Why I don't diet

Mmmm, so right now I'm trying to stave off a mild anxiety attack over what I haven't gotten done today (mind you it's only 10:45 am).  I dropped the man off at work and went grocery shopping.  I answered emails, and checked to see if my tutition has been posted.  It's due tomorrow, and my pay still hasn't shown up.  That is an entirely different gripe, but probably increasing the anxiety.

Anyway, whilst reading one my foodie blogs, the woman complains about her diet because it prevents her from eating some kind of cheesy potatoes that she saw on a different foodie blog.  They looked quiet tastey.  So tastey that it wouldn't matter if I were attempting to restrict my intake, I would eat it.  Because it is nom-ful.

Not to mention, diets--for the most part--don't really work.  You have to make lifestyle changes.  And unless you don't want to eat pasta or butter or something for the rest of your life, don't do a diet.  Health isn't about weight--it's about ease of movement and body image.  I try to exercise, not because I'm fat, but because I can't walk up a flight of stairs if I don't.  Academic work does not lend itself to movement.

Therefore I don't diet, at least not in the traditional sense of attempting to restrict my food intake.  Except for my constant battle with M to reduce the amount of fast food we eat (which is a compound problem--he wants it all the time, and I am weak willed.  He tries to count this as his 'cooking').  I do see value in attempting to reduce over-processed foods, especially corn syrup, but that has less to do with dieting and more to with increasing health.  Soda with sugar isn't particularly better for you than soda with corn syrup.  It only works if you replace soda with juice, or something equivelent. 

Instead, I try to increase my intake of certain types of food.  One summer I decided that I was going to eat five fruits and five vegetables a day.  This is really really difficult to do.  I would get too full to finish off the servings of vegetables, and would frequently not be able to reach 10 servings because I was too full.  It meant I cut out cookies and candies entirely, ate at least one salad (either fruit or veggie) a day, and ate far less grains in general.  I couldn't eat other food if I wanted to.  This doesn't mean that I didn't eat meat or grains at all, just that I ate significantly more vegetables than not.  And it was great.  I don't have much of a sweet tooth anyway (I prefer butter), but even cookies became too sweet for me.  I'd like to try it again, but it might require that a more easy going break time, like I had that summer.  And a husband who was a little more pro-vegetable (though as much as I tease him, he does like them--just not as much as he likes meat).

Right now we're trying to increase our home cooked meals.  This is good as it's cheaper, and usually healthier.  Sometimes.  I am trying to do one vegetarian meal a week too.  That's as close to a diet as I'll ever get.  And I can still eat cheesey potatoes!