Rommel's soapbox on dieting

A few people have asked me recently about my diet. I don't have a good name for it yet, but you can call it the IronMel diet for now. The following is a little something I wrote about a month ago. It was actually a personal entry, but I'll make it public now since people have asked (it isn't that personal :) Enjoy.
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...Ahem... allow me to stand on my soapbox for a moment...

So this journey started in October 2005. At the time, I was at 182 lb.

Today I'm at 163 lb. That's my high school wrestling weight (15 years ago).

That's a total of 52 lb loss since my first attempt at the IronMan distance back in 2004.

My relatives and friends keep asking me what I'm doing to lose so much weight.

"Are you doing the low-carb thing?"
"You stopped eating rice, right?"

No, no, no, no, NO!!!!

For starters, I'm Filipino. I love rice. Call it stereotypical, but for me, it's just plain true. I also like bread. Low-carb, shmo-carb, it's pretty much bull-ony to me. So what did I do? Quite simply, I redefined the word, "Diet."

Let's face it, we've all been on a diet at one point, right? It usually meant decreasing or elminating the intake of something that you like (sweets, carbs, meat, fat, etc.). Then it would be combined with some kind of drastic exercise plan, causing you to go from sedentary to marathon in 3 weeks. Sound familiar? It does to me, because I was there.

What happened? It was difficult to sustain, because there is no joy in it. So you went right back to the same foods that were bad (but now you eat more of it). You stop exercising, because (insert lame excuse here...such as too much work, fatigue, pain, people weren't meant to run, etc.).

Here's what a diet is to me. A diet is a way of eating that I'm willing to stick with for the REST OF MY LIFE! Simple. That means that I eat carbs, protein, fat, and fiber. I'm full all the time. I eat 5 to 7 times a day. I just don't stuff myself.

One other criteria that I have is that I opt for quality food. That means no partially hydrogenated oil, no high-fructose corn syrup. I tend to eat more natural food. I look at it this way... if I can't recreate it in my kitchen, then I won't eat it.

This is what my typical daily diet looks like.

• 5:00 am: Bowl of oatmeal (something high in fiber to keep me full. I tend to go with Irish, or Scottish Oats... I believe they are also call Steel Cut)
• 8:00 am: Some fruit and/or nuts (tend to be dried)
• 10:00 am: half a bagel or cliff bar. Sometimes a piece of chocolate (dark).
• 12:00 pm: Sandwich and soup.
• 3:00 pm: Fruit, candy, just something to wake up my brain
• 7:00 pm: Dinner. Half a plate of rice, 1/4 plate meat, 1/4 plate of vegetables
• 9:00 pm: Nachos (good food to watch the Sharks play)

There are variations, such as a Cliff bar instead of fruit and nuts... or juice... or a small oatmeal cookie... or...

I workout 3-6 days a week. Even if it just means walking for an hour. For me, it usually means running from building to building at work.

I welcome any comments on my thoughts here. I'm sure people will think that I'm full of it, and they are certainly welcome to their opinions. I just know what is working for me.

Here's to your health!

I'm getting off my soapbox now.