Is strong the new skinny?

I have read/seen multiple articles lately about how the trendy "strong is the new skinny" motto isn't actually a step in the right direction when it comes to body image. I thought, being healthy and toned is a good thing right?

While on Pinterest this past week, I stumbled upon many "fitness inspiration" posters. These posters featured an extremely toned woman with captions such as, "It's not always easy, but it's always worth it," and "Suck it up and one day you won't have to suck it in," as well as "Don't eat (name of awesome food)" etc... I then decided to search for the "bad" thinspiration (I am only putting 'bad' in quotes to compare it to the fitness motivation posters; the irony of how they consider those acceptable. I DO think thinspiration is 'bad'). When I typed "thinspiration" into the search box, this came up at the top of the page,

"Eating disorders are not lifestyle choices, they are mental disorders that if left untreated can cause serious health problems or could even be life-threatening. For treatment referrals, information, and support, you can always contact the National Eating Disorders Association Helpline..."

nevertheless, "thinspiration" quotes appeared below it, these featuring emaciated women, with protruding bones. But, my point is that these two "inspirations" are honestly not that different. While one is seemingly promoting a "healthy" body image - it's really not. It is saying "do whatever it takes to look like this, because that is what is important in life." It is saying "push yourself to the extreme and never touch a dessert because that will prove you are better." Well, I have done that. I have pushed myself with a version of "It's not always easy, but it's always worth it," running through my head. I decided (past tense!) to never touch certain foods. Along with those decisions came...nothing. No fruit to bear. Whether it is obsessing over being toned and fit, or just being skinny, it is still an obsession. It becomes your entire life, leaving no room for actual LIVING.  

So, do not be fooled with this seemingly "healthy" twist on "thinspiration." Focus on living a whole, balanced, and full life (which I am saying to myself as well). 

Sugar? Yes, please.

If I see one more article/post about "cutting sugar from your diet" I am going to SCREAM. Why this has become such a fad, I am not sure, but it is driving me crazy.

Biochemist Leah Fitzsimmons, of the University of Birmingham in the UK, told The Daily Mail last year:

"Cutting all sugar from your diet would be very difficult to achieve. Fruits, vegetables, dairy products and dairy replacements, eggs, alcohol and nuts all contain sugar, which would leave you with little other than meat and fats to eat - definitely not very healthy."

Once again, it is proven that completely eliminating something from your diet is not healthy (I know sugar is not a food group, it is found in so many nutritious things, it still applies in this situation).

I think this is a good reminder for people to remember that food IS meant to be fuel for your body, BUT it is also meant to be ENJOYED. It a gift from God to be able to eat and enjoy food. I am not saying eat as much sugar as you can/want all the time. I am saying, once (well, more than once) again, that everything in moderation is the key.

"There's a role for sugar in our diet. After all, what's the point of being healthy if it's not to enjoy living?"-Dr. David Katz, director of the Prevention Research Center at Yale University in New Haven, CT. 

Calories, Calories, Everywhere!

The FDA is requiring all restaurant chains, convient stores and movie theaters to display the calorie content of their menu items beginning in November 2015. Some restuarants already do this, so it is not a new concept. However, my question is, is this a good idea? Will it promote healthier habits among Americans?

This article shows that in the past, calorie content has had no effect on consumers' decisions.

http://www.livescience.com/9306-nutrition-labels-menus-dont-alter-habits.html

In my opinion, posting solely calories on menus is not beneficial. As seen in the article above, it has had no effect on ordering habits in the past, and if it did change someone's mind about what to order, it is based only on calories! There is more to food that calorie content. What about the amount of protein? Omega 3 fatty acids? If calories are the deciding factor for a meal, then someone may order the iceburg lettuce salad-but gain absoletulty no nutrients! Avocado is higher in calories than lite mayo, but that doesn't make it healthier!

I believe people need to be more educated about nutrition and portion sizes, as well as listening to your body! If you go to a restuarant and order what your body truly wants, stopping when you are full, the numbers on the menu are not important.

Holiday "Tips"- No Thank You

If I see one more article about how to "survive" holiday eating, I might go insane. I am talking about the articles in "health" magazines that give tips on how to get through Thanksgiving without gaining weight. These tips include (but are not limited to) exercising before and after your Thanksgiving meal, only eating one bite of dessert, wearing tight fitting clothing ("you will be too busy holding in your stomach to overeat"), only putting two things on your plate at a time, steering clear of additions such as butter and whipped cream, and weighing yourself daily.

