What happens when you change your diet?

Over the past 5 years and particularly over the past 4 months I have changed my diet. The word "diet", for one thing, tends to have a negative connotation with it and means that you are starving yourself to lose weight when it doesn't really mean that if you are doing it in way that I consider to be "correct."

I didn't start eating only disgusting food that I don't like in an effort that will help me to lose weight. Of course this strategy will work but people who do it never stick with it. They always return to their old bad habits for a couple of reasons and that main one being that bad food tends to taste better and it of course is a lot more accessible.

A while back when I decided to change my life for the better I made small and meaningful decisions that were easy to do, and gradually they just became part of my life. It started with the elimination of processed sugars and that was actually quite easy for me because I've never really had a sweet tooth outside of when I was a child. So not having candy didn't bother me at all. Not having any sugar in my coffee bothered me a bit I guess but when I did the math and started seeing the absolute diabetes-level of calories that are in most coffee drinks at a place like Starbucks, it wasn't that hard anymore.

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What I did end up changing rather radically back in those days was that I kind of joined the carnivore diet and while this is more expensive and time-consuming than just eating whatever, it still tastes really good and I suppose that feeling depends on whether or not you like meat. I really do so it was fine by me.

It is a very normal thing to this day for me to consume a steak and potatoes for dinner almost every day and it is one of those things that I don't really ever seem to get tired of.

I have a cheat day once per week and sometimes, if it is a special occasion I will deviate from my diet as well. Yesterday wasn't really a cheat day, but I did go on an extra long bike ride (90 minutes) and saw that I had burned 900 calories on that ride and figured I could easily add something a bit less than healthy than what I could normally have and my body wouldn't really know the difference. I still took it easy on the sauces because the sauces like mayo, BBQ sauce, and yes - even ketchup - are the real killers on a burger.

But when I was eating my burger and side of potato wedges I realized during each bite that I wasn't really enjoying this thing. Yes, I have reached the point where a burger isn't enjoyable to me anymore. Sure, it was easy to get as it arrived at my apartment just 15 minutes after I ordered it but my enthusiasm started to wane really quickly when I noticed that I wasn't really enjoying this caloric monster.

here's the thing about burgers though. They aren't necessarily bad for you. Think about it ok? What is the difference between a burger and a steak dinner aside from those silly burgers that are drowning in sauce? Nothing really and since I was skipping the sauce there was virtually none besides the bread - which honestly isn't that big of a deal anyway.

By the time I was done I regretted eating it and would have preferred to have had my steak dinner that I normally have. I also had to have a protein shake as a follow up because it was not enough protein to fill my daily needs for that.

The trick that has worked for me in both losing weight and stabilizing my weight where I wanted it to be has always been a mostly whole foods diet that is high in protein and of course, the avoidance of alcohol. It's not that difficult once you start doing it.

The point here is that after a certain amount of time you don't really miss the sloppy "eat anything and everything" lifestyle that you once had once you make the change. I now actually WANT fruit and yogurt, I want a bunch of eggs and sausages. I want steak and potatoes.

I still want beer and that is something that I will struggle with but because I am more susceptible to hangovers in my older age now I am able to avoid those more easily as well.

So just know, when you are starting out on a new diet it might seem like it is really difficult to not have a whole bag of doritoes as a snack and to never have a full flavor Coca-Cola, but these habits fade over time to the point where you actually enjoy a sparkling water with lemon more than you ever would a Dr. Pepper. It just takes time.

I am now at the point where really fatty food for the most part are easy to resist because I don't actually want them. I now appreciate a "medley of grilled vegetables" over a plate of french fries. This isn't me convincing myself of that or trying to look cool, it is genuinely how I feel.

And I think when you get to that point that you reach a certain point of satisfaction because healthy living is no longer something you struggle to do... you just do it.

If you are one of those people that struggles with food I strongly encourage you to find out what kinds of whole foods you genuinely enjoy and then go get a bunch of them and keep them in your house. After a bit of time it will just become the default food choice for you and then, you body will thank you over time. It works! I'm living proof and keep in mind that I really let myself go in my 30's and turned it around in my 40's!

_{I don't have all the answers but I did do a lot of things wrong and if you listen to what I have to say maybe you can avoid doing them wrong in the first place}