One Meal at a Time

Over the course of the past few months I've eaten uncountable number of meals that consisted only of fish or chicken plus green veggies. So many people where I worked would comment on it: "Fish AGAIN?" or "How can you eat just that?" or "Have some of this cake -- you can spare it."

Well, yeah, I can spare it, but that's not the point. The point is to achieve a goal. For me, the goal is to get up on stage with the best physique I can muster. In order to be able to achieve that goal, I have to eat a certain way. Food is fuel, not entertainment. Not emotional support. Not a social event.

I have been known to carry my dry salad & chicken & broccoli to sporting events just so I'll have something to eat other than the standard stadium fare. Other members of my group scoffed & laughed and thought I was being ridiculous. That's okay. In fact, it just made me more proud of my decision to do what it took to meet my goal.

I know that when I get on that stage, even if I don't place well when compared to the others, I did the best I could. I ate the right way. I burned the right number of calories. I didn't give up.

Sure, I've had moments of weakness. I binged once or twice, but those "binges" included fruit. Yes, berries. A granola bar. A NutriGrain bar. Or a Sugar Free 60-calorie pudding cup. I didn't binge on ice cream. Or a bag of Cheez-Its, even though we had those in the house. You can say it is because I have amazing will power, but that's not entirely true.

I made a conscious decision to binge. I weighed the options in front of me. Cookies? Yes, that would be delicious, but it's all sugar, no health benefit whatsoever. The granola bar was a comparable cheat -- sweet, crunchy, but consisting of oats and nuts (in addition to the honey sweetener). I calculated how long I'd have to work out to burn that extra 200 calories -- or I saved other calories earlier in the day.

The will power is more about eating consiously than it is about "power." There have been many times when I wanted a cheat snack, looked in the pantry & freezer, weighed all my options: calories vs. satiating-abilities, only to choose NOT to have a cheat snack.

Achieving a goal of weight loss requires discipline. Discipline to go to the gym when your legs are too tired to do anything. When you feel too weak to put on your gym shoes. Get there knowing that doing something is better than doing nothing. And often once you get there, you will do more than you first thought you could.

When it comes time to eat, you choose what will best serve your goal. Ask yourself, does this meal help me achieve my goals? If not, how can I modify it? I went to Macaroni Grill just this week. A restaurant meal 2 weeks before a contest? An ITALIAN restaurant meal 2 weeks before a contest?? Yes. I knew I could specifically request that the food be prepared a certain way. And it is MY body and MY goal, so I'm not afraid to ask for it. Plus, Macaroni Grill has the Mediterranean Grill menu items which are lower in calories and fat than most of their other menu items. I ordered the Shrimp Spiedini, which is the lowest calorie meal they have. Yet, I still modified it: no oils, no butter, steamed veggies. I stressed to my server, Chris, that it was very important for me to follow this diet. Chris understood and he explained that spices are already included on the shrimp and the standard veggies have olive oil so that they don't stick to the pan. Chris became a PARTNER with me in meeting my goals because he understood it was important to me. I let him know the spices were okay, and please replace the standard veggies with just steamed -- not grilled.

One meal at a time. Make those decisions. Don't be embarrassed to request special meals. When a special meal preparation is impossible (such as at a stadium) bring your own food. They WILL let you bring it in. If they try to give you grief, ask if they sell grilled chicken with no oils or butter and steamed broccoli. Chances are, they don't. If you tell them you are on a special diet (which you are), then they can't deny you sustenance. I guarantee you are NOT the first person to walk through those gates who has special needs.

It is YOUR body. They are YOUR goals. You ARE special and you are worth the effort. If you don't achieve your goals, you have no one to blame but yourself. Eat consciously. Schedule your workouts and never cancel. If you have trouble with that, hire a trainer. For me, Having Coach Adam has been a complete blessing. I don't want to make him waste his time waiting for me. He never lets me down -- how could I let him down? He is ALWAYS there when he says he will be. I don't want to be one of "those" people who cancels or shows up late. I don't want to be the client he dreads or doesn't trust to do as told.

Sacrificing cookies and crackers and ice cream and birthday cake is not easy. But I also realize that this process is temporary. When I am done with the contest, I can slack a bit and enjoy those things (in moderation) again. They will still be available. Face it, these are the United States of America. I can get those items on every corner. They are not in scarce supply. So there is no need for me to feel obligated to eat it tonight.

Let me know your struggles. What is your most tempting treat? How do you avoid giving in to those temptations -- or do you avoid it at all?

My biggest temptation just might be German Chocolate Cake. Or the On The Border brownie. Yum. How do I say no? I weigh my options. And I realize there will be an opportunity down the road to enjoy that yummy dish.