Running With Perseverance

This is not a post about the temptations of Halloween candy, or how I’ve overcome my Reese’s addiction.

Now that I’m hooked on high-quality dark chocolate, this is just not that appealing.

Instead, I thought I’d share my thoughts about common diet tips, and whether after 10+ years of maintaining a 40+ pound weight loss, I think that they are “tricks” or “treats.”

Order salad dressings and sauces on the side.
This habit has become engrained, and I don’t even think twice before customizing my restaurant orders. I don’t enjoy salads that are drowned in dressing and a little sauce can go a long way. I have become a pro at dipping my fork into the sauce to get just the right amount of flavor on my food.

When you eat out, take 1/2 of your meal home in a doggie bag.
I used to follow this advice, and it makes sense to some extent. Restaurant portions are huge, and most restaurant meals have 2-5 times the calories I usually budget for a meal. But lately I’ve realized that bringing a portion home to enjoy another day turns one indulgent meal into two or three.  Those leftovers are still going to have more calories, fat, and sodium than I usually would have in a home-cooked meal.  Better to leave the leftovers behind.

Don’t drink your calories.
I used to be a Coke addict, and had a six-pack-a-day habit in college. Even after I switched to Diet Coke, I still drank a lot of calories without thinking about them, mostly bottled juices or flavored “teas.” Since I learned that our bodies don’t “register” liquid calories very well (the calories we drink don’t stave off hunger as well as calories in solid food), I think twice before drinking anything but water.

Eliminate carbs from your diet.
I started my weight loss journey on The Atkins Diet. The quick results were enticing–cutting out carbs meant that I was no longer snacking on cereal, chips or cookies, so I did lose weight–but the deprivation was not sustainable. I had no energy, often felt light-headed, and lost muscle tone.  Since then, I’ve learned that being choosy about my carbs (focusing on whole grains, cutting back on processed snacks) is a healthier and more nutritious approach.

Try new healthy foods.
So many diet books emphasize what you “can’t” eat while following their meal plans. When I starting focusing on what I could eat, and tried new foods, it became a much more enjoyable process. I now enjoy vegetables like jimica, brussels sprouts, and beets, have made greek yogurt a staple food in my diet, and could never go back to mushy white bread since I’ve gotten used to the texture and flavor of whole grain breads.

What diet tips have worked for you?

What proved to be bad tricks?