7 Problem Areas in My Diet

I bet you think a nutritionist spends hours shopping at the farmer’s market, then cooking gourmet organic meals and blending up green smoothies. And of course, a nutritionist would never touch a cookie, Haagen Daz ice cream bar or white bread!  Um … not this nutritionist! I know that many of my clients assume I have a perfect diet (whatever that may be) and that I can’t relate to some of their problem areas.  I’m writing this post to reveal that my diet and habits are far from perfect. But like most you, I’m aware of my problem areas and it’s constantly a “work in progress” to improve upon them. Here is my confession ….

My problem areas

1. Have a real problem avoiding sweets in my office.
   Every December the sweets start to appear in the office complex where I rent space with a group of physicians. Their patients send gifts of every tempting sweet you can imagine and they pile up until about March.  Last year I gained 5 pounds. I am a chocoholic and have trouble restraining myself.  I’ve tried every tactic I can think of. I even offered to pay my colleagues money if they caught me digging into the chocolate  (see my previous blog post) This worked for a few days – that’s it!
   Solutions I’m working on: I will need to figure out a new tactic this year. I’m thinking of starting a private facebook group for people looking for support throughout the holidays. This may help support me! Let me know if you think this is a good idea and want to join as the holiday time gets closer (like around December)
2. I have serious portion control issues when I make pasta.
   I might cook  ¼ of the box which is reasonable for an entree size portion.  But somehow this does not satisfy me and I almost always go back to cook more. Something about pasta triggers me to want more.
   Solutions I’m working on: I rarely cook pasta – maybe 4x/year? But I will eat it out in restaurants on occasion. As the years have gone by, it’s not something I gravitate towards though. I’d rather have fish or even a small steak!
3. I often buy fruits and veggies from the street vendor. Most people would expect a nutritionist to buy their produce at farmers markets or at least Whole Foods. I’ve told some of my clients where I buy produce and I can see them look at meal somewhat in horror.  Well – here’s the deal. I tend to work long hours and get out of work late. If something is not VERY convenient for me when I get out of work, I’m not going there. If it’s earlier than 8 pm, I’ll swing by Graces Market for organic produce. But otherwise, hello street vendor. This is on my way home. I feel it’s better to eat non-organic produce, then than to skip it totally. Just make sure to check it carefully, as it’s not always the freshest! Let’s just say it’s not “right off the farm”.
   Solutions I’m working on:  Maybe I’ll make more of a point to buy extra produce at Graces, but no guarantees. I’ve done this too many times and it spoils because I don’t eat it on time.
4. Eat unbalanced dinners on occasion. About 3x/month, I will have an entire bag of Skinny pop for dinner. That’s it – no veggies or protein. I LOVE this stuff!
   Solutions I’m working on: None. I really enjoy this and will continue to do it!  But I don’t keep it my apartment. I’ll buy a bag when I want it for dinner:)
5. Drink too much alcohol when I’m with certain friends … only certain people (like 1-2 friends). If you are reading A.C, –  you know who you are. But I have gotten much better with this. One problem with getting older is that you just don’t feel as well as you used to the day after. Now I only have 1-2 drinks glasses of wine if going out  (but with “that” person, it may be 3). But I don’t even go out as nearly as much as I used to.
   Solutions I’m working on: This is getting better. I don’t go out as nearly as much as I used to and the knowledge that I’ll have a headache is negative reinforcement.
6. Crave sweets after I drink alcohol.  This one is kind of strange. I get pretty strong cravings for chocolate (including Haagen Daz ice cream bars) after having 2 drinks, even if I just had a full meal. Read my old post from 2009 on Why Does Alcohol Make Me Crave Chocolate?
   Solutions I am working on: Same as #5.  And I’ll make a point of fighting off the craving. Or if I take a cab home, I’ll have them drop me off right in front of my door so I don’t wander into Duane Reade.
7. I am not good with portion control if I order in food. In the past, I’ve ordered in healthy items like Turkish chicken kabobs and veggies. But it comes with a ton of rice and a big hunk of white bread. I always tell myself that I’ll throw out the bread and portion the entire meal in 2 servings. But …. it does not happen that way. I end up eating it all.
   Solutions I am working on:  I rarely order in. If I do, it’s usually sushi/sashimi where I order in the right amount. I’ve given up on the possibility of portioning out food into 2 days worth of meals.

Bottom line

Yikes! After reading this, it seems like I am a compulsive over-eater who is obsessed with sugar. I don’t feel that is the case as my diet is healthy 80% of the time. But I’ll be the first to admit that I do have problems with control of certain carby sugary foods.  I just decided to be super honest to show my readers that even nutritionists have problem areas in their diets. The trick it to acknowledge them and come up with a plan on how to “correct it”. Hopefully this will inspire you to come up with your own plan.  Maybe there are some areas you won’t be able to fix 100%, but I bet you can improve on it. After all, we all problem solve in our daily lives. So why not when it comes to behaviors when it comes to food and drink?

I’d love you to share some of your problem areas and brainstorm how to improve them!