On Nutrition
For a while, I was very active: I went to the gym five times a week, I went running twice a week, etc. But at the same time, I was kinda getting fat—bigger, more muscle, but lots of fat. And I couldn’t grasp why, because in the end, I was never this active in my adult life before. At some point, it clicked: eating Nutella from the pot for breakfast and getting drunk every night is not the healthiest way of eating, and I should maybe start looking into my food intake.
My system is by no means perfect: I don’t even have a six-pack. But I don’t compare myself to others. What’s important to me is to compare my current self to my past self, identify trends, and keep them in the right shape so my future self would be a better version of me.
Nutrition is a huge problem in modern society, which has led to a proliferation of magic diets and pills. But what you’re really looking for is something sustainable. Not a “diet” per se, because that term qualifies as a transition phase after which you’ll be lean and able to resume the eating habits that got you fat in the first place. Instead, you want a food system that you can live with—one that doesn’t make you feel like you’re missing out on anything.
First of all, the best way to know what you’re eating is to make your food yourself. This usually gets you into the following dilemma: make food every day, which will cost you a lot of time, or make food as a batch job and deal with eating the same thing for a couple of days. You choose whatever suits you best. I personally went with the second option.
It helps to remember that eating falls into two categories: things you eat for pleasure and things you eat for nutrition. If you’re always eating for pleasure, chances are you’re eating way more than your body’s actual needs.
Nothing is really bad for you, as long as you can track its provenance. A healthy diet includes an appropriate amount of everything: carbs, fats, protein, etc. But some things are worse than others. Current wisdom says that sugar is the enemy. As with all good things, you don’t want to let it go completely (unless you’re capable of it—then you probably should). Instead, you need to be aware of your consumption and set yourself quotas.
I usually try to avoid adding sugar to my coffee. I don’t even keep sugar or chocolate at home. I also avoid soda and even natural juice. But I often get sugar in the form of fruits and even as a delicious carrot cake once in a while.
There is a time and a place for everything, including eating healthy. Sometimes I’m in “holiday mode”: a time-bound period during which I allow myself to enjoy things that are bad for me (mostly alcohol and junk food). To be honest, when I first changed my diet, I used to look forward to those periods. Now I’m happy enough with my daily diet that I don’t even use my “holiday mode” to its fullest potential anymore!
If you feel like improving your diet, here are some sources that provide detailed information: