One of the things I’ve been struggling with lately, aside from tricking myself into exercising, is finding the balance. Namely where diet is concerned. I have this idea in my mind of the perfect diet – if only I could define it, I’d get on board and start losing the weight and feeling healthier. Problem is, I’m not convinced perfect exists so I’ve been trying to decide what to sacrifice.
I have had a tab open for Weight Watchers since shortly before the new year, occasionally clicking over to contemplate clicking that JOIN button. An internal debate rages in my mind – “I’m joining, that’s it. No, no way – I’m not jumping on this bandwagon – what if all their recipes use splenda and other artificial junk? And will my kids even eat these recipes? And more importantly – am I really willing to shell out the cash for this?”
I go back and forth, part of me convinced that paying money for a diet will motivate me to actually succeed, another part remembering the Jen Who Lost Weight just counting calories, no program required. Where did she go? Why can’t I find her? And I’m not sure I’m willing to risk throwing my money away, taking funds away from other areas of our household that either need it or could need it if any balls drop – if the car goes, if an appliance finally dies for real, if the kid’s need dental or medical anything, if god forbid Dan lost his job, etc. Not that $20 a month would really stand in the way of these things, but we can all agree it’s these $20 monthly bills that quickly add up and eat away at our income.
I know people who have been happy with Weight Watchers and other’s who haven’t. I’ve seen some recipes that look good and others that don’t. The same is true everywhere. But a few of the big obstacles I’ve found with “diet food” is expensive ingredients we don’t normally buy – and a lack of kid friendly options – my kids won’t eat that. Heck, I don’t want to eat that. Maybe I need to change my perception. Or maybe I haven’t found the right diet foods yet?
Why is the secret to healthy eating so obscured by artificial ingredients, high price tags, strange recipes and Members Only yellow tape asking you to give up your wallet and your dignity and your soul before you can even see if the diet will be right for you? Where is the budget conscious, natural ingredients, healthy nutritious and kid friendly diet? And also, could said foods not die in two and a half days? Please and thank you.
For now, I keep standing here at the turning point, knowing something needs to change but not ready to commit to a real game plan. I have a feeling I’m going to have to compromise on something here but I’m not sure what it will be yet. There has to be a solution, but I can’t see it or maybe I just don’t want to see it. Maybe I just like cookies.
Mommablogsalot 
6 responses to “Picking my battles.”
Oh Jen, I’m there with you. I *know* I can lose weight if I just buckle down, count calories, and incorporate some actual self-control and discipline…but it’s that last part — the self-control and discipline…that I seem to be avoiding. Sigh… Always a battle, it seems.
LikeLike
Oh, and I still eat some dark chocolate after lunch and dinner (and still manage to lose weight). I couldn’t exist in a world without dark chocolate.
LikeLike
I’m not expert and have gone up and down with my healthy eating so please take what I write with a grain of salt. I’ve counted calories and done WW on my own (no meetings) and I’ve found just keeping it simple works best for me. So basically I just cook my normal foods that I know my kids will eat for dinner and then I put more veggies and protein on my plate than carbs. For lunch, I have a big salad with some kind of protein or lettuce wrap “sandwiches”. For breakfast, it is oatmeal or egg white scramble. And then I try to eat fruits/veggies/high-protein snacks if I am hungry throughout the day. It is a little more expensive buying the extra salad stuff, healthy snacks, veggies and fruit, but I figure it is worth it.
Good luck!
LikeLike
You can do it!
My SIL and MIL did it and lost weight…problem is, they didn’t stick to it after (making lifestyle changes)..and gained it back.
We did the my fitness pal app (computer and phone) and kept track of our calories. It was hard for the first two weeks, but after that (just like anything else), it wasn’t bad at all!
LikeLike
Weight watchers is the only diet that has ever worked for me. I would highly recommend it. Just to say – not all veg are 0 points.
LikeLike
Jen –
The weight watchers “secret” according to my friend that uses it is the point system…except the point system is loosely based on 100 calories = 1 pt (and you have 15 points to spend per day + some bonus for exercising + some bonus to spread over the week). So, your calorie counting is right on target, and you don’t need to spend the money.
One tip that she learned that really stuck with me: fruits and veggies are 0 pts!!!! so you can eat unlimited amounts!!!
LikeLike