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May 18, 2006
It's Hard To Live By The Rules; I Never Could, And Still Never Do
Tonight I am listening to one of my favorite songs by The Pretenders, "The Talk of the Town." It contains the line quoted in our headline.
For many years before my conversion to CR, I was a lowfat vegan. The rules were simple: no fat, no animal products. I found it very hard to live by the rules. My body was constantly crying out for fat, and to medicate it I would eat more and more carbs. I dreamed about eggs, since they were the last recognizable complete protein I had encountered. I used to call my best friend at night (a vegan as well) and say, "I am dreaming about eggs!!!"
One thing I love about CR is that there are no forbidden foods. Like the Outback Steakhouse, "No Rules, Just Right." As few calories as you can handle, as many nutrients as you can pack in. Simple. Nothing is off limits, but you can't keep to a low calorie level if you don't get all the nutrients you need. Don't take my word for it -- do the experiment yourself. Try eating a diet made up of the RDA of everything at say, 1100 calories for a very petite female. Then try doing the same calories but with lower protein, lower fat, and fewer RDAs. You'll be hungry. All those curmudgeonly guys on the CR List are correct -- you need more protein, more unsaturated fat, and more nutrition in order to not be hungry. Change your diet and the miracle will happen: low calorie, no hunger! The body you always wanted, and a sense of mental peace that most people only get by joining a Buddhist monestary and giving up earthly delights. Besides, who wants to drink yak butter tea? ICK!!! I'll take CR any day!
It's much easier, at least for me, to live in a universe of lower calories but no limits. If I want to eat a piece of chocolate cake, I can... but I make up the calories elsewhere. It's not long (about 12 hours!) before I start craving my healthy foods: megamuffin, brewers yeast, cruciferous veggies, etc. Once the body gets used to the things that nourish it, it's hard to go back.
When I go out too much, eat too much gak, and skip my nutritious quotidian foods, I immediately feel a decrease in my overall vitality. I know how to medicate: eat healthy food!
I never could live by the rules: not low fat, not low carb, not vegan, not even vegetarian. CR isn't about eliminating this food group or that: rather, you have to make you own decisions about how you can best meet your nutritional needs at the lowest calorie level you can tolerate. That varies a great deal from person to person, and here's where personal responsibility comes in: we don't tell you what to eat! We can provide you with information based on the science and our own experience, but in the end, you decide!
CR is easier for me than veganism, than vegetarianism, than Ornish/McDougall lowfatism. I feel incredibly free when I order scallops in a restaurant... never mind that the grilled vegetables over pasta would have three times the calories. The ability to eat any food I want --- in controlled amounts -- is liberating.
Oh but it's hard to live by the rules
I never could, and still never do.
Posted by april at May 18, 2006 8:26 PM
Comments
Hi April
Restaurants are so backwards as to what a vegetarian eats, that one has to be creative in giving them direction as to what to prepare for us. If all that can be concocted into a vegetarian meal is vegetables over pasta, I'll order that and eat the vegetables and leave the pasta. Some of us stay with vegetarianism because other aspects of our lives ask it of us - yoga, buddhism. Although I'm primarily vegan, I'll eat some dairy products. The other day at a vendor lunch the presenter was so happy to present me a "vegetarian" selection. It was called "mozzarela fresca" I opened the huge sandwich and with a fork and knife ate 6 slices of mozzarella cheese, one slice of tomato and one rectangular piece of lettuce.
Cheers
Arturo Veve
Posted by: Arturo at May 21, 2006 6:46 AM
Our lunch with Jaroslav Pelikan was indeed one of the highlights of my life, April. Thanks for writing such a fitting tribute to him.
Dad
Posted by: Dad at May 24, 2006 12:22 PM
Hi April,
Reading your blog everyday is really helping me stay on track. I find that I am losing weight for a better cause, the longevity of my life.
I must admit, I'm am not as diciplined as you. For example, we went to Taco Bell last night. I love everything here, it's so hard to stay good. Anyway, I ordered two tacos, and I used a spoon to scoop out the middle on to the paper, leaving the shell/s out of my meal program. I also went to the car to get my water instead of a soda. During my little, cute dinner I try to drink my 9 oz. bottle of water to fill up and I find out that this works for me.
So....How do you conquer Fast Food when there is no choice?
Carmela
PS. I had a bowl of Sugar Pops for my Dinner the night before(that's bad of me). It was sooooo good, and I have not had those in a year. I could not resist.
Posted by: Carmela at May 24, 2006 12:30 PM