I’m about three weeks into my consumption makeover. The bad news is the cravings are there and will be for a long time. You don’t just quit after eating 30 years of mostly junk without feeling like there’s a void.
A couple of times I’ve done what all addicts do: Tried to convince myself that it’s just one Diet Dr. Pepper. Or it’s just one donut. I know all too well that that one diet soda or one donut can lead to an avalanche of fast food delicacy that would make our president blush.
The good news is I haven’t caved. The handful of times I’ve wanted a Diet Dr. Pepper, I’ve reminded myself that I might as well inject myself with battery acid if I drink anything with aspartame in it. The two times I’ve wanted to grab a donut, I’ve eaten a banana and pineapple.
Ultimately, of course, you have a choice. And I’ve reminded myself that many times in the past three weeks: You have the power to say, “This is my choice, and I say, ‘Hell, no!’”
So, three weeks in, I’ve had no dairy, virtually no refined sugar, no soda and more vegetables than I probably ate in the previous six months combined. The results? I’ve lost about five pounds and am close to being at the weight I was before the annual Holiday 10 (you know, that 10 pounds many of us gain over the holidays).
Paying attention to what I’m eating has been eye-opening.
In the previous few months, I’d managed not to gain a ton of weight due to high-octane/not-out-of-control workout routine of cardio (usually at least 30 minutes on the stair climber and often up to an hour) three days a week and heavy weights (an hour) three days a week, with one rest day mixed in.
You can’t outwork a bad diet, of course. It’s a lesson I’ve been slow to learn. For example, here was a typical day about four years ago:
4:55 a.m.: Alarm goes off, up and out of the house by 5:15 to drive to the gym on campus.
Between 5:45 and 6:15 p.m.: Make a quit stop for one of the following grab-and-go “meals” (Two donuts and a sugar-free energy drink, sausage biscuit with hash brown and giant iced tea, sausage, egg and cheese sandwich with large Amp energy drink, or two tornadoes with large Amp energy drink).
6:30 a.m.-7:45 a.m.: Run 6 miles, followed by situps.
Noon-1 p.m.: Lift weights.
1:30 p.m.: Chicken tenders, fries and Dr. Pepper for lunch.
6 p.m.: Stop for a quick snack on the highway so that my wife won’t see what I’m eating (small BBQ sandwich with a soda).
6:30 p.m.: Typically a health meal prepared by my wife that I wipe out with an assload of tater tots.
So, yeah, not good. Try overhauling that after doing it steadily for four or five years.
But, I’m off to a good start re-tooling my lifestyle. I’ve subbed Diet Dr. Pepper with Zevia natural drinks and iced tea. I’ve subbed fruit and organic crackers for those sugary snacks. I’ve subbed Daiya cheese for cheese. I’ve limited eating meat to one cheat meal each week (That BLT and hamburger tasted AMAZING).
Twenty-Five pounds to do and counting. Dr. Pepper be damned.