Food should be a treat to the senses - smell, taste, sight, texture. A "peanut butter and banana on whole wheat toast" is not what I would consider a meal, especially not much of a breakfast. I would much prefer something hearty, and something that would stick with me until lunch - not leave me craving a snack at 10am. Of course, finding healthy and tasty alternatives is tough.
My wife subscribed to Cooking Light magazine, and I think I have found the answer to most of my concerns about healthy and tasty ways to prepare food. The recipies aren't "diet" food. They're healthy approaches to the kinds of meals, snacks, and treats that I like. Their website is
loaded with great recipies that you wouldn't know were healthier alternatives. There's even a recipie for grilling a ribeye!
Overall, I love Cooking Light magazine, but I do have a complaint about the magazine in particular, and weight loss publications in general. It is clear from the advertisements and the articles in Cooking Light magazine that the majority of the readers are female. Look at the fan list on their Facebook page. Look at the articles and ads on their website.
I have never seen an article or ad in Cooking Light magazine geared towards men and men's health (exception - I did see an ad about some prostate drug). It would certainly be helpful to me if there were an article or ten about healthier living from a man's point of view.
Of course, there is stuff like Men's Health magazine, but the emphasis seems to be on fitness, being ripped, and, of course, being a sexual gymnast. The weight loss goals of the readers of Men's Health magazine seems to be a "mere" 10-20 pounds, not 100 like I ultimately need to lose. There is some interesting, and sometimes helpful information to be found in Men's Health magazine and magazines like it, but you have to wade through too much irrelevant information to find something helpful.
I don't want this to sound like an excuse entry. It isn't. I will continue to use Cooking Light and Men's Health in my quest to lose weight and be fit. It isn't going to be easy to lose the weight, and it will take time. I didn't get to weigh over 300 pounds in just a few months. I certainly can't expect to lose it in a few months. There are other things in my life that I enjoy and are fun for me, and I have no problem learning and getting information from a variety of sources to become better at those things. Fitness should be the same.
If I approach my weight loss like my favorite hobby, I will accept that there is not one source of information tailored 100% for my needs. Everything I need to know is available to me, I just need to find it and absorb it.
FOOD UPDATE
I have been conciously eating smaller portions and attempting to eat healthier foods, and have, so far, been successful. Three days is easy. I hope to be saying the same thing in three months.
