Have you ever paid attention to commercials and realized how many of them are food related? Some guy is on the screen showing you how trim he is, smiling and drinking a small milk bottle, BOOM the very next commercial is the Whooper by Burger King all juicy and too big to fit on your television screen. And people wonder why we have a problem here in the North America. I started this Journey for myself, but I started posting to show those who are interested that just because you are not already ripped and extremely fit does not mean you should not be taking care of your body. I am on a mission to get rid of my bad eating habits, how about you? . (Why I started this Journey.)
MY 5 BIG MISTAKES
1 EATING A RIDICULOUS AMOUNT OF CARBOHYDRATES
Curious, Have you ever looked at the label on the back of a Minute Maid 10oz apple juice bottle? You might want to start checking that out, as you will find in that small 10oz bottle, there is 34 grams of carbs. I use to throwback about four of these a day, 136 grams of just apple juice in one day. Do you like pasta? Well you are not alone, this is the one part of my new eating style that has been the most difficult. It really is not that hard when I figured out how many carbs I was inhaling during a spaghetti dinner. With the normal amount I would eat, about half of a 12oz box, the carb count is around 164 grams and for good measure 800 calories. That is all before adding everything else in the mix.
FIX: Watching my carb totals and utilizing vegetable noodles as a substitute for my spaghetti habit.
2 NOT EATING ANY VEGETABLES
The shocker for anyone who knows me is that I am now eating predominantly vegetables. Outside of the nutritional purposes of eating vegetables, I find them to be quite filling. Vegetables can be cooked and utilized in a variety of ways. Yes, some of them you have to be careful with either because they do contain way too much fat or they are actually a grain (looking at you Mr. Potato). Broccoli has become my go to when I can not figure out what I want to eat or I want a little snack. For those of you who actually eat vegetables that is awesome, but for those of you who do not, you must start to add some to your diet.
FIX: Have a vegetable with every meal, minimum.
3 FRIED FOODS
This one seems to be a no brainer, especially after my last post about Omega 3 vs Omega 6 and the oils that affect this balance. Until this change of lifestyle I would never take fried foods out of my diets. I would fudge my carb count or work it into my point system so that I could eat it and feel good about it. The worst of all of these was Arby’s chicken fingers, which were my favorite. As I have moved my system away from processed foods however, I have only had them once and paid for that mistake as they tore my stomach up.
FIX: Grilled chicken is the way to go here, if you have the budget for it preferablly Non-GMO, free range chicken. Cooking chicken with a little bit of extra virgin olive oil and some herbs makes for a great meal.
4 EATING AWAY FROM HOME
Any of these could be the worst of my mistakes, and eating out could be the worst. Over the past almost six weeks now I have been eating at home for almost every meal. There are two major takeaways here: The food that my wife or myself cook is a lot better then anything we can get at a restaurant. Overall the cost of eating at home is significantly lower then going out, especially when you are talking about seafood here in Indiana. While the initial cost might get you at the beginning of eating at home it is very much worth it, over the long haul.
FIX: Easy, stay home and have home cooked meals.
5 OVER EATING
As I have continued to work towards a healthy lifestyle the biggest change so far has been the amount of food that I eat. Just six weeks ago I would take out an entire plate of food and then go back for seconds and sometimes I wouldn’t be done there. Now I find myself not even filling the plate up completely, and yet I am not going to bed hungry. The food that I am eating now is a lot more filling in the long run as the body does not burn fat nearly as fast as it does carbs.
FIX: Eat more fats and proteins and less carbs, while also making sure you eat more vegetables with your meals.
Have a great weekend! Enjoy! Bryan
Stand Athletic 
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