Over Eating: Days 1 - 6



The first six days of my over eating (8 meals per day) have gone less smoothly than the start of my previous diet, 60 days of 80% raw food. Luckily for all of you, my stumbles can be your gains :).


Be Prepared

I decided to do this diet and to document the progress on the site on a sort of a whim. This led me not to have as much food as I necessarily needed. I was prepared from a raw food stand point, for I was stocked to the brim with apples, bananas, raw almond butter, raw honey, and a few vegetables. I did not, however, have the variety of sources of protein that I needed. My next grocery store trip will involve the purchase of some easy to cook, lean chicken and a new tub of low-carbohydrate protein powder.

This week when I was out and about and unable to procure a natural source of protein, I went back to the “nutrition” bars, like Balance and Zone bars. While the ingredients for these products are becoming more natural over time, there is hardly a comparison between these and the non-man-made forms of protein. On a related note, I read an article recently that multi-vitamins are no longer considered a viable substitution for actual nutrition. I think we can learn a lot from the fact that getting what we need from the source itself is the only true way to eat healthily.


Life Intervenes

Sometimes you need to make a food choice based on what you have in your bank account. I had not packed enough food with me on Saturday evening to tide me over throughout a two hour play and a (victorious for my alma mater) college basketball final four game. I could have gotten something to eat at the bar, but I instead opted for a crispy chicken sandwich from the Wendy’s value menu. I knew that it would be below three hundred calories which would keep my metabolism going. I also knew that the same type of item would cost five to seven dollars at a bar. Since there was no chance that I’d get a balanced meal, I opted for a small and cheap meal.

Being below the poverty line and dieting are a difficult combination. The easiest food to get is the cheapest and fattiest. I spent the entire next day sticking to the diet as closely as possible to make up for the Wendy’s infusion, but I was glad to have made a quick decision that was good for my wallet as well as my metabolism.


Make a Compromise

It has always been hard for me to do a diet plan unless I stick to it 100% all of the time for several months on end. During my senior year wrestling season, I had about three days where I truly ate what I wanted to during an entire four month period. This couldn’t help but alienate me from my family and friends a bit. But back then I didn’t feel like I had the will power to take a day or a meal off and get right back on the horse. I was afraid that I would lose my momentum.

There are times where diet just isn’t the most important thing. Say, if you were meeting with a business contact for lunch. It would be socially awkward for you to let your contact to order a cheese burger while you just stick with water. You are supposed to order something because it’s just the way things are done. Similarly, if you go out with a significant other to eat, he or she will not want to be the only one eating.

Stick “close enough” to the tenets of your diet. Order a salad with the dressing on the side. Offer to share with your significant other and then pace yourself so you don’t pig out. And then when you return home, get back into the zone of your diet plan. It is difficult to keep a diet when you aren’t completely immersed in it, but unless you spend all your time alone and have a copious amount of money at your disposal; it just won’t always work out. Keep “close enough” and remember the end goals that you have set for yourself.


My Weight

I started the trial at around 179-180 lbs. The last couple of days I have oscillated from around 176-177 lbs. I definitely see this as a small victory. This is not the kind of plan that will allow me to lose weight quickly. In a cleansing situation, I might drop five pounds immediately, although some of it would be water weight. This plan is a straight fat burning plan. Fat doesn’t burn particularly quickly, so you have to be patient and not expect ridiculous results.

I may know that I could lose ten pounds with the Atkins diet in a week or two, but my intention is to lose this weight safely and effectively. If I were to keep with a natural metabolism-emphasized diet for a while, I might end up losing the same ten pounds in three months, but there would be a much better chance of me keeping it off.

I am into my health for the long haul and so I will not push for the short term results as nice as they feel at the time :).


In Conclusion

Things are going well so far, and the minor setbacks I have faced are not enough to stop me. I will keep going forward and continue to update you all along the way. Happy dieting!




Done with Over Eating: Days 1 - 6?
Go back to "Health Fitness"


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