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What type of eater are you?
For those of you trying to lose weight, that is a question whose answer you should know!
I had wanted to lose weight for a long time, but my approach was completely wrong. Rather than figuring out what worked for me, I tried to emulate what others around me did, whether it was a friend who had success losing weight, or another who had always been thin and had no problems maintaining her beautiful figure.
This came through in many different ways. For example, when everyone would take a day trip and one of those gorgeous-bodied girls would eat a HUGE ice cream cone, I would think to myself that I could have one too and then compensate later. Or when one wouldn’t eat all day long I would try and follow that. Or even when one would eat 1 huge meal a day and then drink water the rest of her waking hours. Some would eat lots of chocolate and bread, others solely veggies and protein.
One day I realized what works for me in a sustainable way…. and I lost over 10 lbs. I like to eat fresh, healthy, wholesome foods most of the time, while still having room for occasional junk meals or even days of junk. I love sweets, but a fruit does just as much for me as a piece of chocolate for the most part. If I eat one huge meal that day, I will still probably want to eat something later. If I starve all day, I will overcompensate by overeating later. If I eat a huge ice cream cone today, I will have to fight an ice cream cone craving tomorrow. I like to eat in volume. A huge salad is a much happier choice for me than a few bites of a delicious, heavy pasta. I like to eat 4-5 times a day, because it keeps me energized and from snacking mindlessly.
If I want to be even-keeled, energized, and happy all the time, I need to exercise. A 15 minute power-walk is amazing on a day with no time. I get grumpy, crabby, and plain mean when I don’t exercise. 4-5 days a week is my happy place as far as my moods and energy level. More than that and I become too tired, less and the above happens.
When I went skiing two weekends ago I did not eat my usual way. Instead of a few mini meals throughout the day of fresh, healthy food, I found myself loading up on simple carbs and pure junk. And eating only 3 times a day. Big meals! That did not make me happy, and boy did it feel good to get home and munch on a cucumber/salad/soup/something GREEN 5 times a day.
Find out what works for you. Look into yourself and really think about what makes you happy, gives you energy, etc. in terms of your eating habits. Don’t let yourself fall into the trap of trying to be like others, find what works for your needs and your body, and then do it.
Here is my healthy living zone:
-eat fresh, healthy foods 80-90% of the time
-enjoy a little junk here and there and not feeling bad about it
-eat higher levels of protein/fat and lower levels of carbohydrates for energy and satiety. People who find it challenging to meet these amounts, possibly including some vegans and vegetarians, may find that protein powder offers an easy solution to the problem.
-enjoy 4-5 mini meals throughout a day, and lots of water
-exercise 4-5 days a week. Even a 15 minute walk helps my mood and body tremendously.
See, this is how much I love my fruits and veggies! (couldn’t do a post with no pcitures!)
Ilovebananas:
Andcookedcarrotstoo (PB’s nemesis):
But apparently I like the tops of creme brulee even more:
What type of eater/exerciser are you? Do you eat 1 big meal a day? 5 small meals? Healthy foods in larger portions? Little snacks all day long?
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Love the photo of you and PB! 🙂
Hey lady! Love the goofy pics!
I really like your healthy outlook on eating and exercise. I find that I am a much happier person to be around when I exercise and am less anxious.
I do like to eat small meals and find that I do better with 5-6 small meals than 3 like yourself. I would say I am more of a “grazer” so small meals work well for me. I also don’t like the feeling of being “stuffed” so I like to keep the meals and snacks small and frequent.
What cute pictures!! I like eating small meals during the day. Especially because food is always on the mind haha. And definitely exercising daily! I feel weird if I spend the day doing nothing!
I absolutely loved this post! Thanks, Rhodeygirl!
GREAT post. I agree- everyone is so different that you must find what works for you. I like to nibble, so several smaller meals a day works well for me. Such cute pics of you!
Love the pics too, so cute.
I try to stick to 3 square meals, but the occasional snack sneaks its way in there from time to time.
First of all, the post on your shower almost had me in tears at the end…your dad is so cute.
I think the same thing about food. It’s weird – when you’re eating healthy and regularly, you don’t crave the crap as much. And regular exercise becomes a drug. It’s crazy.
Wow! Great post – this really hit home with me today. Thanks for sharing your words of wisdom!
Love the pics, too!
Kaneil, balanceisbest
This is an awesome, timely post. I am always trying to evaluate myself based on unrealistic criteria (at least for me).
What works for me is protein, complex carbs, and the occasional treat or two about 5 times a day.
I always try to wait out the hunger, but you are right in that we should do what works for us!
Right now with my crazy schedule, I can only squeeze in workouts 4 times a week. It drove me nuts at first, but I am getting used to it! I also get grouchy and mean without getting those endorphins out!
