Dietary tips

Reading articles about healthy eating, portion control. super foods, foods to avoid, etc, there are always commenteries who say to follow healthy eating rules most of the time but an occasional pig out is okay. "you'll be fine" they all say.

My brother, a handsome devil in high school (drove the women wild) has tended to carry a little too much weight around the middle. Okay, I'll be honest. I cary a little to much weight around the middle. My brother carries a lot too much weight around the middle.

A few years ago, he decided to lose weight and went on a diet with strick rules of what he could eat and portion size and the whole nine yards of healthy eating. As a reward for following the dietary guidelines, he was allowed to have a cheat night: that's one meal a week in which he could eat what ever he wanted.

Apparently he cheated a lot because he has gaininned a tremendous amount of weight. At first the diet seemed to work he he did lose about thirty pounds but he has since gained those thirty plus at least another thirty to go with them.

Me? I opted not to follow a diet plan but to try for a lifestyle change. Eating stuff I like and eating in a way that is both healthy and satifying and a way I could continue forever.

I choose high fiber whole grain cereal in the morning with a piece of fruit. It could be raisins, a banana, or craisins, a sprinkle of cinnamon, and a cup of coffee for breakfast.

For lunch I tend to have a salad, or a sandwhich with a couple of slices of thin sliced meat and mustard with a piece of cheese and finish off my meal with a fuji apple. I drink either water or a diet soda.

For supper, I eat what ever my wife fixes which is usually a hearty stew, or thick soup. I'll have a salad two or three nights a week with itaian dressing--always italian, Our salads tend to be all vegatables-no cheeses or bacon or meat strips or eggs.

During the summer I grow a vegsatable garden and tend to eat almost strictly from it. During the winter alter my garden is gone, and when I get to fix for myself, I like to get dark beans like pintos or black beans, greens, sourkraut (without the winnies) slaw, and sald stuff. (This kind of food tends to fill one up without packing on calories).

My biggest weakness is I eat out of boredom so when I'm by myself, I eat constantly. I do eat a handfull of mixed nuts (deluxe daily) but I get things like fruit-grapes, banannas, strwberries, blueberries, apples, peaches on hand as well as a good bariety of vegatables like whole carrots and tomatoes to snack on.

The weight has come off slowly, I've developed by lifestyle change and I don't need a cheat night to satisfy myself.

Besides the weight loss (which is mainly for the viewing pleasure of other people) my health has improved dramactically (almost perfect scores).

Yes, I eat out occasionally and when I do, the restaraunt meal is usually in place of all meals of the day except breakfast, of course.