I'm not perfect and pasta is NOT the enemy!

RobynMWilson

I wanted to post on here that I'm soooo not perfect...and then got sidetracked by a forum topic I saw while creating a new topic so I figured I'd kill 2 birds with one stone (just a touch of ADD lol).

1. Pasta isn't the enemy. Excessive consumption of white pasta is. Not whole grain or whole wheat pasta eaten in moderation, especially is some veggies are snuck into the dish!

2. I'm not perfect. I got a comment on my Food Diary tonight saying, "Nice job staying under!" and I appreciate the support...but usually people say that when the person makes really horrible food choices but stayed under their calorie goal. I'm not overly concerned about my calorie goal b/c I'm not losing, but maintaining, and just being under your calorie goal does NOT paint the picture of how well one is doing in terms of nutrition. Look at the BIG picture...what they are eating EVERY DAY, how much of it is processed crap, how are their sugars, sat fat, sodium, carbs and protein stacking up against their set macros?

Yes, I ate 3 Chunky Chips Ahoy cookies tonight. The rest of the day was REAL food, including a hamburger, which I don't consider unhealthy as it's lean beef cooked on the grill and the burger is a once a week deal. The cookies are not every day, rather 2-3 times per week. The whole, real, nutritious food is an everyday thing. The home cooked meals prepared without any extra salt are an everyday thing. The olive oil cooking spray in lieu of butter, or even worse, margarine, is an everyday thing. The all natural PB with no salt added, the eggs combined with egg whites, whole grain English muffins, oven-roasted veggies, Skinny Taste recipes, and Shakelogy with coconut milk are an everyday thing.

No I'm not perfect. Granola bars really aren't that great for you but they are easier to eat while I'm driving a 15-ton vehicle than Bear Naked granola. My choice of granola bars (Nature Valley) are lower in sugar and fat than the Cascadian Organics. Yes I have cheat meals. Yes I have cheat snacks. That 15% of the time I'm "cheating" keeps me on the beam the other 85% of the time. I'm a junk foodie at heart so I have to allow that little bit because if I feel deprived, I will go back to eating total crap the rest of the time.

So, no, I'm not perfect...but I'm a heck of a lot better than what I used to be and that's good enough for me!

coopersmom2006

I lost 30 lbs not being perfect. Keep on doing your thang!

LorinaLynn

I'll go so far as to say there's nothing wrong with plain white pasta, either. I checked the labels. There wasn't enough difference between the two to make me buy the whole wheat. A little more fiber? Meh. I get enough fiber.

RobynMWilson

I have IBS-C and gotta say, I have a really hard time with white pasta. Binds me right up! I don't eat a whole lot of pasta to begin with, typically once per week at most. I don't think any pasta would be good on a daily basis. Brown rice or better yet, quinoa, are much better choices!

hendinerik

Nice post - You're an inspiration to a lot of people Robyn... I think it's good for people to hear not just that you allow some cheat meals... but to look at the big picture - not just about staying within a calorie target and not eating perfectly, but that eating and living healthy can be sustainable because in the long run, day in day out, you are not just exercising and practicing good nutrition but also living and enjoying your life, be it with an occasional burger or cookie or not.

I certainly have my days where i go much more off than you're describing but I am also in maintenance range and as long as I can get back on track and move forward generally with good exercise and nutrition I will sustain things...

We're in a quick fix all or nothing culture where people often overlook the realities of keeping something sustainable over the long haul.

wibutterflymagic

Here, here!! Well said.

RobynMWilson

Erik..I have really horrendous days too, like my 40th birthday and Thanksgiving lol. I've been maintaining for 20 years. It's what works for me. It's realistic for someone who was raised on Spam, burgers, pork roll and Tasty Kakes and lives with someone who eats junk all day, every day lol.

KelliW_runner

Good post. I'm right there with you. I started out my weight loss journey as a "low carbs" person but now that I'm in maintenance and training heavily with my marathon prep I have realized that carbs are my friend. I still try to make better choices and pick whole grains over processed white flours but I don't stress over it.

suzieqcookie

i've lost 50 lbs in 5 months NOT being perfect

acogg

Some people feel the need to knitpick in order to feel superior. My diet is private because of those type of people. It doesn't matter what you eat, some one will find fault. If only those type of people would spend as much time encouraging and helping people as they do critizing they might make a positive difference.

RobynMWilson

I don't think she was being nitpicky...she was being encouraging. I saw a post on FB by Weight Watchers this morning that made my blood boil while they were touting their new 360 program and it said, " It’s built for the moments when you might fall or falter". So I blasted them and got 30 likes on my comment so far. I said something along the lines of "if you stop calling it "failure" and call it being human, maybe you can lose the "diet" mindset! I hate the "diet" industry and how they play on old myths and people's self esteems to make a buck, all the while PRETENDING to empower people. Makes me sick!

readthat

Great post. I like the idea here that you have to be realistic to be able to keep it up. That has been my goal all along. I don't even call it a cheat if I am overall eating fairly healthy and decide to have a dessert. As for pasta, that is one thing I haven't had too much of while I have been trying to get to my goal weight. It just wasn't worth the calories for me. I had white pasta for the first time this past week, and for the first time that night I had trouble controlling eating. I felt like eating everything in the house! I will definitely stick to no pasta or whole wheat pasta in the future.

It's interesting you mention low salt in your home cooking. Since beginning this change in eating style, we only eat out once a week. Now I can almost taste the oversalting in restaurant foods and am almost always very thirsty following a meal out.

valeriejean1407

I don't think she was being nitpicky...she was being encouraging. I saw a post on FB by Weight Watchers this morning that made my blood boil while they were touting their new 360 program and it said, " It’s built for the moments when you might fall or falter". So I blasted them and got 30 likes on my comment so far. I said something along the lines of "if you stop calling it "failure" and call it being human, maybe you can lose the "diet" mindset! I hate the "diet" industry and how they play on old myths and people's self esteems to make a buck, all the while PRETENDING to empower people. Makes me sick!

well said!

JesterMFP

I have IBS-C and gotta say, I have a really hard time with white pasta. Binds me right up! I don't eat a whole lot of pasta to begin with, typically once per week at most. I don't think any pasta would be good on a daily basis. Brown rice or better yet, quinoa, are much better choices!

I appreciate the spirit of your original post. I am also far from perfect, and I'm fine with that!

Regarding the pasta, I don't have IBS and find that white pasta on a nearly daily basis is absolutely fine for me. Unless you have specific medical issues, no particular food is the enemy. Well, unless it's poisoned or something. And trans fats, they're not great. But generally, demonising certain foods isn't (imo) that helpful. Eating too much is the problem.

verptwerp

We do what wofks ....... I lost 45 lbs not being perfect ....... and working on another 10 the same way :drinker:

acogg

Sorry, I didn't mean that the OP was the knitpicker. The people who look through another's diet to find faults in order to criticize are the knitpickers. Again, I am sorry for being unclear.

tubaman58

Amen