Real Food in Moderation: Weight loss results for month 3
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Spring is just beginning to hit its stride here in the Pacific Northwest, as you can tell from this photo of the plum tree in our front yard. I’ve now completed my third month of reworking my dietary habits using the concept of eating real food in moderation, and not unlike this photo, things are really starting to take off.
Here is a short summary of my approach so far:
- Eat only real food. No low fat products, no low carb products, just whole foods that are minimally processed. I’m eating things like whole fat ice cream, chocolate, butter, and quality (read unpreserved) breads, grass fed and free range meats, and lots of fruits and vegetables. On a daily basis this means avoiding fast food, all high fructose corn syrup, and all artificial sweeteners and flavoring chemicals.
- Eat in moderation. I am retraining myself on what it feels like to actually be full.
- Eat with focus. Whenever possible I eat regular meals, slower, at the table, in the company of my family and friends. The biggest change is not eating in front of the television (except for my small portion of ice cream at night – but its dished out in the kitchen where I’m not distracted).
- Eat for quality, not quantity. This is more or less a combination of the first two items, but it stands as a separate category because it is a big change in my approach to food. Its a principle that affects the others, but is a concept I actually have to focus on consciously.
- Do not slip into the dieting mindset, because I’m not dieting. That includes counting calories. I’m purposely not dieting; I’m relearning what it means to eat well, intuitively.
- Do not use negative reinforcement/punishment. If I eat something that I decide was not the right choice, the goal is this: don’t worry about it. This is a life change, not a sprint to reach thinness as quickly as possible. Real life for most of us means occasionally making lesser choices.
- Practice moderate exercise. So far this is my weakest point in my estimation, but as the weather improves (and I get over being sick) I’m inspired to get moving.
- Educate myself on how to eat. This is my passion currently. There is so much that we all take for granted as being truth when it comes to diet, when in fact in some cases there is little basis for it. The more we learn about our assumptions, the more we find our assumptions have been flawed. Margarine is a great example.What are my current sources? In addition to an abundance of supporting advice from places like IowaAvenue and ProHealthBlog, my current reading list includes the writings of Nina Planck, Dr. Will Clower, Michael Pollan, Russ Parsons, and Mireille Guiliano, among many others. There is simply not enough time in the day to read it all.
- Be accountable. That’s what I’m doing here on Almost Fit, in addition to sharing my past experience and my current process. I’m attempting to be accountable to readers who might be curious about losing weight without dieting. Does it work? Is it healthy? I’m finding out and telling everyone about it; for me, that is my public accountability. My private accountability is, well, private.
So how are these changes working out? Read the rest of this entry »
This weekend marked month 2 in my diet experiment: to lose weight and improve my health using only the basic concepts of eating real food in moderation. No low fat products, no low carb products, no paid plans or programs – in fact, as few “products” as possible, in favor of whole foods. My emphasis has been on eating more fruits and vegetables, but at the same time making sure to take in high quality meats, cheeses, nuts, grains, and so forth.
