Picture courtesy of the Paleo Plan
Recently I’ve been realizing that I don’t eat enough, well, I don’t eat enough good stuff. For the longest time I’ve been following the 1200 calorie ideal, trying to make everything fit. Unfortunately, I can adhere to that calorie ceiling for about a week at a time until I crumble and crawl into the pantry looking to put anything and everything into my mouth. I exercise pretty regularly, five or six times a week, and I’ve never really thought about the amount of food I take in versus the amount of energy I put out. I suppose I’ve had it drilled into my head over the years that eating less is better. What I didn’t understand was that it’s not sustainable. Shocking as it may seem, I’ve only lately come to the realization that I need to eat more to consistently fuel my body and not find myself wandering, Lurch-like, through the candy aisles in the grocery store. My body is simply running low on energy because I’m actually using up all the nutrients I’m putting in there and then (at the 1200 calorie limit) ceasing to give it any more (out of pure stubborn will). Willpower will only get you so far if you’re not actually giving your body what it needs. There is no point in depriving your body of healthy food when it’s just going to go straight for the bad stuff when you do (look at me, talking about my body like it’s somehow unattached to my mind).
My moral to this story is that if your body needs food, eat. However, eat healthy food, and try not to stress out about calories. This is my major downfall, my calorie obsession. My goal for this next week is to forget about counting and restricting, and to give myself free rein to enjoy real, healthy food in whatever amount my body needs. Of course, I’m not going to go ahead and eat an entire quiche to myself (I hope), but I want to see what happens when I take the unnecessary stress of counting calories out. I’ve both heard and read, many a time, that if you follow a paleolithic diet, rich in vegetables, meats, fruits, fats and nuts (but mainly veggies and meat), your body will thrive and will let you know when you’re satiated. It’s a nice idea, but one that I’ve yet to experience. Ah well, here’s to trying!
The Primal Islander 