Sessions with Sydney is a weekly column by features editor Sydney Ray. For more installments of Sydney’s ideas, opinions and ramblings, check out the opinions page, and check back every Friday for a new issue.
Around the holiday season, almost everyone pigs out more than usual. Whether it be homemade fudge and toffee or roasted turkey with gravy, a healthy diet is not on the minds of most. Many even begin to pack on the pounds, anticipating a springtime motivation to slim back down to regular size.
However, a few weeks before New Year’s Day, I had been contemplating my diet. I eat fast food, homemade goodies and junk pretty often, even when it is not the holiday season, so I decided I would like to change that.
My decision to begin a new diet was also spurred by a discussion in teacher Molly Sargent’s AP Literature and Composition class. In class one day, we talked about meat. In the Bible, before Adam and Eve initially sinned, they did not eat meat. I was inspired by their diet and decided to attempt one of my own, beginning New Year’s Day.
“What better solution exists than cutting out meat from my diet – with the exception of fish?” I thought. I am not a big fan of meaty foods, anyway; in fact, I rarely eat large quantities of meat. I planned on eating shrimp or some other fish if I got a craving. Being a “pescatarian,” as it is called, cannot be very hard, right?
Wrong.
Although I do not eat large quantities of meat very frequently, I found out quickly that meat is in more meals than I thought. And the few meats I do eat, I thoroughly enjoy.
My boyfriend also took on this endeavor with me. We wanted to bond by changing our diets together, and we both agreed it would be much easier to take on such a task as a team. We could cook meals together that were within our restrictions and learn good culinary skills.
The first time I slipped up, it was completely accidental. I got home from work one night and, feeling famished, heated up a pepperoni Hot Pocket. Halfway through, I realized that I had broken the diet. I was horrified.
“Should I tell my boyfriend?” I wondered. After all, I did not want to give him an excuse to cheat on his diet, too, just because I had. But I decided to tell him, and he admitted to slipping up himself several times.
Since then, we have both decided that beginning with a drastic change is not the way to go. We want to take our diet slowly, so that it is actually able to be accomplished, and without constant frustrations. Instead of being pescatarians, we are going to cut out fast food and other junk first, with the eventual goal of going back to pescatarianism and eventually vegetarianism.
So far, the beginning of our journey to a healthier life has turned out pretty well. Instead of grabbing Taco Bell, we looked up a recipe online and cooked shrimp scampi together one night.
What I learned about myself through all this is that it is not good to make impulsive decisions. When planning a diet change, actual planning is involved – something I had not previously considered.
Healthy living is important. However, when making changes, taking them step-by-step is a much more realistic approach.
When giving something difficult a shot, it is best to have an accountability partner. This is applicable to all aspects of life. Whether it be a prayer partner, study buddy or a person who helps with dieting solutions, an assistant who stands by my side and gives guidance is always welcome.
