Skinny Jeans Mom

Moderation, Not Deprivation

*Disclaimer: The following is NOT to be taken as medical or nutritional advice and are opinions only, as I am not a dietitian nor a physician; always consult with your personal physician or medical personnel prior to beginning any nutritional or exercise program*

Healthy eating and moderation. They’re two things we all know are key to lifelong weight management. Ever since making becoming fitter and healthier as one of my goals for 2012, I’ve really had to re-learn what this meant. I thought I had things down, as I could easily maintain a routine of eating healthy, well-balanced meals come Monday through Friday, when my work and eating routines were, well, routine, and consistent. But oh, those weekends…! Not only that, but my relationship with food hasn’t always been great; I’ve gone from extreme dieting to finding solace in a scone, and overindulging in all-out caloric binges when I really felt stressed. I figured, since I NEVER allowed myself to have what I really wanted, when I really felt stressed, I deserved to have everything I always deprived myself of.

Of course, I was left with struggling to find that sacred middle ground, where food was not my comfort, nor my enemy, and where balance wasn’t completely out of whack.

I’m learning now to let go of food as a stress reliever by replacing it with other things that relieve stress or boredom (listening to music, exercise, reading a book or magazine, etc), and also one of the biggest things I’ve learned about how to overcome this battle with food was to actually accept it. By that I mean, making it okay for me to have whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted.

That might sound contradictory to health and weight management, but think of it this way: if I told you you could never, ever, EVER have your favorite ice cream/dessert/(insert comfort food here) again, you’d be able to withstand the urge maybe for a bit, but sooner or later, you’d find yourself going out of your way to get it. Rather than cut out foods I love (ice cream, wine, and oh, chocolate!), I’ve made it okay for me to have these things so long as A. I eat a healthy diet 80% of the time and B. I don’t go too overboard when I do indulge.

And oddly enough, this idea of moderation and nothing being off-limits works for me. I know that I can have that ice cream or dig into those enchiladas when I want to, or that I can enjoy that glass of wine without guilt, and so the allure of those “forbidden foods” and their temptation goes away.

Since I also know I need to make my diet mostly healthy, I also look for ways to make better healthy meals, and (big shocker), the more healthy I eat, the better I feel and the more I crave healthier foods.
Learning to find healthy foods that you like is key of course, because no one wants to eat foods they can’t stomach (are you listening, broccoli?). Instead of forcing down the greens because you heard somewhere that they’re good for X, Y, and Z, find foods that are actually enjoyable, and you’re more likely to stick to actually eating them.

Here are some of my current faves:

I have a mild obsession with Greek Yogurt; if you’ve never tried it, it’s thicker and has a tangier taste than regular, but also has much more protein and thus its satiety factor increases. My go-to brands are usually Yo Greek (featured above), Oikos’, Non-fat versions or Trader Joes’ brand, and usually I go for the flavored ones because plain Greek Yogurt can be pretty intense! I love mixing in some walnuts or almonds with the Vanilla non-fat flavored version, but since nuts can quickly get out of hand calorie-wise, I’m currently sticking to Emerald’s 100 Calorie packs of nuts. Mixing the two together makes for a great snack! Other snack faves? Cucumbers or carrots with non-fat cottage cheese, an apple with Laura Scudder’s all natural peanut butter, pita chips and hummus, half a bagel with a few banana slices and 1 teaspoon of peanut butter.

I love breakfast, and getting a good breakfast in the morning is essential for energy and to get that metabolism going for the day. Typically now I make a breakfast wrap with 2 eggs or four egg-whites, some non-fat cottage cheese or Soyrizo (soy chorizo), one flour tortilla, and some salsa. Yum! When running shorter on time I’ll have some cereal with Almond Milk or a whole-wheat bagel with peanut butter. And of course, a heaping cup of coffee, which I refuse to go without (sorry, there’s just no compromising on some things).

Ceviche, featured above, which is a pretty light traditional Hispanic dish.

For a quick and easy meal on-the-go, Healthy Choice has new 100% Natural No Preservative Frozen Entrees. My pick? Pumpkin Squash Ravioli. Although I don’t like frozen meals for everyday and usually have to add a fruit or yogurt to meet my calorie needs if I have one for lunch, they’re a great choice when you’re short on time.

Oh yes, and my current favorite dinner? Grilled salmon with grilled asparagus and baked sweet potatoes or this hearty beef stew featured above.

Balance is key. I’m not perfect 100% of the time and don’t really try to be. Aim to eat healthy, as often as you can, with plenty of fresh fruits, veggies, whole grains, unprocessed foods and lean proteins majority of the time. That way, when the occasional can’t-resist Chocolate Lava Cake from Fleming’s (featured above), Coffee Lover’s Only ice cream via Coldstone comes calling, you can answer without hesitation or guilt.

All photos featured above property of Skinny Jeans Mom.