Doing the Math Part Two- Situations and Solutions: Sensible Eating

I never thought that I would ever sit down and calculate the number of calories that I have eaten in a day. But Friday that is exactly what I found myself doing. As much as I believe in “balance” instead of “dieting” the harsh reality is that the way my “balance” tends to materialize is “eat whatever you want and work it off later.” A philosophy that’s not really working for me anymore. With working a full time job during the day then coming home and being a full time wife and mom every evening…let’s just say that my 5 day a week workouts have turned into two days a week. So I am doing the math, Less Activity + Eat Whatever You Want = Time to Watch the Diet if You Want to Continue Fitting into Your Clothes.

Getting my diet under control comes down to eating less flour, eating less sugary stuff and just plain eating less. It calls for healthy portion sizes, making sure that I am really hungry before I sit down to eat and stopping when I get full. But also something that I learned in my search for a good calorie calculator is that it is important to know how many calories in the day should be carbohydrates. For me it is 700-800 calories. So when I took a look at the snacks/meals that I have been choosing, I realized that they are usually high in sugar (even if it‘s natural sugar) and or carbs (even if it’s whole wheat). Let’s just face it, too many carbs = belly fat. Time to bring on the lean protein and green vegetables.

Julia’s Cameron’s take on all this comes down to something that she calls “Clean Eating.” She explains herself in her chapter entitled, “What is Sensible Eating Anyhow?”

The philosophy is as follows: “…sensible eating, nothing too radical, nothing too strict. You eat lean when you eat moderately. You do not weigh or measure food, but you do need to be conscious of portion sizes. Stop binging on the deadly whites – sugar, flour, starches…start drinking lots of water. You eat three meals a day and two snacks, all modest in calories but not punitively so.” The biggie she leaves for last. “Clean food is food as close to its natural state as possible…That means crisp fresh vegetables and fruits, low-fat dairy products, lean proteins and whole grains.”

So my resolve this week is to keep Julia's advice in mind by keeping my carbs in check, making my snacks more balanced and making the most of my workouts, even if there are only two of them.