Saturday 13 April 2013

Is it better to do x or y?

I was having a conversation with my mother as we came back from shopping earlier today and it's something that's struck me. I don't know about you, but I certainly feel from time to time like I feel obliged to eat something, for better or worse. I know plenty of people who hate fruits and vegetables but feel obliged to eat them because they're healthy. Whilst I struggle to come to terms with hating fruit and veg (big fan) I certainly know the feeling of being made (by yourself usually) to eat something that you otherwise wouldn't pick purely because of its 'health status'. A few examples come to mind.

When I was on Weight Watchers back in 2008 I remember going for a meal at Wagamamas with my best friend. Gone were the days when we could order the duck gyoza and fried noodle dishes. I'd identified on the menu the two lowest point options for main. One of them was the seafood ramen at something like 8 points. The other option was a Ginger Chicken Udon which was around the 12 mark if I recall correctly. Despite my gut reaction telling me to go for the Udon I opted for the ramen purely because it was a lower points value. I knew full well that I did NOT like ramen. I just don't. Tried it, failed to like it, won't go back. I sat there pushing my food around the bowl thinking "what an absolute waste of money". What I didn't realise at that point was that I'd actually wasted my points on something that I genuinely didn't enjoy.

Another example comes from a not so distant sushi experience. I'd gone through the menu and looked at all of the proPoints values. Instead of going instantly for the salmon sashimi or soft shell crab handroll which would normally be my instant grab I went for the spicy chicken salad...What on earth was I thinking? Yes, it's low in calories and is a salad so 'looks' better but it just wasn't what I wanted. As I came to the end of that plate I felt like I'd wasted my calories and my money. And this is a key point when losing weight.

Of course, you COULD just go on a quick fix diet where you can only eat a series of things that are seemingly unappealing for you. And yes, it may get you to that destination quicker. But what do you do when you get there? Continue to eat the food that you dislike for the rest of your life? I don't think so. Food is fuel yes and we must be careful that we choose wisely the fuel that we put in our bodies. But does that mean that we must eternally forfeit the foods that we really REALLY like? Surely if we do eating healthily will become a massive chore and as a rule people will do whatever possible to get out of doing things they dislike.

Personally I would always rather have a smaller amount of something that I really love than a larger amount of something that makes me begrudge food. One of my school friend's mothers summed it up pretty well. She was an absolute raving chocoholic but would go out of her way to source really good quality dark chocolate because she knew that a little of the good stuff was better than a lot of the really cheap confectionery (or worse, the fake chocolate that health food stores were trying to sell her) that is lurking out there. It is simply a case of will power and avoiding temptation. So tonight, despite the (what felt like) primal need for another piece of ciabatta or to eat the whole block of mozzarella instead of the 40 gram portion I'd allotted myself I resisted. Did I enjoy resisting it? Not particularly. Will I regret it in the morning, absolutely not. Because I can sleep soundly knowing that I still can have the things that I really absolutely love and that ultimately I am the only one who can control whether I have to go down the route of cutting back on the things I love or eating something else entirely that I don't want. I certainly know which route I'd prefer to follow.

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