Rebel Eater

This weekend, I started a little challenge with some friends from SparkPeople to photograph everything we eat for the entire month of June.  I had already started doing that last week on my own so I figured I should just join and get the support of other people in it with me.  We are all texting each other throughout the day to be accountable also.

June 1

I always shoot to just stay under 2000 calories.  That might seem high to weight loss people out there.  It is actually in maintenance for me but after years of being hungry, I stopped worrying about it so much.  I never will go below 1400 on purpose either.  That is just not enough to live on.

June 2

Of course, I prefer to have good quality calories in addition to the quantity but Sunday was a total bust.  We somehow skipped lunch so I ended up with a frappuccino while grocery shopping to stave off impulse buys.  Then after dinner, we went for ice cream which means many of my calories, though totaling under 2000, were not good quality.

I feel a little odd after only a few days of texting these ladies.  It is funny to see the differences in what we all eat and how much.  I think I tend to eat a lot more than most people who are trying to lose weight.  I also have mostly-Paleo tendencies too (though I did not follow them much this weekend).  I have just found what works best for me.  I have to be careful though not to forget that I worked through this before and know that I do best eating this way.  It is hard not to get sucked into the traditional thinking of super low calories and tons of whole grains.  I struggle with knowing what is “right” for me constantly.  I’m not saying that some people can’t be healthy, eating that way, its just not for me.  But like I said, isn’t it hard not to think you are doing something wrong?

So I’m going to lay out the basic rules I follow each day to stay healthy:

1. Never eat less than 1400 calories.
2. Try not to eat more than 2000 calories.  (Unless an intense workout says I should.)
3. Quality over Quantity.
4. Paleo is best.

These are the guidelines I generally follow and will continue to follow through the month of June for this challenge.  Notice I put that Paleo is best.  I know I won’t be 100% but in the back of my mind, I know it is best for me.  Kind of goes with the “quality” of my food.  Let me just say, these ladies have been great and supportive – it is just my own insecurities boiling up when I start to compare what I eat to what others eat.  I just needed to write down what I know works for me.  I still have a clear head today and if I start to struggle in a few weeks, I can just look back and remind myself of what I should be doing!

Do you have any eating habits that are contrary to “traditional” healthy eating?

I do a lot of things differently I think.  I’m not afraid to eat fat.  I don’t think whole grains are healthy for me.  I don’t drink milk.  I like to eat 3-4 larger meals and avoid snacking.  I won’t go on a 1200 calories per day diet because its too low for me and I wouldn’t be able to sustain it forever.  I’m such a rebel!