Dieting vs Watching What You Eat?

I don't really believe in dieting... I believe in a healthy based diet and watching what you eat. It's important to learn the facts about food and what your body really requires. Since we were kids the food pyramid has changed significantly.

New Food Pyramid

In the past I've gone through spurts of really watching what I eat, to not really caring at all. I think part of it is that I pretty much stay the same weight (+/- 5lbs) all the time. Which is great externally, but what is it really doing to me internally? Some of you learned that cholesterol is a genetic issue for me... The last time I was tested was February 25th, 2011 with a full panel testing...

LDL - 150 (bad cholesterol s/b <100)

HDL - 58 (good cholesterol s/b >60)

VDL - 20

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Total - 228 (borderline high, you want to be less than 200)

That week I found out I was 228 (which isn't my highest, I've been at 243 before, but the lowest I've ever seen was 201 (back in 2006). This time I decided I needed to take ice cream and texas toast out of the equation. As you all know ice cream is my kryptonite, therefore I was never willing to give it up.

Within 1 month (3/23/2011) I was retested (at work which only tells you the total) I dropped down to 214. That is 14 points within 30 days. Assuming that was primarly to me eating ice cream every single night of the week. The dietitian stated that typically you start to see the change within 30 days and was curious to see what would happen in September 2011 if I still continued the trend...

Since then, Joe and I changed our eating habits starting June 20th, 2011. Joe has wanted to lose about 10lbs (6ft 1in @ 181lbs on 6/20/2011). Within 2 months Joe has already lost 20lbs! He's averaging 160-164lbs right now.

We've significantly increased our fruit / vegetable intake, removed white complex carbs, removed red meat, pork, and any fried food, and removed processed sugars, EXCEPT for 1 day a week we cheat and eat anything we want! It think this helps the serious breakdown of going back to the old ways.... Plus when you eat healthy you crave healthy foods and feel gross after eating unhealthy foods. It's a win win!

Here is an example of 1 day of our healthy eating:

NOTE: Only water or milk to drink...

Breakfast

Green Smooth or Oatmeal w/ fruit on the side or Yogurt Parfait with Fruit and Granola

Note: always add fruit to your breakfast!!!

Snack

Banana

Lunch

Hummus Wrap, with lettuce, tomato, cucumber, and grilled chicken

Kashi Krisp (make sure to count the serving size! this one is 11 krisp)

Snack

Pistachios

Dinner

Grilled or Baked Fish (at least 2x+ per week)

Grilled vegetables (for example, squash, zucchini, and onion medley)

Wild Rice

Dessert

IF ANY, Yogurt (not the ice cream kind, the other kind)

Starting this Monday, August 15th we go back to training for another foot race! This race is the American Tobacco Trail 10-miler on Saturday, October 22, 2011 in Apex, NC. Hopefully we both don't whither away to nothing while training.