One of the hardest challenges for people trying to lose weight is to give up the foods you love. Maybe it's fried chicken or pizza or a big piece of chocolate cake. Whatever it is, you don't have to give it up. No really, you don't.
Haven't I mentioned in here somewhere, at least once, that I'm a foodie? I love love love it. I love to cook it, I love to watch people on TV cook, I love to eat it, I love to try new foods and restaurants, it's a passion. I just can't get crazy with it and eat everything I want to try in one sitting, or all my favorite foods in one day.
But what I can do is reward myself for my hard work and efforts by allowing myself a "free day" or even just a "free meal". This also helps me feel a little more normal ,like those people that can eat whatever they want and not gain a single pound (I'll trade you little people!).
Typically I like to reward myself on the weekends, this is when I go out, see family, friends, go to dinners, movies, etc. Therefore, it's these times when I don't want to be sitting next to people trying to calculate the amount of calories in a grilled chicken salad at a Irish pub while people around me are enjoying hamburgers, fries and tall pints of brew. So, I work hard, and save up.
I count calories 5-6 days a week. I work out 3-4 days a week for about an hour. Some days I don't really consider it a gym day, but I walk for 15-25 minutes on my breaks at my job, or take my dog for a long walk, and a little extra calories get burned - but I don't really consider this part of my exercise routine - more like a bonus. Everything you do above and beyond laying in bed all day burns calories. I like to consider those little bonus minutes of time when I can eat that bite of french fries.
Here's an example: I was good all week. I stayed true to my 1200 calorie range, worked out 3 days this week (plus my bonus minutes) and last night had a "free night". What this meant was, I knew I was going out to dinner, to a new restaurant and I knew I'd want to try a few things on their menu. So, I counted calories up until that point as normal. Typically I've eaten half of my calorie allotment by 6pm. So, by 6pm yesterday, I had eaten about 600 calories. Then I went to dinner, split part of 2 appetizers with 3 other people - sweet potato fries and calamari. Then I ordered dinner, fish and chicken with steamed green beans and grilled veggies. I ate every little morsal. Now, one of my favorite things, are sweets. So, I went to Homemade Pie and Ice Cream Kitchen and got a piece of Kentucky Chocolate Nut Bourbon Pie and practially licked the container clean.
It was just what I wanted and craved and needed after a long, hard week. Do I feel guilty about it? Eh, not really. I know today I will eat 1200 calories. I know this up coming week I will work out, maybe add 10 minutes on to my gym time. If I feel like I've had an especially high caloric "free day" I will add time to my exercise routine and make my calorie intake a little lower for a few days - never lower than 1100.
I know I will have to make adjustments in order to enjoy the foods I want to eat. But for a foodie like me, it's worth it to not feel deprived and eat the foods I love so deeply.
Cooks Tip: If you don't feel like you have enough self control yet to be able to do this and not fall off the wagon completely, you can simply "healthify" your favorite foods. EatBetterAmerica.com has great recipes of your favorite foods, with less fat and calories. Make one today!
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