Not only are these "tips" unhealthy (weighing yourself daily is never a good idea-fluctuations are normal, my friends) they are ruining these special holiday meals! Wearing tight fitting clothes to make sure you hold in your tummy and do not overeat? Is that what you want your mind to be focused on during the entirety of your holiday meal? Making sure you only eat one bite of pumpkin pie without any whipped cream (even though pumpkin pie isn't even good without whipped cream) and getting in that workout after the big meal? If you follow these tips you probably can survive a holiday without gaining a single ounce. You can also guarantee that you will be preoccupied with what you cannot eat, and unable to be present, engaged, unable to experience the life going on around you.

The holidays are special. A special time for food, family, friends, memories and experiences. Listen to your body. If you want more than one bite of pumpkin pie-have it. Have it with whipped cream. Enjoy the holiday meal, don't settle for simply surviving it.

Soul Food

I found this quote by Jeanne Ray, the author of Eat Cake, and I love everything about it:

“Cakes have gotten a bad rap. People equate virtue with turning down dessert. There is always one person at the table who holds up her hand when I serve the cake. No, really, I couldn’t she says, and then gives her flat stomach a conspiratorial little pat. Everyone who is pressing a fork into that first tender layer looks at the person who declined the plate, and they all think, That person is better than I am. That person has discipline. But that isn’t a person with discipline; that is a person who has completely lost touch with joy. A slice of cake never made anybody fat. You don’t eat the whole cake. You don’t eat a cake every day of your life. You take the cake when it is offered because the cake is delicious. You have a slice of cake and what it reminds you of is someplace that’s safe, uncomplicated, without stress. A cake is a party, a birthday, a wedding. A cake is what’s served on the happiest days of your life. This is a story of how my life was saved by cake, so, of course, if sides are to be taken, I will always take the side of cake.”
― Jeanne Ray

Society tells us eating dessert is a bad, sinful, and weak behavior. Refusing a gooey, warm chocolate chip cookie straight from the oven is seen as will-power, such an admirable quality. However, I wonder why such a delightful part of life has been given such a negative connotation? Perhaps it is because the concept of moderation (that cheesy, cliché word again) is foreign to most people. I will be the first to admit that I am not great with moderation. I am a very black and white thinker. The one at the table to refuse the cake, and to honestly think I might be more disciplined than those around me. I have discovered that this is completely false, as Jeanne Ray says, "But that isn't a person with discipline; that is a person who has completely lost touch with joy." 

I had a recent encounter with a slice of cake after lunch one day. 
My stomach was content; I did not feel physically hungry for more food. However, cake was this particular restaurant's specialty, and I was out with a friend who was in town from another state. We each ordered a piece, and it was absolutely divine. I felt guilty though. My stomach was not rumbling, so I did not feel justified in eating dessert. I needed to be reminded that cake is not something you eat to truly satisfy an appetite. It is something you eat for pleasure, for memory-making, for fun (and it is food, so it does give the body necessary energy!).Yes, I was full after eating the cake, but that is ok. I did not eat the whole cake, and I do not eat cake everyday. I ate it to celebrate life with my friend. 

I am fed up with being the guest who watches the thick, chocolate slices covered in rose-shaped buttercream frosting be savored and enjoyed by my friends. I am also tired of being the guest who eats the cake, but all the while longingly admires the guest who did not. I want to be the guest who eats the cake, enjoys the cake, and continues on with life. 

The One with the Fries

Last night I ate French fries with my dinner. And they were yummy. It has taken me a long time to be able to do something like this. A few years ago, I would not even look at a French fry, too scared of what consuming it would do to me. The mere thought of the amount of calories, fat, and sodium those little fried potatoes contained was enough to make me cry-literally. I went through a period of time where I could not understand why I needed to eat something as "unhealthy" as fries. If I can live without them, why should I put myself, my body, through such destruction? Yes, I could survive without touching a fry, and many people would probably give me a pat on the back and a "I wish I had your self-discipline!" But I have learned that restricting food does not make me have self-discipline, quite the opposite actually, it allows that food to have power over me. A French fry should not hold that much power in my life!

