"What kind of diet are you on??"

"What kind of diet are you on?"
"What foods are you allowed to eat?"
"How long have you been dieting?"
"What do you eat when you are hungry?"

These are the types of questions I get asked all the time now.  Everyone wants to know what I eat, how much I eat, what I don't eat, etc.  So I am going to let everyone one in on my secret- there is no secret.  I am not on a diet.  I have a diet.  There's a big difference.  To be on a diet implies that I am restricting myself to certain foods for the purpose of losing weight.  That is not what I am doing.  To have a diet means that there are certain types of food that I habitually eat- that I do.  There are no foods that I am not ALLOWED to have.  When I started this journey my main goal was to change my diet and lose weight in a way that I would be able to stick to for the rest of my life. I knew that I had to change my habits and cut out certain things until I was able to make some real changes to my relationship with food. 

For a while we ate mostly Paleo.  No alcohol, potatoes, sugar, grains, corn, beans, legumes, dairy, etc.  It actually wasn't as hard as you would think. Eventually we started adding some stuff back in.  First to come back was cheese.  I have no problem using almond milk instead of cows milk and skipping the creamer in my coffee, but life without cheese?!? No way. 

Then we transitioned into a more gluten free diet.  Still no beer, real sugar, and creamer.  But we added back in beans, legumes, and some grains and alcohol. 

Now I am at the point where I can honestly say I do not have any real restrictions. I also never let myself go hungry. Through trial and error I have learned what foods work for me and my family and which ones don't.  I really do not believe there is one type of "diet" that works for everyone and it does take time and patience to learn what works best for you.  I choose gluten free whenever possible because it makes my stomach feel better when I eat minimal gluten. I use a tsp of stevia in my coffee instead of cream and sugar because once I cut them out I didn't miss them. My diet consists heavily of protein, vegetables, and complex carbs.  These foods work well with my body, my stomach, my activity level, and my goals. I do not drink a lot of alcohol because at this point I see it as something that does more damage to my body than good, and I want to be good to my body.  I usually do not eat baked goods, breads, ice cream, potato chips, etc.  But it is not because I am not allowed to eat them, it is because I choose not to put them in my body.  Now don't get me wrong.  I do eat stuff that is not healthy sometimes.  Yesterday for my birthday dinner I happily ate two pieces of pizza and a piece of cheesecake. The difference between now and 15 weeks ago is portion control, self control, motivation, activity level, and an appreciation for food.  Its also a matter of making way more good choices than bad choices.  I don't feel guilty if I eat something "bad" because I eat so much good. And I don't let one bad choice snowball into all bad choices. 

Diet is defined as the kinds of food that a person, animal, or community habitually eats.  Its the choices that you usually make.  It is not meant to be restrictive or exclusive.  So make more good choices. Make less bad choices.  And find what diet work best for you. 


A usual day for me would be something like this:

Breakfast: Overnight oats made with oatmeal, almond milk, and chocolate protein powder (I am currently using GNCs Lean 25).With two cups of coffee with stevia.

Morning snack: Apple and PB2

Lunch: Chicken salad (made from shredded chicken, 1 tsp mayo, and hot sauce) in a lettuce wrap with carrots and grapes.

After work out snack: Protein shake made with 8oz water, ice, and one heaping scoop protein powder.

Dinner:  Chicken breast, brussel sprouts, and homemade gluten free mac n cheese.

Snack: Air popped popcorn with ghee and white cheddar seasoning.