week 5

     today, i am going to address the idea of "cheat days." i cant tell you how many people i have known who somehow convince themselves that cheat days are a good idea. they justify it by saying that the only way they can stick to a diet during the week, is by promising themselves all of their cravings on their cheat day. here is why cheat days are bad. first of all, lets all remember that you have to burn an additional 3500 calories in order to lose one lb of fat. now lets say that you do really good monday through saturday and burn an extra 583 calories a day in order to lose your one lb that week. then on sunday you "reward" yourself by eating all the things you craved through the week. pizza, ice cream, starbucks... the list goes on and on. with this kind of mindset, it is only too easy to ingest those 3500 calories you just burned through the week. and then lo and behold, you have hit a plateau! imagine that...
     if there is something that you are craving that you know is  less than great for yourself, here's a new idea: let yourself have a little. watch your portion sizes, but go ahead and allow yourself some. this is much better than going through the vicious cycle i outlined above. or even better, find a healthy alternative that will satisfy your craving while still keeping you on track. for example, if what you crave is a donut with chocolate icing, try a toasted whole wheat bagel with nutella. this is somethiing you could enjoy as an every day snack if you wanted to. i have come to believe that with a little creativity, any recipe can be made healthy. or at least a healthy alternative can be found. go ahead and challenge me if you dont believe me. tell me your favorite unhealthy dish. the one you always crave that has sabotaged your efforts and i will try my best to come up with a recipe for a healthy version/ alternative. here's some simple substitutions: applesauce for butter in baked goods, honey or agave for sugar, and plain greek yogurt for mayo and sour cream. greek yogurt is also good frozen in place of ice cream.
     i hate the word "diet." this word implies that you are making a temporary change to your eating habits in order to reach a certain goal you have set for yourself. it's easy when you have set aside 6 weeks to be on a "diet." but when those 6 weeks are over what will you do? go off your diet and back to the habits that made you unhealthy in the first place. this is why it's so important to make this a lifestyle change, to learn how to be healthy. it takes time, practice, research, and support. next time your friend offers you a cookie, instead of reminding her that you cant eat it because you are on a "diet," tell her, "no thank you, i have chosen to live a healthier lifestyle. would you like to try a bit of my peanut butter sticky roll?" not only will this make you feel great about yourself, but you may also inspire your friend to crack down and lose those 15 lbs she has been struggling with for the last 2 years.
     why do we allow food to have such a strong hold over us? why do our lives revolve around food? and over-processed, sugar-saturated, disease-causing food at that. take a minute to think about what you are putting into your body. where has it been? what has it gone through from the moment it was picked or butchered or whatever to the moment it hits your table? how many people have touched it? did those people wash their hands after they went to the bathroom? (yuck i'm grossing myself out here)... of course i know that we dont all have the ability to grow our own food and raise our own meat, but find a farmers market near you, find your local butcher, your local bakery. you wouldnt believe how much better fresh tastes when you have only known the stuff you get from walmart. we have the power to control what is sold in our country. if there wasnt such a demand for crap, there wouldnt be such a market for it. even in germany where the three food groups are beer, sausage, and bread, one might come to wonder why you never see a fat german. it's because quality means something to germans. even in the smallest german village (and trust me, they can get pretty small) you will always find a bakery, a butcher, and fresh fruits and veggies. what i'm getting at here is preservatives are the devil, and our country is full of them.
     ok, this is starting to sound like i'm rambling, so until next week...

recipe of the week: peanut butter sticky bar (since i mentioned it)
1/2 banana
1/4 C peanut butter (feel free to mix and match with nutella or almond butter)
1/4 C flax seeds, whole or ground
1 C granola
lg ziplock bag

mix and mash all ingredients together. spoon into bag and spread out into a log at bottom. roll bag to keep mixture in log shape and place in freezer until solid.