was my first impulse, asked with what I hoped
to be a condescending smile what they knew about my diet. This stunned them and
their-previously silent male companion. Fortunately calling people on snide
remarks is not something often done in English supermarkets so I had the
initiative. I told them maybe I was aware my diet lacked certain vitamins and
minerals due to medical problems I had, or perhaps they were for a family
member. In fairness I could make my diet more balanced min/vit-wise but the
Omega3 ones are pretty vital because I can't eat fish.
The
guy actually came to their rescue, although I think his aim was more to make
fun of them and ease any tension that might have been in the air, by telling
them they should really think before they speak. From some awkward place inside
me I keep emotions I don't need sprang a bit of guilt; they were only about
eighteen or twenty and I probably didn't need to confront them with the aim of
ripping apart whatever they said to me so I laughed it off and said it was fine
but maybe they should ask before they judge next time. So it all went better
than expected, they apologised and I forgave them.
They
had also commented on my dress sense before looking in my basket but in
fairness I had no defence; I was in beach gear in a country where wearing
shorts in October is a good way to find out how absorbent your lower legs are.
The flip-flops probably would have been hidden in jeans. The shirt was part of
a group decision to have the least serious team uniform at any gaming events my
friends and I went to compete in and as such would never be worn anywhere
except a tropical beach and even then only by people who had little taste in
fashion, clothing or colour patterns in general.
Really
what I am trying to relay is that I have become very aware of what I'm eating all the time to the extent that I
sometimes only eat half a meal because while I really, really, really, wanted to eat it all of it was
too much for my calories. I have started using the practice of doggy bags again
and usually have the rest of my meal the next day, though, so I'm actually
eating a lot of food I want a lot of the time. Which is great for my dietary
morale. So my advice from this post can be condensed to: eat what you want,
when you want it but only in the correct quantity.
On
a particularly bad day, the correct quantity is 'as much as you like'. The diet
is for you, it does not rule you. Comfort eating is understandable in extreme
situations and you shouldn't make yourself feel worse by avoiding it. Having
said that a 'particularly bad day' should only happen to you once every
fortnight at most. If it happens more often you have non-diet issues to address
and should do so first. Always remember that dieting is a first-world issue and
should not be put above life necessities like having a job.
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