Does this nutritionist count calories, track exercise on a Fit Bit, or limit her gluten, sugar or carb intake? You just might be surprised.

Time for lunch? Thinking about dinner?  I've gathered a bunch more pics to share from my recent meals. But first I need to respond to a couple of comments and questions you've voiced in person and on the last post.

Lean steak which I have infrequently with grilled farm-fresh
potatoes and watermelon.

Do you think about balancing your day's eating depending on what you ate earlier in the day?

Not at all.  I don't think "I shouldn't have bread again since I had some at breakfast" any more than I think "Oh, I had three fruits already so I'd better have something else for snack." I go with what I feel like, when I'm hungry. 

So you don't give any thought to your food choices?

Homemade pizza topped with artichoke and peaches.

That's not the case either. There's a balance between nutrition information and pleasure/preference that informs my decisions about what to eat. I might have lox at a meal but I wouldn't include olives, let's say, as the sodium would be quite high. And since I have high blood pressure I try to be moderate about my intake. Besides, I think it would be disgusting together. I might have pasta--white, low fiber pasta, but I don't eat a pound of it. I'll add veggies and perhaps a protein source such as chicken or tofu for some balance; the protein and fiber impact fullness which helps make the pasta meal more satisfying.  

Similarly, I'll routinely have a large salad with my pizza or I'm apt to eat a lot more pizza than I need, before recognizing that I've had enough. I happen to love fruit and vegetables so I eat them generously. But my favorite food just might be bread which I eat no less than twice a day. My latest favorite is homemade sourdough.

Do you calculate your calories? And if not, how do you know how much to eat?

I never calculate my calories. Okay. Not true. I did it once after a 2 day bike ride at my husband's request, as he was curious about how our constant eating (and cycling) measured up with our calculated need. In fact, it was strikingly right on--but calculated after the fact; I did not count my calories to limit my intake or determine my portions. When you allow your self to acknowledge hunger and not mask it with water or coffee or deny it until you 'deserve it', and respond to it with food for fuel, the system starts to work just fine.

This is a special meal I prepared from Gramercy Tavern cookbook
featuring halibut, zucchini in various forms and corn salsa.

But you also need to be eating regularly to prevent excessive hunger and impulsive eating. And it helps most of us to control the environment--removing food as a visual trigger to eat. Store food behind cabinet doors, in the fridge or freezer instead. And beware of the impact of other triggers such as alcohol, stress, and mood. Feeling a sense of hopelessness about your eating doesn't help either.

A veggie heavy pasta meal.

Do you think some people are born unable to do this and others aren't? Because I think I'm different, and this simply won't work for me.

No. I felt the same way many years ago when I struggled with a cycle of restrictive eating followed by binge eating. It feels like there's no way out. I don't buy into the addiction model for foods (http://dropitandeat.blogspot.com/2012/09/what-ive-learned-about-food-addiction.html) but I do see that behaviors can be addictive. So focusing on eating behaviors (which I address a great deal on this blog) is key. Search this blog for mindfulness, hunger and fullness to start.

Sure, you can do this because you must exercise a lot. 

Pasta with an indian flare-with some cashews and coconut.

Sometimes I exercise a lot, like when I'm training for my annual fund-raising bike ride. But I usually work out about 3-4 days/week (once is just a walk with you-know-who*), with an additional day of Pilates. In cycling season the rides may be long, but aside from then,  I don't spend more than an hour working out. 

And I don't intentionally adjust my food choices or portions on non-work-out days. I know my body burns calories at rest, even when I'm sitting at my desk for 8 hour days, 4 days a week. 

Hope this helps. Still thinking this is unhealthy? Let's discuss.
And by the way, all the meals above right were dinners, and those below were my lunches. Missing are the frequent PB and P (preserves of all kinds) sandwiches I bring for lunch but neglected to photograph.

A grilled cheese, arugula and tomato. Yes, on sourdough.

That's cheese hidden under the figs, and lox. Admittedly a weird 
mix, but I had little time to make a lunch when I was
running late.

Add caption

Bread and houmous, with yogurt and granola.

Lemony Lentil Stew with goat cheese, served on 2 corn
tortillas. From Drop the Diet www.food-2-eat.com

Yum!

*yes, you know who.

The very low sugar, low fat healthy diet—an oxymoron.

