Editor’s note: This post is the first of a regular series that will be appearing on Fridays. The idea is to try new “real food” recipes that can be prepared on the weekend. Of course, each recipe can also be prepared during the week (that’s when I’m trying it), but with the hectic schedules of most, a recipe might be easier to try on the weekend when work is generally less of a factor. If you enjoy this article, please consider subscribing to my feed. Thanks.

As part of the holistic approach to improving my health, I am searching for creative ways to “get into” vegetables. I didn’t grow up eating a lot of fresh greens, so finding vegetables that I like has been a long and continuous road, fraught with danger (or so I feared). However, despite my initial skepticism, I’ve found that the more well-prepared, well-seasoned vegetable dishes that I try, the more I like them, which even I find hard to believe. In my case, the key to this is how they are prepared.

This recipe is based on the principles that a) you can never get enough vegetables in your diet, so eat as much as you can, b) if you cook your vegetables, it should be done with reasonable skill and attention, and c) (and most importantly) eating vegetables should be about the pleasure of doing so because the flavor is out of this world, not simply because it’s “good for you.”

The concept of eating vegetables solely because they’re good is a nice idea, but based on my experience that is not a good enough reason for me to stick to a new dietary habit. I simply won’t eat them regularly if they don’t taste good.

Here’s recipe number 1 - I hope you enjoy it for the flavor first, the experience of cooking second, and the health benefits third. I’ve prepared these dishes side by side numerous times, sometimes in the quantities mentioned here, and other times for larger groups. Both times they turned out well, and were enjoyed by our guests (or at least I’m sure they didn’t have to spit it out ).

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One of my current favorite sites for quality health discussion is IowaAvenue (IowaAvenue.com). There are a lot of excellent contributors who have a passion for helping others through diet and exercise suggestions.

This morning I was reading one of their forum discussions and ended up identifying some of the core reasons why I’ve decided to try, once again, to head down this road to improving my health. My health has become increasingly important for a variety of reasons, not the least of which are my two children. Here’s what I said:

“My children have probably been my biggest motivator. My goals with respect to my children are to:
- Help them to grow up with better habits than our culture encouraged when I was growing up so that they don’t have the same obstacles to weight management that I do (less TV, little if any fast food, exercise for fun, etc.)
- Set the right example in eating well
- Be able to play with them on the living room floor, or run around with them outside without risking a heart attack
- Be physically comfortable with myself so that they don’t pick up on my insecurities, and make them their own
- Be around long enough to see them find their own path, and hopefully be part of that.

The second part of my motivation, sad to say, is fear…I have diabetes on both sides of my family, heart disease on both sides, and a history of cancer on both sides. So far, I’m fine. But that will change if I don’t.

The third part is more selfish — I know that with a history of diabetes, I am doomed to have to give up the foods I love sooner or later if I don’t adjust my habits. I think I can stave off the onset of diabetes with diet and exercise, at least for a while, which means I still get to eat those foods - but in moderation. So far so good.“

I stand by these motivations, and think that they are all sound reasons to change my life for the better.

In some ways I was extremely lucky growing up - I didn’t develop any substance addictions like smoking or alcoholism, a fact for which I am very grateful to my parents for having guided me away from such things. However, I have developed an emotional addiction to fake foods that I believe have the potential to shorten my life. I believe that if I can get a handle on the healthful habits of good food in moderation, combined with working on the emotional aspects, I will finally, finally succeed.

There are of course no guarantees in life, but I’m doing what I can to increase my chances of being around for a while. Hopefully, a very long while.

What motivates you to improve your health?

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Ed. note: This entry is about the benefits that I’m experiencing as a result of focusing on eating good food in moderation. If you would like to know more about how I’ve lost nearly 15 lbs in 2 months while still eating the foods I love, and without medication or supplements of any kind, consider subscribing via RSS. Thanks.

I’m now approaching the two month mark of trying this completely new approach (new to me) to losing weight and improving my health, and I must say, its going really well. I had no idea how easy it would be to make some of the minor changes, nor how effective it would be to lose weight this way, sanely.

