Almost a week into the new diet, and it's had some ups and downs.
The hardest part? I'm a bit of a foodie. I haven't posted about it in a while, but whenever a brand I like drops a new product, I do my best to find it and give it a try. Right now, I'm seeing a ton of new releases getting announced — both grocery and fast food — that I'm anxiously awaiting, knowing most are limited availability, so I'll never get another chance. Instead, I need to keep telling myself that there's always going to be something I want to try, and that's not nearly as important as my life and health.
The "Unhealthy Healthy Diet"
I'm probably doing the most unhealthy healthy diet I could possibly try: beans and rice with a little bit of meat to get some fat in. Yes, I'm going high-carb mixed with high protein and high fiber. Portion sizes are kept small, so I'm in a caloric deficit.
So far, it's actually been working as well as, if not better than, I expected. I haven't experienced any gastrointestinal issues, and as I somewhat expected, I haven't had a huge spike in my blood sugars. It might help that I'm using precooked and reheated rice, which is supposed to somewhat offset glucose spikes. I'm watching my numbers and doing this safely.
I've got a ton of energy, I'm not starving two hours after each meal like I normally would on other diets, and I'm eating a food combo I really enjoy.
The Meal Prep Game-Changer
This diet is also getting me into food prep. I make a batch and dish it out for the next few days. Having grab-and-go meals has made a huge difference, and being able to weigh everything out and know "this container has X calories, X fat, X protein, X fiber..." has made tracking extremely easy.
Now, I'm not just eating beans and rice. I've also had some chicken that May cooked the other day, and I did have eggs for breakfast one morning when I woke up famished (second day on the diet).
The Long-Term Plan
I also don't plan to do this long-term. The original goal was a two-week experiment. After that, I'm considering dropping most of the carbs and doing high protein, low fat, high fiber. Think grilled chicken breast with brussels sprouts. When I start that up, I'm hoping to do meal prep just the same as I'm doing here. Overall, just trying to keep a deficit of about 750 calories a day. We'll see how it goes.
Fighting the FOMO
Anyway, I mostly just posted because I keep seeing all this food on social media, and the temptation is getting harder and harder. It's not boredom or lack of variety. Honestly, I'm looking forward to dinner so I can have some more beans. It's the FOMO nature that society is built on these days. Limited-run products. Get it now, or you'll miss it forever. If I don't go out and get the new Volcano Quesorito from Taco Bell, I might never get another chance!
However, there will be some cheat days built in. There's going to be times we have friends over, and we order pizza or takeout from the local Chinese joint. The goal is going to be to not completely go crazy with these events: eat reasonable portions, make good choices, and still track anything we're eating. Also, no more than one or two cheat nights each month.
And why don't I use these "cheat days" to try that new Volcano Quesorito? We're trying to keep those for experiences — not the food itself. Dinner with friends. Date night out to a nice restaurant. That kind of stuff.
The Real Motivation
Either way, if I don't start today and stick with it, that Quesorito might be one of the last big releases I get to try. The best time for me to start a new health journey was 30 years ago. The next best time is today... and this time, I need to stick with it until it's done. Whether that's one, two, three years or more.
The last time I seriously focused on diet and health, I did pretty damned good over one year. This time, I'm looking to do even better and make even further strides towards healthy living. We'll see how that works out.
I'm not planning to make regular diet posts, but look for updates from time to time in the future. I might start vlogging on TikTok, so maybe look for me there if you want more regular updates.
Thanks for listening, and thank you all for being a part of my life and the adventure.