Obsession = Discipline?

If you are anything like me, you tend to get in the groove of a particular fad and you become completely obsessed with it, only for it to fade away when the excitement has worn off. I have had this happen to me about my personal finances, about fitness, about certain celebrities, about my eating habits, and even about my romantic relationships.

I recall these bursts of obsessive behavior as historical proof of how disciplined I can be if I put my mind into something. Most times I can’t really decide what I will be obsessed with next, it just sort of happens. The best I can hope for is that the next fad will be a healthy or a productive one.

As you’ve read in the past few posts, the latest fad is to eat right and exercise in order to control my anxiety and depressive episodes. I have been doing great with my meals and I’m looking forward to going back to my new gym this evening. My anxiety is on “pause,” which feels amazing.

During every fad I get scared that it will go away as quickly as it came about, and I’ll go back to square 1. I wish I could tell my future self what things worked and why the fad was so fun to get stuck on.

To that end I’d like to document the meals that have made this fad a reality this time around, in hopes that when the fad fades away I’ll be able to read back and relearn what meals worked for me while I was watching what I ate. I’ll create a “Food and Diet” category to access them easily in the future.

“Diet” Guidelines:

• Never eat anything you don’t like. Make the effort to find alternatives that are yummy to you.
• Have breakfast, lunch and dinner.
• Dinner must be finished before 8pm.
• Limit consumption of white bread. Opt for wheat or whole-grain when possible.
• Have a fruit with breakfast (I like bananas)
• Avoid fried foods
• Limit consumption of potatoes. Opt for brown rice when possible. If potatoes or white rice are inevitable, have just a little bit and complement with a salad.
• Meat is OK. It’s preferred to eat meat with a side of vegetables, as opposed to potatoes or rice.
• Opt for egg whites in omelettes
• Hard boild eggs are OK
• It’s OK to have a snack between meals. Fruit, yogurt, wheat crackers, dried fruit, light cheese (light is better than “reduced fat”), or my famous whole-grain English muffins with reduced fat peanut butter (thin layer)
• No chocolate or any other junk food

Inevitable Fast Food Exposure:

• If ordering pizza is inevitable, order one with whole-grain or wheat crust. It’s ok to have sauce and ham or chicken. EASY on the mozzarella, or opt for light cheese. NO pepperoni.
• Chinese food is out of the picture. If a Chinese restaurant is inevitable, stick to dishes where deep-color vegetables are the main attraction.
• Sushi is OK, but be conscious of the amount of rice being consumed
• The best place to get your Chinese fix is a hot pot place. Opt for water instead of broth, and stick to meat and vegetables (limit noodles and rice)
• Read my real-life experience with pizza and Chinese here

Physical Exercise:

• Go to the gym 3 times a week or more

Sleep:

• Get at least 7 hours of sleep

I do expect to lose weight on this diet, so feel free to mimic in order to shed some pounds. I wish you (and me) luck!

ina