Eating has become such a tricky subject these days. In the past, we were all starving cave men and women who had to eat for survival. Now, our future just seems to look fat and full of cholesterol.
Since the advent of Barbie and ken, people everywhere have started to worry about how they look, and from recent studies about the ill effects of obesity, everyone is worried about how high their cholesterol is.
Don’t eat too many carbs, avoid sugars. Don’t eat too much roughage or you’re plumbing gets backed up. Don’t eat sweets, avoid coffee and soda. Drink lots of water, but not too much. Not to spicy, not too tart, watch your weight and make sure to eat smart!
Their are so many reasons to want to stay fit and looking good, but after you have gotten to your goal weight, how do you stay there and learn to enjoy eating again without over doing it?
1. Training Vs. Exercising
Is it just me, or does exercise seem like an activity wrought with pain, sweat and anguish? That’s how much of the world associates it, and because of that, most of the world doesn’t exercise.
Have you ever thought about Training? What does that word say to you? To me is says: Preparation, Practice, Goals & Accomplishments.
This is something I don’t seem to be alone in, which is great. Many of the worlds most successful people have already been using this thinking. They are not exercising, they are "Training". For what? It could be anything. They are training to participate in a marathon, or a sprint. Or they are training to prepare for giving birth, or looking good in a new outfit, a sport or giving to charity.
Part of the idea, is not just to stop associating good health with "chores" or unsavory activities, but to associate with activities that make us happy and glad to be in good health. Instead of just saying, "I need to lose weight", and focusing what you do on that, you can turn your inspiration around and say "I am training to run that woman’s three day breast cancer run."
Not only does it make you feel good to be taking part in that, but you are helping others in your preparations. Which in turn makes you feel happier to succeed in your training, to succeed in your run.
Once you have accomplished one goal, all that is needed is to find another one. Which will be easy as pie when you get to that path.
Try this tip out and see how it can change your life.
2. It’s not what you eat, but how often and how much
I find that many individuals focus their dieting around what they eat, when in truth, it’s not about what you eat. It’s about how much you eat, how often you eat it, and how much of what you eat is balanced with your Training routine.
You can easily enjoy any of your favorite foods, calories, cholesterol and all. The idea is not to over indulge, and to remember to burn off any unneeded calories. You don’t have to avoid foods, just work with them.
Most doctors will tell you that "3 Square" meals is probably the worst thing for your body. It teaches your body to store more fat and cholesterol and use it for energy while it waits for the next bit of food. Not eating at all, or very little can also do this. The less you eat, the more your body stores what you do eat.
The general medical educated opinion, is that you should be "grazing". Now, this doesn’t mean you have to eat every 2 hours, but it means that you need to take the focus off of trying to eat at specific times. No one is the same, and no two people can get the same accomplishments from someone else’s diet plan. This is why so many people fail when they try to go out and buy a big diet and exercise plan. It might not be the right one to work with their bodies natural functions.
The best idea, is to make sure you fuel your body in the morning with a good breakfast. It should be balanced with plenty of protein, carbs and vitamins, so that you can start your day of right. Then as the rest of your day progresses, it is best to keep some healthy snacks around. Veggies, fruits, bagels, cereal, a few sandwich pieces. When you find that your a bit hungry, don’t torture yourself by waiting till your super hungry to go to lunch. That is the biggest cause of over eating. When you get a little tingle, have a few carrot sticks to fill you up. When you do this, you will find yourself less hungry for lunch, and just about evenly hungry for dinner, which will help you eat less, and help your body understand not to store so much fat or cholesterol.
3. Eating Vs. Nourishment
It is commonly assumed that when our tummy growls, it is saying "feed me". But what it is really saying is "I need some nutrients and nourishment. Please give me vitamins and nutrients to help me fuel you!"
I know that is a lot longer and harder to remember than "feed me", but it is important to understand that when you feel you are hungry, its not a call to go and eat the nearest hot dog stand, it’s your body telling you that it needs certain nutrients. Once you realize this, and start to associate your "hungry feelings" with Nourishment instead of eating, it becomes much easier not to think of eating as a "chore" or something to be avoided.
Thinking about Nourishment is fairly easy as well, when you turn your perspective. Think about all the times that you have craved a cheeseburger and went out and had one. The truth is, you didn’t really want a cheeseburger, but your body didn’t know any other way to get what it needed, and most people associate cheeseburgers with happy thoughts, so you had that craving.
What your body was really saying is that it is low on Protein and Carbs, which are two nutrients that give us the "Fuel" we run on. On top of that, you probably need a little Calcium and Vitamin D. We crave the fries for the Starch in the tatters and salt on the fries. From that you know you could use some sodium and trans fats.
When you learn to translate what your body is telling you, instead of just taking what it tells you for face value, it becomes much easier to eat for what you need, and not for what you think you want.
Here’s a good one, do you constantly crave chocolate? You would be just as happy with grapes. This is because both grapes and chocolate give your body lots of anti-oxidants, or oxygen through food. You’re probably also craving some sweet endorphins, which chocolate gives off, and those are the little hormones that give us that "euphoric" sense. Which means that you might also just need to go for a run, as training also helps us make more endorphins. (But don’t rule out the chocolate, it’s not so bad for you in smaller amounts!)
Start associating your hunger with your bodies nutritional needs, and not with cravings, and you won’t feel like eating is such a chore. It will help bring the understanding of why we need to eat, and how to keep up healthy eating habits.
4. Make sure to have food available when you need it
Food is very important to our bodies. No matter how much our brains might try to convince our bodies that eating is not necessary, it is. Even if you took all the right vitamins and capsules with the nutrients we need, it wouldn’t help us, our bodies thrive on the natural digestion of foods.
Because of this, you can’t just stop eating, as easy as that might sound in some cases. This is a major problem for many who have finally reached their goal weight and don’t want to go back over the weight line.
Now, since food is important, and we know that we need it for nutrition, it is important to learn to keep it available. Not to tempt us, but to be there when our bodies need nutrition.
Keep some healthy snacks in your work lunch room, or on your desk. Make sure your fridge and cupboards at home are filled with plenty of things you can make, and if you want, you can even put some stuff in your car in a little cooler.
This may seem like a shaky idea to some, but it does more than just make sure you have nutrition when you need it. It also cuts down severely on compulsion or spontaneous eating. It is usually during the middle of the day, when we are in a rush, or don’t feel we have a long enough break, that we start to go to fast food places or that we buy something unhealthy to eat. If you make sure your nourishment is always available, you are less likely to eat as much, you will be able to graze when your body calls for it, you will be more alert, have more energy, and will be less likely to turn to junk food.
