"It's only food"

Cross Posted on Pick on the Fat Kid

One of the greatest tips Adam gives me is this: “It’s only food”. If you step back and think about it, he’s right? We need food to survive. We don’t need Chocolate Cheescakes and gobs of fattening holiday foods though. I survived Christmas Eve and Christmas day living by this quote. I didn’t just survive, though. I kicked ass both days! And it wasn’t for a lack of temptation.

Christmas Eve, we had dinner at my aunt’s house. The early part of the day was easy because it was a normal work day for me. However, at dinner, there were SO MANY desserts, cheesy potatoes, meatballs drowning in sauce, candy, big fluffy rolls, and so much more. I avoided them all. I had baked chicken and veggies instead. My mom forgot to cook my chicken before coming out to my aunts though. It was no big deal or anything, but it blew having to wait and munch on veggies while everyone else was pigging out. It also kind of sucked because everyone was pointing it out to me that I had such “good discipline”. I felt left out, yet singled out. Then I reminded myself “It’s only food”. I think I even said it at one point to another family member that wanted to point out my “discipline”.

Christmas day was more of the same. We got a late start on the day and I had my eggs with some whole wheat toast in the morning. I had an apple when I got back to my house to get ready to go back out to another family member’s house. Things were slow once we got there and I let myself get hungry. Starving actually. But I refrained from ravaging the kitchen. When it was time to eat, I stayed on track. While others had ham, my mother brought me a turkey breast she had cooked just for me…awesome. I also had a baked potato, some veggies, 2 meatballs made with whole wheat breadcrumbs in a chicken broth based sauce (no flour, sugar, etc). I kept telling myself “It’s only food” and when I wanted to snack, I went to the veggie tray.

We left my uncles and went to my brother’s house. There wasn’t any food there, but I started to get hungry again as the night progressed. When I got home, I was starving again. It was pretty much impossible to get off track by this point though. I couldn’t go to any stores or fast food joints even if I wanted. Everything was closed. I fired up the Foreman grill and cooked a chicken breast and boiled up some whole wheat pasta and ate what might have been the best meal of the day.

So, if you’re trying to eat healthy and are tempted by lots of Christmas goodies, I can only recommend this tip. Tell yourself “It’s only food”. Will your life be any better or worse if you eat that pie?

Highlights of the Holiday:

- I tried fresh broccoli for the first time. I almost vomited. I can do the steamed broccoli, but I’d rather go grazing in the front yard than put another fresh piece of broccoli in my mouth.

- I got a Brinkmann Charcoal/Gas Smoker/Grill for Christmas from the parents. I’ve been wanting a smoker for way longer than I have been eating healthy. This thing is great. I have found MANY great recipes that fit in with my diet. I was planning on giving it a try today, but the weather is not cooperating. There are few greater foods, in my opinion, than various pieces of animal flesh slow cooked with hickory wood.

- Fruit baskets as gifts rock. I actually have a pear in my kitchen. I don’t think I’ve ever eaten a pear in my life.

- National Lampoons Christmas Vacation is the best Christmas movie ever. I think I’ve seen the movie close to 100 times now.

- I was talking to a friend the other day. I know he is a health nut and works out hard. I have witnessed him go from boney little man to a ripped up specimen. Some have thrown around the idea of “steroids” being used to have such a drastic change on his body. I refused to believe it because the guy is so straight line. He won’t even download an illegal mp3 off the internet! So when I asked him about his diet and exercise regimen, he pretty much recited the same things I have been eating the past couple months. Lean proteins, veggies, fruits, nuts, whole grains, etc. The only difference was that he has protein shakes. He said he went from 210 to 144 lbs in a year. Now he is 181 with 6% body fat and said his diet has been 100% clean for over a year. He does this P90X workout regimen and consumes around 3000 calories a day right now though. I researched the P90X thing and it’s way out of my league right now. His review “It’s legit..no joke”.