When Even "Healthy" Snacks Aren't Healthy

I ran three miles. Actually, to be exact, I ran 3.1 miles -- the length of a 5k race -- on the treadmill! I cannot accurately convey through written words how awesome if felt to push myself to something I thought was unattainable.

I had told myself that I was going to attempt two miles again and that I would run at a slow and steady pace. I got to 2.5 miles and realized that I felt good, so I kept going until I hit the 5k mark. I was ecstatic! That three-mile run helped me to push out 19.42 miles of running, which is just shy of my 20-miles-in-January goal.

However, I wish I could say that I was as successful in other aspects of my week. It is very hard to track your steps when you forget to wear your pedometer. On the few days that I did wear it, I walked anywhere from 4,500 to 8,900 steps. The days I walked the most steps were, understandably, the days that I also ran.

Also, I felt myself falling into some old food traps. In the past when I have lost weight, I would rationalize my food choices. Let me explain. I thought that instead of choosing to eat a whole pizza, perhaps I could have a slice or two more than a typical serving size. Or, I would tell myself that I had been making good choices, so it was okay to have a couple of slip-ups. From those slip-ups, it would often take weeks to turn my behavior back around.

This week, I found myself choosing so-called healthier versions of poor food choices. For example, I wanted chips and dip. Since I am still going strong on my no-fried-foods resolution, I knew I had to pick a baked option to fulfill my craving. I also picked out a lower-calorie dip. But I made the mistake of taking the container of dip and the bag of pretzels to the couch instead of portioning out a proper serving. Baked or fried, if you eat multiple servings of a food, you can easily rack up 600 or more calories on a "harmless" snack. Believe me, because that's exactly what I did.

I also found myself veering away from my planned food choices. One day for lunch instead of eating my perfectly fine turkey chili from home, I went out and bought a sub sandwich. It didn't seem like much at first, but I realized quickly that last week was full of "oh, it won't hurt" decisions.

In the past, weeks of these decisions would add up, and slowly over time I would regain all of the weight I had lost. I absolutely refuse to let that happen to me this time around as I've worked way too hard to build a healthier lifestyle.

This blog is very therapeutic. As I sat down to write about the week, it was very clear that this week was a reminder that no matter how much I run, I still need to maintain focus over my eating habits, and that even foods that might be somewhat healthier than other foods still aren't the healthiest choice to make.

Though weight gain may be subtle at first, if I don't stay on a healthy track, my weight could slowly creep back up, and that is simply not an option.

This week, it is back to tracking my food choices consistently as well as aiming to run for a total of 75 minutes. February is going to be a fit and fabulous month!


After decades of dieting only to gain it back, two That's Fit readers have decided to finally rethink their relationship with food and exercise over the next year to move toward a lifetime of fulfilling, healthy living. Come by every week as Ashley and Lee share their successes and challenges as they tip the scale.