In embarking on the journey of making the switch to eating real food in moderation, here are some of the benefits that I’m already experiencing:

1. I’m losing weight slowly, and when I do occasionally partake of less than ideal food, it is not reflected in a rapid weight jump
2. Heartburn is much less frequent
3. I still crave the old fake foods somewhat, and I occasionally indulge on social occasions (which I don’t feel bad about), but by and large the cravings are lessening
4. I’m now eating good foods like real butter, croissants, and avocados, which I had previously banned at times
5. I’m starting to develop an enhanced sense of appreciation for wine, and it is becoming an increasingly important part of closing a meal
6. I’m getting used to the idea that eating late is not a bad thing - as long as I’m not stuffing myself.
7. My ability to taste the subtleties of my food is returning, now that the salt and sugar levels are reducing
8. My functional eating habits are slowly changing. I am getting more comfortable with smaller, more meaningful portions; my bite size is smaller; I’m eating slower and savoring each bite; and I’m not eating in front of the television or computer (or both), or at least not as much.
9. I’m seeking out better quality food in defiance of the huge ad campaigns that tell us to do otherwise
10. I’m eating at home more, and almost always at the table, with my family
11. I see clearly that the quantity equals value philosophy is one of the major reasons that I’ve struggled with weight gain my whole life
12. I’m eating the most decadent ice cream I can find and late in the evening - just less of it. And I’m still losing weight.
13. I care more each day about things like where my food is coming from, what it is made of, and where to get fresh vegetables and meat locally
14. I am really getting into the technical aspects of cooking foods that I’ve never eaten on a regular basis before
15. Things that are sweetened with high fructose corn syrup I am starting to find sickeningly sweet
16. I have not started to exercise regularly, but that is my “ace in the hole” — I am excited to start exercising moderately, as I think it will only speed up the process of overall health improvement.
17. I am not going crazy with feelings of deprivation or the usual emotional strain from “enduring” a diet regimen
18. I’m enjoying the sense of being content but not “full” at the end of every meal (trying to find the 80% full sensation of hari hachi bu)
19. I have not had to risk major injury or heart attack to lose weight
20. I’m developing a real, honest taste for vegetables
21. I went on vacation, and didn’t gain any significant weight back
22. My wife and friends are very supportive of the idea, which gives me some great motivation
23. I’m enjoying the process, unlike every other diet I’ve tried.

And this is just the start. So many of these benefits are just beginning to take shape. At the end of this month, the proof will be in what the scale says. My goal for this month was to hit the 15 lb mark for the year, and I think I’m in right on track to do just that.

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This is the first of a seven part series on dining out using the principles of eating real food in moderation. These articles include a handful of specific techniques that you can use to your dietary advantage, but each discussion focuses primarily on the principles of good eating while dining out, which are targeted at lifelong goals. If you enjoy this article, please consider subscribing. Thanks.

When it comes to eating out, you can sum up the most common dietary suggestions with this idea (which happens to be one of my least favorite diet suggestions):

“If you want to be healthy, substitute the steamed vegetables for…well…anything that might taste good.”

The effect of which sounds an awful lot like this quote:

“First rule of dieting: If it tastes good, spit it out.” - anonymous

In principle, this suggestion makes sense since you’ve now substituted a serving of vegetables, of which none of us are getting enough, for just about anything else (like carbs, fat, sugar, etc.) of which we’re all probably getting too much of.

But in practice, ordering the steamed vegetables seems like some sort of dietary punishment. While you sit quietly with your plate of dry, tasteless broiled chicken breast, rubbery unseasoned steamed vegetables, and if you’re lucky, an approximation of a salad that is composed of chopped, flavorless iceberg lettuce with a mushy tomato wedge and the dusty oil and vinegar bottles, your companions at the table are indulging in warm butter with a side of lobster, a generous plate of creamy hot fettuccine Alfredo and a thick and juicy 20 oz. steak.

Hardly seems fair.

For me, the suggestion to order the steamed vegetables is representative of a lot of reasons why most diet efforts fail. In essence, trying to micromanage your diet will work for short bursts, but in the end, you’re going to eventually wind up “giving in” and getting that side of golden deep-fried goodness. There has to be a better way.

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Editor’s note: This entry discusses using manners to help you to lose weight. Of course, manners alone won’t do it - they are simply a set of tools that complement the practices of eating real food in moderation. If you enjoy this article, please consider subscribing via RSS. Thanks.

Practicing good table manners is not something that is usually associated with losing weight. However, leveraging some already established table manners can give you an edge on making the habits of moderation and healthful eating really stick.

It turns out that many of the habits of good manners that Mom and Grandma enforced had more merit than just keeping us from being considered obnoxious or distasteful in the company of others. At their core, good table manners are about dignity while eating. At certain points in life some of us might pitch those habits out of the window (ah, college), but over the span of your life, in addition to making you good company at the dinner table, practicing table manners may actually contribute to better health.

How?

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Ed. note: This entry is about working toward lifelong dietary goals by eating real food in moderation. The list of techniques will change over time, but this is where I’m starting from. Your constructive feedback is always appreciated. If this is your first time here and you enjoy this article, please consider subscribing via RSS. Thanks.

In case you haven’t noticed, for most of us the low fat diet “lifestyle” doesn’t seem to be working. There has to be a better way. Luckily, I’m not the only one who has figured this out.