Good post! I think I figured out what kind of an eater/exerciser I am… sometimes I fall off the wagon even though I really do think that I never deprive myself. Weird. What works for me…
– Eat every 3 hours or so – 3 meals, 2-3 snacks
– Work out 5-6 times a week
– Eat chocolate in one form or another every day (choc chips in yogurt, 100 calorie dark chocolate bars are staples in my every day diet, chocolate baked goods are splurges)
Can’t think of anything else right now…
Happy Thursday 😀
i eat about every 3 hours or so, sometimes even if im hungry or not. but its kind of grazing… my lunch is usually the biggest meal of my day with everything else kind of being snack size!
GREAT POST.
I always love reading about what works for others. For me, I always eat 5-6 meals a day.. eating about every 3-4 hours. If I go too long between meals I get too hungry and make poor choices. I love eating whole foods… lots of fruits and veg, whole grains… the less processed the better. But, I do love my sweets as well. I try to work out 5-6 days a week.. some weeks depending on my work schedule I can do that. Other weeks I can’t. I find it all balances out in the end 🙂
I eat a lot. I think I do anyways. Personally I love food and I like to eat. But I love to eat GOOD food 🙂 It’s as simple as that.
This was such a good post! You’re so right – you have to do what’s right for you. I like to exercise in some form every day, and if I don’t get that in I feel miserable. As for food, I am still lost. My ED has kind of messed up my intuitions. But I *think* what works for me is a lot of small meals throughout the day, like you. I tend to be more of a grazer, not a 3 big meals type of person. Happy Thursday 🙂
I have lost weight many times before (20 +) and it always comes back when I stop crazy workouts and minimal eating. Right now I am working on a balance approach- Our healthy eating/living styles sound very similar right. I am not thinking about it as a diet but how to eat- with room to splurge and then go back to healthy eating… It is working!
I aim to eat whole unprocessed foods. An example is a banana and pb vs. a 100-cal pack or processed granola bar. I have cut out most breads and pastas because they are processed, but still get fiber from other things and eat oatmeal in the mornings. I aim to eat as much fruit and veggies as possible and at this point a date is dessert. I find a dinner of multi veggies and a little protein like beans, tofu, or whatnot is more filling then anything else and tasty. I also try to get a huge container of water down every day at work.
Cutting out processed foods and looking to eat whole natural foods has eliminated the purchase of trigger foods(even if they were “healthy”). i still have splurges like wine club and a meal out but right now this is my balance that is working. I read labels now, mainly shop for veggies/fruit/dairy/protein and that is it.
Love this post!!
Esp. “Healthy living Zone”
great post with cute pictures.
Excellent post Rhodey! I think you are bang on with your analysis and insight
I love this post and it was really interesting to read everyone else’s posts because it seems like alot of people are the same but not me!
I cannot graze or else I eat way too much. I eat three meals and usually a snack when my energy dips around 3 or 4 esp. when I am at school. I have to feel full after dinner and I can NOT go to bed even slightly hungry that kills me.
I love the idea of a warm bowl of hot cereal in the morning but my body doesnt. A smoothie or yogurt works out much better. Even though I know this I still struggle a little with it sometimes. I dont need alot of protein and meat and I just dont agree. I feel so awful when I eat it.
I feel my best after a long yoga session. I have to workout in the morning or it will not happen.
Thanks for posting such an insightful post.
I can totally relate to this post – thanks for writing! It took me years to realize that everyone is different, and what might work for one person may not work for another.
For instance, I lost weight on a whole grain & veggie diet. Years after maintaining my weight loss, I started eating more of a high protein/low carb diet AND gained weight. I also have to watch my fruit intake as my body prefers complex carbs over simple sugars. I usually eat 3 good sized meals a day with maybe one or 2 snacks.
As far as exercise goes, I used to do nothing but run…a lot. I feared weight gain if I stopped. Someone finally knocked some sense into me, and now I do a lot more yoga & strength training and a lot less running. I feel so much better, especially now that I don’t need all those carbs to fuel my runs.
It is so nice to get home after a trip and dive into the vegetables! I always miss my greens too. 🙂
Have a good weekend.
Right on! I love this post!
I’m a “eat what you crave” type of girl, but I also know what I should eat and what makes me happy, so I do my best to balance the two.
P.S. You and PB are so cute! We should plan a double date soon! 🙂
What an awesome post! I did the same thing—trying to emulate friends rather than figure out what works for me. It got me into the bad habit of relying on external cues rather than internal to dictate the way I ate. Now I’m really making an effort to listen to what my body is telling me, and feel soooo much better . . . and I’ve learned that my eating changes day by day! Sometimes I’m a 3-meals-a-day person (esp. on weekends, when I can have breakfast at 10:30 and lunch at 3), but when I’m working, I need a couple snacks and a small lunch to keep me going.
I started back in November Finally eating Breakfast and that helped me lose 10 lbs. Now, i eat 3 small but veggie filled meals a day, 2 snacks and at least 45 min. of exercise!