Mindless eating
When responding to Roland’s question about eating the same thing to comply with a non-counting diet, I mentioned that I liked the mindlessness of JB’s One Size Fits All Diet. That got me thinking about the concept of mindless eating.
(Sorry, this is a bit long. If you don't want my background info, just jump to the question at the bottom).
A few years back, I totally embraced mindless eating. If I wanted it, I ate it. Calorie count and nutritional value weren’t considered; I just thought about how good it would taste. In some cases, I lucked out, because I preferred whole wheat bread to white, and I’m not much of a pop or beer drinker, so I usually had water. I rarely ate fast food. I figured, “Hey, I’m better than most folks out there.”
When I first began training, I didn’t want to make many changes to what I already ate. I heard guys at the gym say, “I work out, so I can eat whatever I like.” (Heard that one before?). After ten weeks, my results were a seven-pound loss. No one noticed. Around the same time, I joined the MH boards and read other people’s fat-to-fit stories. That’s when I began to “get it.” I needed to THINK about what I ate.
I tried several methods – TAP, logging on Fitday (which is a PITA) to maintain macro ratios and calorie guidelines, found hidden sources of sugar and other refined carbs that I was eating. That’s how I managed to lose most of the weight.
Then I found Berardi’s NNN video and One Size Fits All Diet. It seemed like a good idea to me at the time. The same meal plan, every day, four dishes, six feedings, and lots of spinach. The only variation was a few of the other vegetable choices.
I found it refreshing to not think about things for a while, since I’d become so tired of carefully evaluating every morsel. It was easy. I didn’t have to log stuff on Fitday, or worry about macros, or calculate or measure anything. Once again I enjoyed mindless eating, unencumbered by the thought process (to quote Tom & Ray Magliozzi of NPR’s Car Talk). Toughest thing was avoiding the treats at work and family gatherings.
Since then, I tweeked the diet a bit and I’m not eating the EXACT same thing every day, but the staples stay the same.
So… How do you feel about mindless eating? How do we find the balance between mindlessly consuming the same food every day, and being obsessive/compulsive about calories and macros?
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The trick is in what one emphasizes. We either make ourselves miserable, or we make ourselves happy. The amount of work is the same. -- Carlos Castaneda
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However, I don't let it adversely affect my life (i.e. blowing off a trip to the bar or pizza place because it doesn't fit my diet); I just pick right back up on the routine the rest of the day or the next day.
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