In our early twenties, my friend Shannon and I pitched in together and got a personal trainer. We'd both always been fairly athletic: she played beach volleyball and I ran fairly consistently but we both had sore spots we wanted to lean and strengthen.
We chose a rough-around-the edges gym with a wrestling ring and slightly dirt-smeared tanning beds (because gritty is better, maybe?) and we put ourselves at the hands of a tree-trunk-legged trainer named Steve. Steve worked the holy hell out of our calves and our biceps and I vividly remember tasting barf as I attempted to do chin ups, day after failed day. Shannon and I would stagger to my car after every work out and head straight to the Cheesecake Cafe, where we'd eat mushroom cheddar chowder (in a sourdough bowl!) and split a cheesecake sundae, talking about whether Steve was kind of cute (in a dirty gym monkey way?) or a totally gross womanizer (more likely).
We never had great results with Steve, and he never really asked us about our eating habits - which - i retrospect, what the hell, Personal Trainer Steve? I know I believed that if I worked out hard everyday, I could basically eat whatever I wanted to. But this last year, since I started exercising earnestly again, I've learned the bitter truth: even though you're working out like a madwoman, you still have to eat like a rabbit.
Actually, it's not that bad. But it kind of is. If you want results, tangible and visible ones, you've got to be cognisant of everything you're putting in your body. And that means putting down the fried food, the cheesecake, the bubbling cheese bread, the rice pudding, ohmygod.
Since Corey and I started dating 6 months ago, my diet has altered pretty significantly. I haven't eaten pasta once since I met him, and my bread intake has gone down a lot. If I snack at night, it's frozen fruit (though sharp cheddar and wheat thins: how I miss you) I credit these small changes for a lot of the changes I've noticed in my body - especially since I was essentially doing the same exercise program prior to meeting him.
Right now, I'm on the hunt for a healthy, sustainable diet. A few weeks ago, I tried Jay Cardiello's 7 day eating plan - a diet meant to help celebrities fit into their red-carpet gowns. I stuck to it but hated every minute and found it way too restrictive. The claim was that I'd "always feel full and have energy to spare" but screw that, I could have eaten raw chestnuts during those 7 days. On the upside: an apple became just as delicious and seductive as a bowl of creme brulee by the end of day 7.
I remember a coworker in the late 90's shedding an alarming amount of weight on the Atkin's Diet, and I've had some success in past with Body for Life. At dinner with friends the other night, we learned a little about a diet that touted the rule of 40-40-20 (40 carbs, 40 protein, 20 fat) Sometimes I wonder if plain old common sense is the way to go - and whether calorie counting or fat gram watching ever really works.
In an effort to force myself to really concentrate on what I put in my body (and refrain from sneaking Starbuck's fudge oat bars when Corey's not looking) - I let a lithe young woman pinch my fat with various intimidating devices at the gym last week. I wanted to know my current body fat so I can create a 6-month plan and goal. I'm on the hunt for a diet plan that will help me reduce my body fat by 3% by April 2009. I plan to work hard to stick to healthy, whole foods but I'd love to find something that allows me to at least occasionally have a slice of pie or a chocolate chip cookie. Anyone have suggestions on sites, links, or plans that have worked for them?
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