Resurrecting my healthy eating

I hate calling it a diet because that implies that eating healthy should be temporary, but in all honesty, that's how it has always been for me.  I'm good for a couple of months, but then I binge!  And when I binge, I eat everything!!!

So reading around about diet and nutrition is going to provide a few things for us:

• Memes that encourage you to keep going!  I love these :)  Sure, I'll read some cliches and cheese, but sometimes it's the only encouraging thing you'll find out there!
• Memes that tell you to love your obese body!  This is really a complaint for another time, but these are terrible.  I don't care how someone looks as beauty does come in all sizes (and you don't get to choose what you're attracted to), but if I didn't hate my obese body, my health problems would be much worse right now.  I hate getting bad news from my doctor.
• Dr. Oz or some other celebrity health expert's fat cure.  If you could take a magic pill that could make you look like a fitness model, no one would be fat.  The labels on these things should say, take one pill after running 5 miles.
• Tons and tons of diets with labels:  Paleo, Baby-Food diet, Alcorexia, Gluten-Free, French-woman diet, etc.  It's all very confusing and seem to have limits on lots of stuff.  I like cheesecake...  probably doesn't fit into any of those.

And I'm no doctor.  I just speak from experience and common sense.  While I've had my trips and falls, I've still been doing quite well and here's what I know to be true.  The diets above probably help some people, some probably hurt, but diets seem to ignore the most important things:

1. Be accountable.  My genetics did not drive me to McDonalds everyday for months.  I chose the job that "made me" stress-eat.  I bought the food that I'd come home to and binge on.  I'm also the one that tells me to get my fat ass outside to run!
2. Have some Self Control.  There's so very little in our lives that we can truly say that we control.  Work piles up the second you step away from your desk!  It might rain today no matter how much I want the sun!  Someone can hit me with their car.  I can say no to a soda with my lunch, it might be the only choice I really get to make for myself today.
3.  Know that it's not easy.  Growing obese was easy, getting fit does not work the same way.
4. Drink water.  I've read more diet books that a normal person should have... they all say this and they are right.  I did find a few of these though:  "Even sugar-free flavored water works" and "Diet sodas are a good alternative if you can't stomach the flavor of water."  No.  Drink water.  If drinking sweet shit made you fat and went well with your multiple cheeseburgers, stop drinking that shit.
5. Understand some basic stuff about calories.  If you're burning more calories than you take in, you're going to lose weight.  If you eat more calories than you burn, you're going to gain weight.  If a tiny bit of food has a ton of calories (an order of fries) and a big order of food has a few calories (spinach), eat the food that is less calorie dense.
6. Learn to cook.  Try to make most of your meals and you'll see what you're eating.
7. Exercise.  Seriously...  most of my stuff on here is in regard to running, but it still needs to be said.  Want to drop the weight, well..  it really happens in the kitchen and while you sleep, but exercise helps a ton and makes you look good when the weight comes off.
8. Plan a cheat meal.  A lot of people disagree with me on this, but it works for me.  The keyword is "Plan" and I usually have it on Friday night.  By Tuesday, I know what food I'll have during my cheat meal.  Usually a pitcher of beer and Nachos.  No more, no less if that's what I planned.  It's all about self control.

So that's what works for me.  I can still have cheesecake (had them during my cheat meals) and lose weight.  Also, runnnnnnn!