What if we’re mindful at mealtime, would it affect how much we eat and our weight?
Why don’t diets work for lifelong weight loss?
As American’s we’ve all been on a diet at one point in our life. Anywhere from weeks to months or maybe a perpetual diet. We’ve seen low-fat, high protein, liquid diets, starvation diets, vegetarian, the zone, low carb, the beach body diet. But do any of them really work?
Sure if you are looking for a quick way to lose a few pounds a diet can help you shed some weight. But 95% of those that diet will gain weight back and usually a few extra pounds added on. Why?
When we commit to a diet and a program we starve ourselves not eating all day then binge because of course, we are starving! But hey, we didn’t eat all day! Our body is always in a state of flux. When we starve our body we are sending a signal of starvation so our metabolism slows down. Now try to lose weight! We think we are helping our body but what happens is because the starvation signal is being sent our body holds on to packing away what is there for a rainy day.
When we restrict our food, calories or even have dramatic weird programs we are choosing a path that can not be sustained. We will lose the weight then go back to eating our old way and gain weight back.
Some diets are packaged food, processed, generally not nutritious and of course, we cant live on packaged foods forever! Not a sustainable lifelong plan.
With this yo-yo eating our body doesn’t know what we expect of it. We are creating bad habits, poor choices, and harming our system. We can even harm our immune system.
What can we do to lose weight?
To have lasting change we need to commit to a lifestyle change! What does that mean? When I work with a client first I like to ask them their goals? What long-term goal or lifestyle are you looking for? What is your desire? You cant make a change until you first take a look at this.
Everlasting lifestyle change starts with a commitment and a mindset. To know you are worth it. You desire to feel good longer than that donut will make you feel good. It’s a tempory feeling that won’t last. Is it easy? No! It takes 30 days to make a change and break a habit.
Many times our eating is out of habit, stress, lack of planning, not knowing where to start, or the desire to eat to feel good. We overeat changing the way our body regulates the communication signals saying”hey I am full”, “I’m Not hungry”.
Change happens when we recognize food will fuel us. When we make that change we witness firsthand how good we feel. We experience more energy, we fill fuller, we have less joint pain, more flexibility. For me, with an autoimmune disorder, it took away my pain and is helping my body heal its self.
The weight just came off. No working on it. No struggling. No starvation. No 2-hour workout session. Food is fuel and food is medicine.
For lasting change eating habits need to be broken. Mindful eating! Planning, and thinking of what and why we are eating. When we eat out of emotion we choose foods that generally are high carbs, high sugar and comfort foods. I know because it happens to me. But when you have a change in emotions, fatigue, depression or anxiety those comfort foods will only temporarily make us feel better.
What will really fuel our soul, mind, and emotions or even hormones is REAL food. Real food changes our body chemistry, our gut microbiome. This is where real change will happen. The better we feel, the better we feel in our body, in our skin, in our clothes the more mindful we will start to be. Recognizing that diets don’t work! Lifestyle eating for a better, healthier life is obtainable and real!
Mindful eating! Planning, and thinking of what and why we are eating. That changes our body for a lasting change.
Live Well, Be Well!
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