What's the deal with diets?

I sit here and I should be working on this Psychology paper, but I am tired as it is, so maybe I will just leave it until tomorrow. So instead, I'm going to write about something that is easy to write about. I'm going to talk a bit about fitness and more specifically, dieting.

But before that:



"That's some bad hat, Harry."

Roy Scheider passed away, so let's take a minute to reflect on Jaws, and Jaws 2, and 2010: The Year We Make Contact. All great movies-- truly a talent that will be missed.

On to the main topic of today's note though. People in my family are always dieting. Dieting is fine in its own right (after all, these days we get way too many calories as it is), but what bothers me is the way some people go about it. I'm a firm believer that if it's natural (even better if it's fresh) then it's good to eat. Some people get it in their heads that things like cheese and red meat have to go, but unless you have some sort of specific condition (for the sake of this argument, let's assume you don't, and are otherwise healthy) then I don't think that's such a good move. Instead, I'd argue that the key to a healthy diet is simply moderation. Don't cut out butter, don't cut out cheese. If you are making spagetti, don't make it taste like shit-- put a little meat in there, and just don't eat two helpings.

It kills me when I see people "dieting" by eating a horrible meal, but then later snacking because they either aren't full or aren't satisfied. On the flip side, saying you are limiting yourself to one helping, and then heaping that helping to Heaven isn't really legit either.

I've been getting into cooking recently, and although I haven't really prepared anything myself yet, I've been reading and watching lots on it. One of my favourite shows right now is Jamie at Home, which is Jamie Oliver's new show where he talks about his garden and then makes some dishes from stuff he's grown. It's a great program, and I love his mentality about using fresh fruits and vegetables in his meals. If you're not a cook, I really suggest getting into it. It really isn't that hard, and that way you can ensure what you are putting into your dishes is clean food. Stay away from the unnatural stuff, especially anything that is hydrogenated (this is another term for something that will solidify like plastic in your arteries because it's a man-made preservative).

I feel like a bit of a broken record, but whatever, that's what blogs are for right, so I'll say it anyway: with your well-balanced diet, do a bit of excercise. I like lifting weights, I've been doing it for a few years now, and it's been good to me. I had a great Schwarzenegger quote to put in here, but I can't find my favourite Arnold book. It's like half biography and half workout regime/diet-- great stuff! It's a shame I can't find it, you should hear what Arnold would have you eating!

Actually, I really have to find that, it would be great for right here.

Anyway, I know I'm not formally trained in nutrition, these are just my feelings on dieting and working out. If it's natural, you're golden. If you are trying to avoid fat, just cut back your portions, don't leave it out altogether. I don't know why fat gets such a bad wrap these days anyway-- your body needs it to do all sorts of good stuff like lubricating your joints. And if you are into body building, definitely don't be shy around it.

Well, that's that for now. I never did find that Arnold book, but in my search through the house, I did come across this:



Not quite the one I was looking for, but this could be better. It looks like about a thousand pages of detailed pictures and musculature diagrams. Looks like I've got some reading ahead of me-- I'll let you know how it goes.