HI DOLLS! I feel like I say this all the time but…is it really already Friday?! I’m certainly not complaining, but it’s crazy to think that not only is this week almost over, but August flashed before our eyes. Eek!
break the fast…literally.
I had to get fasting labs done this morning (nothing serious, just to check up on my thyroid levels) so I was starving by the time I got home. I made myself a big bowl of filling oatmeal.
In the mix:
- 1/2 cup oats
- 1/2 cup almond milk
- 1/2 cup water
- sprinkle of chia seeds
- 1/2 scoop vanilla protein powder
- spoonful of coconut oil
- cinnamon
- toppings: almond butter and blueberries
Edible art, anyone?
quality or quantity?
You know, I always thought that I was strictly a quality over quantity type of person.
I’d rather have one scoop of real ice cream than two scoops of diet ice cream.
I’d rather have one sincere relationship than a multitude of fake ones.
I’d easily choose three days in Greece over a week in LA.
But, there are definitely some cases where quantity trumps quality.
I’d rather buy 10 pieces of clothing from H&M than one item from Saks Fifth Avenue.
I’d rather eat heaps of roasted veggies than two onion rings.
I’d rather receive four years of education at a “normal” college than one year at an ivy league school.
When it comes to health, though, I must say that I lean towards quality over quantity. Aside from my veggies versus onion rings example (which, the “quality” of onion rings is quite arguable anyway), I’d much rather have quality food and quality exercise than a whole lot of mediocrity.
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I think that this is a very important realization that must be made when it comes to practicing a healthy lifestyle, or more specifically, losing weight. For example, one of the main reasons I believe that most diets fail is because people believe loading up on tons of “diet food” is the key to losing weight. Sure, you may be able to eat 10 rice cakes and 3 heads of iceberg lettuce (dipped in fat-free dressing, of course) throughout the day, but you’re still going to be hungry. And we wonder why “diet” is viewed as a four-letter word!
Furthermore, so many people view exercise as something that must be done “x” minutes a day. So instead of focusing on quality exercise moves, people spend hours a week doing something like walking on the treadmill holding the handles.
Now, don’t get me wrong – I have nothing against treadmills (I use them often!). My point is, I believe that viewing exercise as a quantity over quality practice is what leads people to get sick of it and give up all together.
Even though this concept of quality over quantity is supported by most healthy living blogs and prescribed by most health professionals, why does it seem like the majority of society still holds to the old, quantity over quality diet mentality? I think it’s because most people believe that numbers and equations are what lead to results. But like I said before – whether your trying to lose weight or maintain a healthy lifestyle, it’s important to view food as a means of quality fuel and nutrients. It’s also important to view exercise as a quality source of energy. And, if you’re a reader of GMH, you probably know that part of my definition of health in general is that it should lead to quality of life.
- What about you? Have you ever viewed health as quantity over quality?
- Why do you think our society still holds to the “quantity over quality” diet mentality?
i remember there was a day where i was obsessed with finding foods that i could eat a lot of with practically no nutritional value. thank goodness those days are gone!
Got a ?
When you use the protein powder in your oatmeal- do you put it in first and then cook the oatmeal, or do you stir it in after the oatmeal is cooked?
Thanks
Sandra from Georgia
id love to spend a weekend in Greece! you make some good points here for sure.
I’m somewhat poor so I try to get as much healthy bang for my buck as i can (did that make sense? lol)
Looking for things in season really helps! Ill admit i LOVE southern buffets though.. in that case it’s all about having as much fried okra as I can get! It’s all about discovering the right balance
I am so a quality gal…food, fitness, LIFE. I just love this Gracie!
Ahem to this girl!
I do intense sprint workouts, similar to HIIT, that don’t take very long but are very tiring. My mom doesn’t see them as effective as running 3 miles unfortunately.
I definitely agree–quality trumps quantity unless we’re talking about candy.
Hi Sandra! I mix the protein powder in after the oats are done cooking
I totally agree – that statement can be used in so many situations, especially in health and fitness topics – I definitely don’t feel the need to exercise for x amount of time, just because it seems right, I get in, get a kickass workout and get on with my life!
Quick q- do you notice a big difference when using almond milk as opposed to water in oatmeal? Thanks girl!
I’m with on this one too. Except for the clothes example. I don’t really care a whole lot about fashion so having good staple pieces for years and years (I seriously have stuff from my college years and I graduated in 2004) is more my style.
Great post!
Great post and I’m totally with ya!
I used to eat those “anti-foods” and was hungry ALL THE TIME. I steered clear of fat and real sugar and instead ate things with preservatives, sugar alcohols and empty calories because they were labeled “light” or “fat free” and had absolutely no nutritional value. Thank God I wised up and now eat WHOLE, CLEAN food. If it has fat or sugar, it’s REAL fat or sugar and my waistline seems to know the difference because I’m happier, healthier and tighter when I eat natural, whole foods that are QUALITY, instead of a large QUANTITY of “anti-foods”.
