To diet or not to diet
No, I don't look anything like Madonna yet, but the last few weeks, except when I was traveling around the globe for my brother's wedding, I have been lifting weights for about 3 times a week and yes I can feel the difference. I definitely feel stronger and more definitions’ in my arms, but still few more years to look like Madonna's arms
Mean while the last few days I have been going through a nutritional cleansing diet that was recommended by few friends. I have been struggling with GI problems for the last 8, 9 years and after going through series of tests and taking lots of pills, I finally found a way to keep it under control only by watching what I eat. I had to quit caffeine and certain foods in that matter. A friend of mine who was suffering from same kind of problem did this certain cleansing diet and noticed how great she felt right away. Anyhow, to make the story short, I am on the diet now. I don't want to talk about the diet, but I like to talk about what the process of this diet has done to me. Discipline is what this diet brought to my life! What I have realized is that all these years I have never been on a diet just because I am not good with disciplines (when it come to food only. I have no issue when it comes to exercising). Don’t take me wrong. I eat healthy, actually very healthy, but I have no discipline with the time and the amount I eat. I can be great one day and the next day, especially if it’s a weekend, I can eat whatever I see. Worst is when I travel. I just lose track. I eat even when I am not hungry just because the food is there….. The breakfast buffets are my nightmares. I can eat and eat and don’t ever fill full. “I never go on diets because I don’t not believe in them”, was my excuse for the last 20 something years of my life. I could never stick to one so there was no reason to bother. This one on the other hand was because of a health reason, so I made a commitment to it and I can see the result already. To make the story short, with the help of this low calorie diet, and the nutritional products (vitamins, shakes and etc.), I feel really good about myself now. Not just because I have dropped few pounds that I might gain back after the diet, but because of eliminating the extra food that I was eating without being hungry. I now see that the healthy habit of eating a little of something every 3 hours was turned into a big snack every 3 hours for me. Mean while I noticed that the bad taste that I usually had in my mouth is gone. The pain that I used to get in the bottom of my stomach when I was hungry is not there anymore. The acid reflux (what I had struggled with for years) is gone also.
In reality we are the product of our habits. Before this diet I was hungry at certain times, even though I had eaten a full meal few hours prior. So by habit I would eat a piece of fruit or another healthy snack. After the last few days I am just going by what my body tells me, so I snack only when I am really hungry and instead of a whole apple and a banana I just pick one piece of fruit and stop eating it when satisfied. This means that I don’t look at the clock anymore. My body is my clock now.
Was it hard? Yes, the first two days were difficult. I was hungry almost all the time; I kept myself occupied in order not to think about food. I have been through 6 days out of the 9 days process so still too early to say that I have done it :o), but so far I am really happy with the results. Last word; eating too much is only a habit. Change your habit. Eat only as much as your body needs and you feel a lot better.