 I am not saying that today I am completely free of those thoughts, I was anxious about eating the fries, but the difference is that today I can challenge myself. I can eat the fries and realize that I will not gain weight, that I am ok, and that I do not need to workout execssively to make up for it. Does that mean that now I am going to eat an order of large fries everyday? Of course not! That would NOT be moderation, and no one would enjoy eating large quantities of fries everyday, if he or she is listening to one's body. I am however, going to let myself enjoy a serving of fries when I feel like it.

 The cliché motto that my entire blog is based on is "everything in moderation." I used to think this motto was cheesy and too good to be true, but actually putting it into practice has not led me astray (don't worry, I will be the first to let you know if it does).

Everything in Moderation? I disagree...

I came across this blog post and could not resist giving my opinion on it. 

http://www.meghantelpner.com/blog/does-all-things-in-moderation-work/

To begin with, the first sentence really irks me: "Does “all things in moderation” work? I haven’t seen it work yet." 

I disagree. From all that I have learned from various professionals, I believe all things in moderation does work (even though I still have a hard time practicing it myself). However, I think the author is comparing apples and oranges when she brings up smoking and other "bad" habits and eating. I believe all food in moderation is the correct/most healthy way to go about eating. Smoking, on the other hand, is not the same as eating a few Cheetos at a birthday party. Smoking one cigarette will not kill you either, but the difference is that smoking contains Nicotine, which is an addictive drug. 

Food is vital to life. No, Cheetos and candy are not necessarily vital, but they are forms of energy, nonetheless. Smoking, in my opinion, is not in the same category as any type of food. 

I agree with the author in the sense that you should not eat salads all week to go have a Big Mac on Friday. But that is not practicing moderation. Moderation would not involve denying yourself all week or "saving up" for one meal. Healthy eating is important, but eating treats and an occasional burger is healthy! If you had not restricted all week and went to get that Big Mac, you might not even want the whole thing. 

The author claims that once we "get it" we will no longer think moderation is acceptable, but want to make decisions that honour our bodies and families. I do not see how eliminating certain foods is honoring one's body or family? If the chemical-laden Doritos are delicious, then eat an appropriate portion of them in moderation. They may not be great for you, but the Doritos are not going away. The Doritos will be at parties, at the grocery store, served as a snack at Bible Study. Choosing not to eat them will most likely leave you feeling deprived, as well as spending WAY too much time thinking about Doritos.

 Foods filled with toxic chemicals are all around us. I am not saying "dig in and forget about it!" It is something we should be aware of, however, I am saying that these types of foods are apart of our lives and are unavoidable. Even in the case of toxic chemicals, I still believe moderation holds true. 

Tell me your thoughts!

A Common Misconception: Moderation

Moderation. Moderation. Moderation. That is all I keep hearing from health magazines, yet why is this so contradicting to everything else these magazines publish? One article tells us to eat dessert to prevent a binge later, while the front page gives us the nutritional breakdown of said dessert in an attempt to convince us otherwise.

Today I came across an aggravating ad, not to mention an oxymoron. The article's description to draw readers in was, "it is fine to indulge once in a while but these offenders are just not worth it." The "offenders" included frosting, bagels, bacon, soy sauce, maraschino cherries, and jarred tomato sauce. A peculiar combination of foods that can never be consumed. The reasons for banning these horrific edibles included everything from calories, fat and sugar content, sodium and artificial flavors. Why were these specific foods singled out? If it comes down to grams of sugar, doesn't a cookie have more sugar than jarred tomato sauce? What about funnel cake? We can eat funnel cake but not maraschino cherries? 

There is no specific list of foods to avoid. The point of moderation is MODERATION for EVERYTHING. No foods are excluded in this statement. As one who has been in the recovery process for awhile now, it angers me greatly to see "health" magazines try to promote a balanced lifestyle, while publishing articles such as the one mentioned above. 

Introduction

Welcome to my blog!

Just a bit about what my blog will entail- I have struggled with taking things to extreme measures with both eating and exercise for many years. However, I do not want to go into detail about my struggles or focus on my past because that is not helpful to me, and I believe it is triggering for others. I want this blog to be about my current journey; my journey to living a truly balanced life- without food or exercise controlling me, as well as an educational and (hopefully) encouraging tool for others struggling with the concept of moderation.