I can't eat ! Guilt, Guilt, Guilt!

I've been on a few fitness websites, such as Fitocracy, PEERtrainer, and My Fitness Pal, and a few things you'll see from general users (I mean us everday folk that aren't food nutritionist, just trying to get by) is the same general issues people have with having foods that are on the Do Not Fly list, and that it is HORRIBLE that they ate one of them.  Not things that affect medicene's or don't agree with them, as for me it's soy, I mean the shameful, disgusting, horrible, unhealthy foods that sometimes pass our lips and may go to the hips!

Foods like baked goods, alcohol, ice cream, fried foods, etc.  are the most common 'forbidden foods', that people feel guilty over eating, or won't log even in their food diary for shame.  But why?  Why is there such shame in the occasional treat, or not so healthy meal?  These are people that I watch log their food daily, and they all eat fairly healthy most of the time, so why is there this perverse ideal that anything that isn't typically healthy is completely forbidden?

A blog that I read recently from Victorious Eating, Thinking & Weight Loss had a lot of good points in their decision to let go food obsession.  I'd have to say my favorite part was the Truth list -
You and I are not better people when we make healthy food decisions. 
You and I are not worse people when we make unhealthy food decisions. 
Food should NEVER cause you or I to feel guilty or ashamed unless we are letting it control us. 
There is SO much more to life than your next or last meal.

It's not uncommon for co-workers, family, and friends to try and shame us about our choices "Ohh you're eating white bread"  "Are you sure you should eat those chips?" but it's even worse when we internalize that shame and start making the same comments to ourselves.  Why should we be ashamed when we have something that isn't necessarily that good for us?  So you had 2 pieces of fried chicken with one meal, so you
had a soda once this week, so you had a cupcake, oh nooooo!  How can you ever face a vegetable again?  It's going to look at you with it's leafy splendor and refuse to grant you any of it's healthful benefits, right?  What a bunch of phooey!  You ate something delicious, good for you, let's move on.

Stress over a bad food choice is bad (it is stress, how can that help?), eat what you want to eat just make good choices overall.  You are eating healthy, the occasional cookie is not going to kill you or sabotage your healthy eating lifestyle.  Otherwise, one night you'll find yourself binging on the kitchen floor hugging a gallon of ice cream (Blue Bell Dutch Chocolate...maybe Lemon Bliss), rocking back and forth sobbing "Now I'll be fat forever".

It's food.  Eat it.  Enjoy it.  Make good healthy choices.  Don't obsess over it.
P.S. I had bananas with dark chocolate and bacon last night.  It was delicious.

Do YOUR best

"Do your best, forget the rest", it's a saying that I've heard for years, but more in school and work, though completely applicable to the weight loss world as well.  As I talked with my manager today, he was reminding me that despite my lack of zoom at Zumba (I was slightly speedier than the 50-60yr old woman), to keep with it as things would change.

His daughter began running track at the beginning of the school year, and where before she couldn't run that long, or that fast, she's improved vastly, as was seen when her softball coach had the team go do laps, and she outpaced them all.  Bonus, she did not have to run the slacker bonus round that everyone else got.  Before this school year she may have been in the 'group pack' that most of the people were in.  My boss told her, see, that's what happens when you do your best, it pays off, and by golly he's right.  It absolutely applies with weight loss both food and exercise, we're human, we're not perfect, but we can all strive for OUR best every day.
 
A lot of people compare themselves to other people.  Yes I participated in a faux Biggest Loser at a job, and felt very competitive against other people, why?  Sure, Bob may have lost 5pds last week, and you lost 0.5pds, is Bob giving you his weight to take off too?  I hope not, yikes!  Let it go. Good for you Bob, and you know what, I lost too, fantastic, you're both living this healthier life.  It's not a race, it's not a competition (unless you're on Biggest Loser), as long as you're doing your best, that's what counts.  Healthy living is for the long run, it's not a fad diet.


Just do YOUR best.

And where I did not do so well last week at the gym, this week I got through the whole workout with only minor pauses for water, and the occasional grumbling (me doth protest the wall squats with the exercise ball).  I did my best.

A learning experience for a gym virgin

I decided that the hot (95+) humid (60+) degree weather this summer would not be logical to work out in outside.  So I finally got around to joining a fitness center/gym and in doing so, I figured it might be good to get a personal trainer, just 2 times a month, to keep me in line, and show me what to work on.
My first time ever in an actual gym/fitness center.  My first time with a trainer.  Whoo boy.

 Here's some of what I learned:

• While I can walk and kinda jog over a mile and a half, this doesn't mean I'm in shape.  In fact, my core is sadly out of shape, and so were my thighs (which I knew I was weak on, but not that much).
• Having a Personal Trainer was a benefit, as I did exercises I wouldn't have done on my own with equipment I wouldn't normally use (stair steps, exercise ball, floor mat).
• You can weigh over 300pds and still get on an exercise ball and you won't die, and it won't pop.  I was skeptical at first.
• Eat a small nutritious and filling snack before you go, about 30 min ahead of time, it does help.  Being hungry or on an empty stomach does not benefit you. (I also learned what it feels like to almost pass out, could have skipped that part)
• Ask the trainer questions, or to repeat a move, mine was very patient and did not hesitate to demonstrate again if needed.
• Just go and do it, no matter how much or little if you really feel you can't.  I had to stop twice for an extended amount of time (a minute or 2 if not more than), my trainer was supportive and encouraging when I was ready.  
• Even if you don't go with a trainer, most gyms will have someone walk you through how to use the equipment (because they don't want you breaking their equipment) so you get comfortable.  Don't just go and use the treadmill and leave, like I planned on when I thought about joining.

I did not get through my full workout.  Partly because we did the weight in, measuring, and benchmark tests, and partially because I had to take extra time.  But I went, and I did it, and I hurt a lot.  And I'm going to do it again on Monday. I'm planning on going tonight (after I man up a bit) and at least getting a walk in to loosen my thighs.  Oh the pain.