Kristen knew to avoid fats—except for those in nuts (which she included in very limited amounts) and certainly those in dairy and oils. Fats are bad. Period. She loves fat free yogurts, but those she omits because of the sugar. Same with milk, which she truly used to enjoy. Now she uses fortified water aka lite almond milk. Seasonal fruits, even the organic stuff—completely stricken from her diet, you know, because of the sugar.  Whole grains—well those have those god-awful carbs so those are out too. Yup, that leaves… lean poultry and fish and non starchy vegetables.

No wonder meal planning is a challenge.

No wonder she struggles to not binge following a day of deprivation.

No wonder her energy level is low, and her thoughts are preoccupied with food and eating.

Why can’t I decide what to eat?

If you're like Kristen, you get so over-focused on what you shouldn't eat that you're challenged to figure out what to eat.  Your endless food rules about nutrition, weight and health leave few foods to eat—and enjoy. 

I've lost count of how many patients came into my office these last weeks, stating: "I have no idea what to eat anymore. I just can't decide." These are patients of all sizes and conditions—patients with anorexia, and those with binge eating disorder and bulimia; and those struggling with their climbing weight and obesity in spite of their attempts to eat healthy. And they’re all ruled by unnecessary food rules.

Wrong, wrong, wrong about fats!

Like Kristen you too may be fat phobic, in spite of the updated newest guidelines for Americans 2015, which have removed the notion that total fat should be avoided. Got that? There is no evidence to support a recommendation that total fat should be restricted—neither for weight management nor for health and disease prevention. 

Really? How can this be?

At the 2015 Scientific Sessions of the American Diabetes Association (ADA) there was a wealth of research showing that diets rich in fats from plants sources—with nutrients like mono unsaturated fats (think avocado, peanuts and olive oil)—and in omega 3s (think salmon, sword and tuna in addition to walnuts and flax) help reduce abdominal fat distribution which is the greater health concern than obesity.

And, wrong about carbs and weight gain!

Also at the ADA, extensive research was presented concluding that macronutrients—the protein, fat and carbohydrate balance of your diet—ultimately have no impact on your weight. That's right. Numerous large studies including a well-done Harvard study confirm this.

I know, I know, it’s hard to believe when you’ve already been sucked into the misinformation of carb and sugar toxic diets and fat phobia.

You’ve lost sight of the bigger picture. In spite of eating a diet full of healthy foods including protein sources, fruits and vegetables, grains and fats—your calorie intake can become reduced to the point of providing inadequate calories for your day to day need. You get fuzzy headed, feel fatigued and decision-making about food becomes challenging. Rules and restrictions consume you, so you're at a loss to figure out what you can eat. I mean if you know you can’t eat gluten or that carbs are toxic or fats will make you fat and sugar is poison than what's left? How can you choose what to eat when there's so little that allowed?

Remember when you used to simply eat?

Move from micromanaging your foods.

How can you loosen the reins? Start to shift your thinking from micromanaging your diet. Rather than hyper focusing on each individual food item, on every nutrient or component of your intake, consider the bigger picture.

Consider OJ.

I walk through the supermarket noting the orange juice selection. Remember orange juice, the juice of oranges naturally high in vitamin C (and lesser known for its high potassium and folic acid content)? Only now it’s available calcium fortified. And get it with pulp—it’ll make you think you’re getting more fiber, when in truth there’s no difference. Add omega 3s while you’re at it—just get it with fish oils (quite a disgusting thought, personally). My point? Why are we thinking that one food has to be everything to our diet? Can't oranges or orange juice just provide us with the nutrients it's known for?

Must our pasta be whole wheat and protein fortified or be banned from our diet? What if you started with white pasta—yup, no fiber, all carbs, delicious pasta? You don't need to have the whole 16 oz. of it. By itself it's hardly a balanced meal. But surely you can find a solution to that, right?

Yes, you can add vegetables—for vitamins, for volume and texture, for fiber and satiety. Feel the need for protein at that meal? Add a glass of milk, some cheese, some shrimp or chicken or smoked salmon.  See where I’m going? 

Maybe think even bigger picture. Perhaps some meals are higher carbohydrate, but your protein is met from other meals or snacks?  Maybe you had a Greek yogurt high in protein or some nuts, for instance.

It's time to aim for balanced meals and a balanced day of eating, rather than hyper focusing on some 'perfect', ideal foods and eating style. Imagine even including a baked good simply because you enjoy it, as a snack when you’re hungry—contributing to your energy needs for the day, in addition to the wholesome foods you strive to limit yourself to.

Now that’s healthy eating.

Thoughts? Questions? Does this resonate for you? Are you out there reading? Please share with anyone who might needs some reality checking! Thanks!