I think I’ve finally come to understand some things about food that I’d like to share. Let me make it clear, I am not one of the chosen few. I do not have the metabolism of a humming bird. And oh yea I love, love sweets.  My body would gladly balloon to some obscene weight if I wasn’t particular about what I ate, and regularly exercised. The eating practices I have learned have allowed me to keep my weight where I want it relatively easily. Does that mean I can eat whatever I want? Yep. Does that mean I want to eat whatever I can? Nope.

When I was training for a half-marathon a couple years ago, I wasn’t very aware of what I regularly ate. I used an 18 week beginner training program, and it tore me apart. Just getting through a week of running killed me. I couldn’t understand how marathoners did it. I was in fairly good shape, and my training schedule was widely accepted as a quality program. If my training program wasn’t the problem, then I figured it had to be my diet. I began reading all that I could, experimenting, and figuring out what actually worked. Below is a list of the key changes I made to my diet that have worked. Since changing my eating habits I have not only lost weight, but I feel better and have far more energy. I’m not a professional nutritionist, this list is just my opinion.

Here are some of the things I changed, things I regularly eat, and concepts to ponder:

• Things You Eat Regularly – I’m a creature of habit. I eat pretty much the same thing for breakfast 5 days a week, and while my lunches have a bit more variety they don’t vary widely.  So 2/3 of my meals, 5 days a week,  are fairly predictable. This is a great opportunity to make a huge difference in my diet. For both breakfast and lunch, I choose a really healthy meal (or a small handful of meals if you want some variety) and stick with them. What does that do? It takes close to 50% of what I eat, and makes it guaranteed healthy. That will make a huge difference.
• Veggies/Meat – I’m not a vegetarian, in fact I love meat. That being said, if you want to lose weight and/or feel better on a regular basis you need to significantly reduce the amount of meat you eat on a regular basis. If your concerned that that you’ll loose muscle mass, I say don’t worry. There are so many ways for you to get enough protein without eating meat, and we usually get far more protein that our body actually uses anyway. Don’t believe me? I recommend checking out Michael Pollan’s In Defense of Food.
• Fish – Fish is your main protein replacement. Don’t like fish? Well, start liking it. Choosing the right fish can load you up with omega-3 fatty acids, and it just tastes great. Some fish can tend to have levels of mercury in it that you won’t want to eat on a regular basis. To avoid this a good rule of thumb is: The lower on the food chain, the better. Shrimp, scallops, and sardines are a good place to start. Just don’t cook them in an unhealthy way.
• Milk – Dairy products fall into the same category of meat, they’re fattening and typically don’t offer as much benefit as you think. They also tend to be an inflammatory. Go easy on the dairy, you feel better.
• Sweets/Soda – Look, I love sweets. So all I can say is ‘moderation’. Moderation doesn’t mean once a day. Moderation is once a week….maybe. Soda, go diet and you’ll be good. But, you’d be better off with water.
• Coffee – Coffee tends to get a bad rap. As long as you’re drinking it black, you’re not going to be ingesting too many calories. Also, It is a great alternative to a sugary afternoon snack when you’re needing a pick-me-up.
• Water- Drink it, and drink a lot. Don’t like drinking plain old water? throw some lime juice in it. Staying well hydrated will  lower your heart rate, keep you feeling fuller longer, and make you feel better overall.

I understand that these are some pretty overreaching, broad ideas. I’ll be going into more detail in some future posts. But until then, take the ideas  and run with them. Eating is something I am very passionate about, and I had to really bite my tongue on this post so I wouldn’t go out on a tangent. Disagree with me on any of my ideas? Let me know. I am always open to trying new things, and learning as much as I can.