For me, dieting has always led to failure in one way or another. Whether it was failing to stick to the diet over the short or long term, failing to keep the weight off after all of the suffering to lose it, or failing to improve my overall health as part of my diet plan. Any way you look at it, in the end I did not achieve my ultimate goal: To leave behind the burden of being forced to constantly think about what I’m eating for the sole purpose of weight control. I’d like to, by nature, make good choices, and maintain a weight and level of health that will ensure that I’m around for a while.

As a result of multiple factors including age, injury, and continuous on-again, off-again dieting, I am now finding that diets and extreme exercise regimens simply do not work as well as they used to for my short term weight loss goals, and certainly not for my lifelong health goals.

My philosophy on this has changed over time. A few years ago, this sort of thinking was the precursor to either yet another failed attempt to lose weight, or simply giving up before I got started with the latest diet craze. It became a defeatist mantra that plagued me, and ultimately began to erode my confidence. All of this turned into a cyclical pattern that has led me to where I am now - or at least, where I was a couple of months ago.

That cycle, however, seems to be drawing to a close. I’ve discovered that for me, I can actually lose weight without giving up flavor, bread, fat, or chocolate. I have had to sacrifice a few major staples in my suburban life; I am striving to no longer eat fast food for example, or drink soda. If this sounds impossible to you, before you click away from this page, realize that when it comes to these foods, I was in exactly the same mental space as you 6 months ago. I was frustrated by people who said things like, “just give them up and you’ll lose weight,” and felt that my life could not accommodate the removal of such important elements as a can of soda or those delicious banzai burgers at Red Robin.

So what has changed?

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Ed. note: This entry is about working toward lifelong dietary goals. It is Not a guide on how to avoid good food at special occasions, in fact, it’s the opposite. If this is your first time here and you enjoy this article, please consider subscribing via RSS. Thanks.

When you are dieting, if you take a vacation, encounter holidays, or attend just about any social event, it generally means 1 of 2 things:

1. You are going to be hungry while missing out on some food that may be swooningly decadent and is definitely in gross violation of your diet regime), Or
2. You are headed for the dreaded 4 D’s of dieting: Disaster, Denial, Depression, and Doubt.

I’ve been both 1 and 2, sometimes even in the same evening.

Here’s how a perfectly cooked social event (like a wedding) wrapped in a meager dried out Diet usually goes for me:

I start out the evening saying, “Oh thank you but no…I’m not really a chocolate truffle dipped in gold dust and creamy exotic wisps of delight kind of guy,” or, “You know I have eaten SO much in my lifetime that I think I’ve lost my sense of taste, so those goat cheese medallions wrapped in savory bacon and topped with a light drizzle of olive oil would really be wasted on me.”

That resolve typically lasts all the way through the “good food” portion of the evening, where the guests are plied with decadent delights in order to be duly impressed with the hostess’s taste (and lavish budget). I can often survive that round. But by the time everyone else has now had their fill of the individual bottomless chocolate fountains spilling over onto the raspberry white truffle cake topped with a light creamy frosting, I’m grabbing Andre the Giant-sized handfuls of the leftover wedding mints and shoving them in my pockets for the starvation march (or drive) home.

Social events are one thing, but what about vacation, where it may include day after day of abundance? How does this kind of thing work when you are trying to lose weight, as I am, using simple moderation?

In other words, what happens to my little house on the slow eating prairie when Life Strikes?

Here’s the simple premise for what I’m about to say:

Don’t worry about it. If you’re on vacation, enjoy yourself. If you’re passing through the holiday season, eat. Life is too short to miss the good stuff, and that includes chocolate.

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Editor’s note: This post is both a status post and a description of my thoughts on habit forming in 30 days. If you enjoy reading this article, consider subscribing to my RSS feed. Thanks.

I have reached the conclusion of the first month of my holistic weight loss experiment, and things are looking quite good. I’m encouraged.

But first, I’d like to talk about something that, having reached the end of the first month, really bugs me.

Whether this is common to most people I couldn’t say, but for me, I have these little sugar-coated pixies running rampant through the wide-open echo chamber that is my mind, bouncing off of the insides of the polished synaptic tubes that connect my right and left brain, all while giggling and whispering incessantly amongst themselves in tones that collectively sound like the dull hum of an old plugged in refrigerator being rolled down a gravel driveway.

Skipping to and fro, these pixies often stop at the little microphone horns that lead to my ears and whisper to me things like, “Hey that’s great! You lost weight - incredible! That was soooo hard. You really deserve to treat yourself. Go ahead. After all, your new habits are now a way of life, so a little indulgence isn’t going to hurt, don’t you think? After all, you’ve made it past the magic 30 day mark! Since 30 days have passed, these new habits are all solidified and permanent, right? I mean, even Science agrees on that, right?”

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