#Diatia 10: Diet as a way of life

I’m going to take a third go at diet.  Earlier this year, the summer seems to have been a big hindrance to this, but anyhow, earlier this year I started a simple but rigorous system of diet.  This isn’t a magic formula, nor is it that profound, but it worked. 

 

There were three parts to the changes I made, firstly, eat three meals a day, no snacks and no supper.  Secondly, plan in detail what I would eat at lunch time.  I don’t mention breakfast and dinner because I already planned them, I eat the exact same breakfast every day, and when we order the groceries (click and collect is great!) we decide what we’ll be eating for the next week.  Thirdly, reduce portion size.  I had to do this because my portion size was far too big, I had the mentality, “it’s a sin to waste it!”  I still think it’s a sin to waste good food, but you can use it at lunch time the next day, and still not waste it!

 

When you’re trying to create a diet, a diet that is a way of life, you need to work out what has gone wrong in the past.  When did failure happen?  Does failure follow a pattern?  Did the initial failure happen due to specific circumstances, but then continue in normal circumstances?  Add your own questions, but you must be emotionally impassive, think about how you fix the problem, never ruminate on the problem, it is your problem after all, and if you don’t fix it no one else will.  For me lunch time has been a problem, it’s always been a problem, and the answer I’ve arrived at is a pick and mix list of potential elements. 

 

A)     Protein: chicken, eggs, bean based (vegetarian chili con carne or vegetable soup with lentil and barley.)

B)     Starch: home made whole meal bread, brown rice, whole meal pasta, couscous.

C)     Veg: lettuce, pepper, carrot.

D)    Fruit: small fruit salad, with time I’m going to work out a weight in grams!

E)     Yoghurt: 75g

 

With time the above will evolve, but it’s something to work from, and I’m pretty happy with it.  From now on I’m going to put my lunch into lunch boxes in the morning or night before, have a set time you’ll eat, and then follow the routine. 

 

I’ve said that I eat three meals each day, but I need to have a plan for a snack, just in case.  When I’ve needed to eat a snack, I’ve always found myself doing the same thing, taking far more than I should, because I’ve placed no limit on myself.  If you fail to plan you plan to fail, so even plan for what you don’t plan to do. 

 

[I’m really going to have to come back to this on in 3 month]