Gracie, what camera do you use? Your pic of your oatmeal is GORG! I don’t know if you already told us what your camera is. Forgive me for asking again, if you did!
Amen!!! You don’t have to kill yourself to get results. And eating iceberg lettuce won’t give you what your body needs. We all need this approach and mindset.
QUALITY all the way! it brings such balance to all aspects of life! i totally agree that there is suc a stigma that you should exercises X number of minutes when really…its about HOW you workout and HOW you feel!
I love your breakfast bowl! how good is sun warrior mixed into oats?!?!
You know I’ve never really thought of it that way, but I definitely subscribe to your mentality. I love to eat “the real thing” and no longer workout just to be working out. I do my training runs, do enough weight lifting to keep my muscles strong and do yoga when I crave it – usually on 3 or 4 workouts per week. It works for me.
Hey girl! This is so true! I just found your blog and I love it! you hit the nail on the head for quality over quantity. Sometimes I can’t even bear to go to the gym because the people there are just focused on getting the certain amount of time in the gym. Have a good day
Love this post. As someone who is currently trying to lose weight I have come up against the question often. For the most part I agree with you. Although I would rather have tons of veggies over any type of fried food any day. Although for me the question for my is how does the food make me feel. Thats the kind of quality I’m concerned with. And I feel a hell of a lot better after a bunch of veggies than after even a small amount of fried food. I think that people like quantity of quality because it sounds nice. When you are just starting out you can’t imagine actually enjoying exercise so you just think of it as a number. Thats how I started and I very quickly transitioned into finding things I loved but it started out as how many minutes to I need to workout. Even now I still use a heart rate monitor to track my calories burned but I only do workouts I enjoy so its kind of a mix of quality and quantity.
have an awesome day!
I think that there are lots of different ways of looking at this kind of question and no real wrong answer. Like I said loved the post!
You are getting all of us thinking on a Friday! I love it!
I am quality over quantity now days. I used to be quantity over quality though. I think once you realize what being healthy in mental and physical capacities and really wanting to be the best ‘you’ that you can be, you realize that quality is way better than quantity.
Great post, Gracie! For years I was all about quantity over quality when it came to my health, and of course I ended up getting burned out and going through healthy/unhealthy phases. I’ve found that when I focus more on quality, I’m not only healthier but am also able to enjoy the process more!
I think it’s because as American’s the “more we can get” motto is drilled into us. It took me a long time (esp during college) to realize fake foods did nothing for my body. I’m with ya…i’m rather have delish veggies that treat my body well ANY DAY than eat surgar free jellos and artifical condiments. I won’t even read HungryGirl recipees anymore because everything involves processed/artifical/fake foods and ingredients.
Great post! Quality rules!
Quality over quantity reigns supreme in my world in more than just the food world.
Very thought-provoking post!
Ditto to this post! I used to be obsessed with only buying “fat free” this and “low cal” that, but it’s so much more satisfying to eat real, whole foods!
I’ll admit I got sucked into focusing on quantity at the gym and I used to refuse to let myself get off the machine before an hour had passed. But now I just stop exercising at the point when I feel like I have gotten a quality workout. I like this approach SO much better!
i loved this post! hope the labs come back good. (I was hypothyroid for about 2 years but now my labs are normal!)
Those pb dates are GENIUS!
I totally agree with ya about the quality part…. i’ve always been a quality person..
way better to have ONE of a really nice something then a bunch of nothingness 
still lovin’ your blog! and your breakfast – I mean masterpiece – looks uh-mazing. <3
Before I knew any better, I definitely fell into the quantity over quality trap with exercise. I’d just hang out on the elliptical with a magazine for an eternity thinking I was getting a good workout. Now I will spend HALF that time, but doing high intensity intervals that get me working harder than I ever did before. I’m all about quality now.
I think Americans have been spoiled with huge quantities of everything here, all their lives, so that’s how most people’s minds work. Huge meals, huge supermarkets, huge cars, huge homes. A huge dinner at TGI Friday’s over a few small plates a little tapas restaurant. It’s so ingrained in our culture, it’s hard to even notice until you go somewhere like France, where it’s completely different.
I *usually* use my Canon PowerShot, but it’s been acting up lately :/ These photos are actually from my BlackBerry phone!
And a little bit of editing, of course!
I definitely notice that the almond milk adds to the creaminess factor!
Great post!
Wonderful post. I myself have been trying to simplify my life and get out of debt, and making decisions about nutrition when money’s tight isn’t always easy. But that’s a good mantra: quality over quantity. Spaghettios are cheap, but I’ll feel better after eating whole wheat pasta with homemade tomato sauce!
I agree with everything you said! In fact, as grateful as I am to live in the U.S., for me that is the biggest draw European countries. They seem to thrive on *quality over quantity!*
I also fell into the trap of spending literally hours a week on the elliptical machine. To be honest, sometimes I still feel like that’s what I “should” be doing. But like you, I’m all about the intervals these days