Ed Levine's Serious Diet, Week 34: Can You Live To Eat and Lose Weight?
The New York Times arrived really late to the Eat for Enjoyment, Don't Deprive Yourself party. As many serious dieters know from experience, this is easier said than done.
The Times notes that people are eating more healthy, seasonal foods, enjoying them more and worrying less. To me, that's stating the obvious. If I just reach for an apple, pear, or banana every time I have neurotic compulsion to eat something, that's obviously a good thing. But it doesn't solve all of my problems. It still doesn't address my constant yearnings for ice cream, french fries, or barbecue. The only way to deal with foods like those is to eat them in extreme moderation.
This week I really feel like I've done the moderation thing up right. Take the Singapore Street Food event I went to with Erin and Robyn last night (photos and details in an upcoming post).
The food was absolutely incredible. About seven of Singapore street food's greatest hits, including Laksa, Hainanese Chicken Rice, and chili crab, were being served in completely relaxed, unharried, downright civilized fashion. I managed to have a couple of bites at each station, and as hard as it might be to believe, I was, dare I say, full and sated. Of course, I did have the specter of weighing in the morning. Oh well, whatever it takes.
Let's see what the scale gods are going to do for me this morning.
The Weigh-In
I'm down two pounds for the week, to 246. Yes, we can. Yes, we can. We can eat to live as long as we don't eat too much.
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7 Comments:
Well done! Now that the weather is cooling off, you should start riding your bike to the office again.
Alaina Browne at 10:07AM on 09/19/08
I feel you, Ed! Three other sad but true points I think it's important to remember when you live to eat: First, it's not a straight a line. When food is so central to your life/work, you tend to drop two pounds, gain a half pound back. Gain one pound one week, drop a pound the next. Second, it's slower for us! Weight Watchers and other diety organizations say you should lose 1 to 2 pounds a week. Ha! I am losing 1 to 2 pounds a months. And you know what? I'll take it. And finally, unless you're metabolically blessed, if you are personally or professionally dedicated to food, you are never going to weigh as little as you could otherwise. And that's OK. People who are just a few pounds overweight live longer anyway:
http://www.alternet.org/healthwellness/67692/
Joy Manning at 11:02AM on 09/19/08
Woot! Of course you can live to eat and still lose weight. You've just proved that to yourself. You just have to realize that not all the food you're living to eat has to be the sugary, fatty stuff, and it doesn't have to be tons of it. Granted, I think you do have to carry out those moderation rules out double time when you first start out and really have a lot to lose (literally, figuratively, and figure-atively). The hardest part was accepting that the stuff I had to switch over to (veggies, fruits, lean proteins, whole grains) could be consistently appetizing and become the bulk of my diet. Accept it, Ed! Come to the light side! I'm cheering for you!
OneWallKitchen at 11:33AM on 09/19/08
Do you have an exercise program? I think that helps in terms of understanding ones own body and paying better attention to it.
I lift weights and I run. I work out heavy/hard. Plus I dance. Probably the reason why french fries, burgers and barbecue have a limited appeal, because it's hard to digest them and exercise. I have them occasionally when I feel like it, which is not often.
But I still really love, love, love to eat. Exercising makes it possible for me to have Humboldt Fog cheese, avocadoes, good wine, dark chocolates, dim sum, banh mi and num peng when the mood strikes. I thought I didn't like ice cream anymore, but last weekend I had coffee ice cream with Michel Cluizel hot fudge and wet walnuts, and any ideas I had about not liking ice cream anymore are completely false!!!
I learn a lot from my 7 year old. She stops when she's had enough, even when it's something she really likes. That takes a certain level of conscious eating and paying attention to the body.
LadyMarmalade at 2:03PM on 09/19/08
Lady Marmalade, can we dine out together--I have a similar profile, I love to eat and I love to work out. Eating too much interferes with my exercise goals, because I can't run and be overstuffed. But I love good dark chocolate and Chinese food, and although not an ice cream person, coffee ice cream with hot fudge and nuts is awesome! Mmmm...
More on topic, I think in a way 'using' the abundance of good food can be a weight loss technique. The fact that you know good food will always be there, means you don't have to eat it all now--I think that's a problem when you grow up in a house where you were deprived of sweets (like myself) with an eagle-eyed parent, or a house without money, or a house with hungry, bigger siblings...knowing you aren't 'that kid' anymore is an important step to keeping weight off.
HeartofGlass at 2:47PM on 09/19/08
Hey, Ed... I've been AWOL from the site for a few months, so I'm afraid I've lost track of your progress. I'll have to go back and read the updates I've missed, but meanwhile, not sure how this translates...
How much have you lost in toto? I don't remember exactly where your weight was when you began, but it sounds like you're doing great. Keep up the good work!
;-)
LoCo at 3:05PM on 09/19/08
mavaltov Ed! I knew you could do it!
huneybumper at 3:27PM on 09/19/08