Finding Your Balance

My gym puts on a nutrition challenge a couple of times a year. I've done two of them. The upcoming one is in a week and lasts for about a month. I decided to sit this one out. The reason I did the other two is because in the beginning and end of a challenge you get your body fat tested via hydrostatic testing. I loved being able to track progress in this way. Although I love the body fat test that is part of the challenge, I didn't really follow a lot of the nutrition guidelines such as:

• Meticulously tracking caloric intake and making sure carb/protein/fat breakdown is 50/25/25
• No coffee or alcohol
• Non-fat dairy

These guidelines are not bad per se, but the guidelines were not sustainable for me long term. I see posts from people on the challenge facebook page being proud of the 'perfect macro breakdown' or pre-entering their foods so that they can make sure they hit their targets. Or they ask 'can I eat xyz', and a lot of the times it is "no." That just sounds like no fun to me and just anxiety-inducing. Plus, I think it contributes to poor mindset around food.

I don't believe in being hardcore for a certain amount of time, then having that sense of relief of "Yes, I can finally drink coffee or alcohol". I rather find my balance of healthy eating and indulgence. Suffice to say, I never won a challenge. The challenge's guidelines work for many people, but I took that month to focus on sustainable eating and searching for balance. How did my progress compare? I lost about 2-4 lbs of fat per challenge. The winners lost a heck of a lot more. But losing a lot of fat in a short time is not what I am about. I want consistent small wins.

I want my full-fat greek yogurt. I don't want to spend time calculating my nutritional macros. I just want to eat for fun and for fuel, and as a byproduct gradually lose weight. And I did, and I still do. By searching for the right balance of healthy eating and indulgence, you will eventually hit your sweet spot where you can consistently lose weight. This philosophy is not sexy or will not sell many books, but it is just common sense.

Back in my "hardcore diet for a month, just to gain it back" days, I would think at the end of the year: "dang, if I would have just been consistent throughout the year, I would be down in weight." But instead, I would get trapped in this 'all or nothing' thinking that lead to poor self esteem and weight gain.

So where did my search for balance lead me?

• I researched the paleo diet and read Wheat Belly. I discovered the Paleo diet, particularly the limiting grains, kept me satisfied throughout the day. I hardly was hungry, and when I was, I ate without regret. Now I don't completely follow Paleo (hello greek yogurt and hummus). I use the diet as a strategy since grains give me temporary satiety, but then I'm hungry an hour later. It is just easier to limit grains so I have more room for more satisfying foods.
• I could have a date night meal and still lose weight. Whenever I go out to eat, I usually order a chicken or fish dish with veggies. I also pick one of the following indulgences for each date night: wine, bread basket, or dessert.
• I could have an extra handful of almonds, dried fruit, or dark chocolate and still lose weight. Granted, small handfuls. But I realized it was okay to eat small quantities of food outside my '3 meals, 2 snacks' meal plan. I don't have to be a meal plan nazi.
• Realizing calories still matter. Many Paleo experts say you don't have to count calories, and you can still lose weight. This may be true for some people, but I can take advantage of any diet to overeat. So I mentally track calories; I estimate. I found my ideal weight loss calorie range was around 1400-1500 calories. However, I typically follow the 'leisure' weight loss calorie range of 1600-1700. 

So how can you find your balance?

1. Research different diet lifestyles- whether that is paleo, mediterranean, traditional food pyramid, vegetarian, vegan, etc. Find something that keeps you satisfied and happy. You should be eating 'happy foods.' And if any diet lifestyle becomes a chore, change it. And realize, these diets are only guidelines and should only be strategies. Following anything to a 't' only paints you in a box. And box living is no fun.
2. Discover what are your indulgences and set one meal a week to partake in one of them. Knowing that you will have future indulgences will make it easier to decline your work's candy bowl or donut boxes. Sometimes I even have 2 or 3 indulgences a week. But if I notice a growing trend of indulgences, I'll scale it back. 
3. Discover small pick-me-up foods that are your go-tos if you are still hungry after your main meals and snacks. This could be a couple slices of bacon, half a protein bar, fruits, nuts, spoonful of nutbutters, hummus with veggies, or greek yogurt with honey. The key is that you should chose foods that won't trigger large quantity eating. If you are a notorious binge almond eater, maybe almonds shouldn't be your pick-me-up food.
4. Find your calorie range sweet spot. For efficient weight loss, you should aim for your RMR. But if that is too low, then up your calories until you find a range where you are satisfied and still losing weight. 

Your balance may be totally different than mine. And that is okay.

This is what my balance looks like tonight: