Sorry Kirstie Alley, I’m not into fad diets. Whether it be the latest craze involving eliminating food groups, drinking voodoo concoctions and eating faux foods that come in pre-made portions, “dieting” just doesn’t do it for me. This could be due to the fact that I displayed disordered eating late in my teens or because I like to buck trends, but for one reason or another: Fad Diets, I’m just not that into you.
As noted, in my late high school and early college years, I had stints of not eating and then, when I just couldn’t ignore the neglected nibbles, binged on foods that I had been trying to forget … chips and dips and sweets and treats … for a good bit of time, food consumed my mind. After the freshman 15 turned into 40, I decided that I needed to take control of my world and I joined Weight Watchers. Now, I know people who have had great success with such things but for a person who was once a calorie counting fool, I had to say peace out to the program after just 3 weeks. The idea of keeping track of every mini morsel that parted my lips had me obsessed and created a, once again, unhealthy relationship with food. After that, I went the old fashioned route that had long been modeled in my home … I enlisted portion control, ate more healthful foods and added in more regular exercise.
I grew up in a household where my parents worked out nearly every single day. Both of my parents come from a long line of cholesterol and hypertension issues and lived by the mantra everything in moderation. I am thankful that I saw my parent’s commitment to health rather than seeing them jump from diet to diet in search of a short-term solution. While I completely understand cutting out salt if you have heart problems or cutting saturated fats if you have elevated cholesterol, or even becoming a vegetarian or vegan for the long-term benefits, I just don’t understand cutting out everything just to fit into an itsy bitsy bikini.
Whether it’s NutriSystem, Alli, or the Special K diet, I’m selling. I don’t buy that it’s actually beneficial to your body to completely cut out all the things you crave, even if just for a moment and I don’t believe that the answer lies in a pill or a Super Food. I am not a teeny tiny person so I suppose one might say, “You could be skinnier if you’d give up carbs” but you know what, I love carbs. But I also love vegetables. I love an occasional pretzel from the mall. But I also love whole grains. I love a good steak. But I also love fish. For me, it’s all about balance.
As a mom, I think often about the way that my kids will view the behaviors I keep. When it comes to food, I want my kids to see that eating what you like in normal portions can be satisfying. I hope that they see that eating more food at home and less from a paper bag is where it’s at. When it comes to exercise, I want them to think of it as something that energizes them, helps them relax and makes a day complete. I hope that Adam and I can show our kids that a healthy lifestyle is key and the benefits that come with it are simply gravy {and who doesn’t love a little gravy?}. Most of all, I hope that they know that when it comes to food and exercise, fad diets come and go … and that in terms of health, slow and steady really does win the race.
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