Frequently we are asked, “what is the secret to weight loss and eating healthier?”
Well, there is no secret! There’s a three step program which has been adapted from the book, “Changing for Good”.
This book was written about people who successfully quit smoking and what helped them accomplish this.
When it comes to eating; most problems with out of control eating are related to emotional issues. Think about it, when smokers are stressed, they reach for a cigarette. When people who have eating issues are stressed they reach for food, and usually carbohydrates which tend to release serotonin and make you feel better. However, research is showing us that while you may be feeling better reaching for comfort food, your health is deteriorating from the inside; inflammation, diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, obesity, joint aches and pains and so many more conditions.
So what do we do?
The calorie reduction approach is based on losing weight. The problem is, then what? Most gain it back, plus even more.
You must do more than just restrict, that’s a unsustainable. You must change the way you look at food and nutrition.
You must realize carbs and sugars are not nutrition, they are entertainment.
If you want to change, you first have to ask the most important question… Why … Why change now?
To find your why, ask yourself, how long do you want to live, and how you want the time you have to look.
There are three things you have to commit to:
- Do not eat or drink anything unless you know the total carbohydrates This means read labels or search the Internet to determine the total carbohydrate content of what you are about to eat or drink regardless of whether the experts call it a healthy sugar or not. Sugar is sugar. All sugars are six-sided carbon molecules which pretty much all act the same way. An important note to help you understand this is that there are more carbohydrates in an apple than there are in a doughnut. The ideal carbohydrate requirements for humans is close to zero. Even if it’s a pinch or just a berry, consider the 24 hour cumulative effect
- Count how often you put calories in your Calories of any kind, and anytime that cross your lips.
The typical American consumes 200 to 300 grams of carbohydrates per day. “Six small meals per day”, “grazing through- out the day”; this is what got us in this mess to begin with. In the 1950s and 1960s we had breakfast, lunch and dinner.
We were scolded if we grabbed a snack after school. The voice of our mothers telling us, “it will ruin your dinner!”
So, how often should humans eat per day? Typically, humans should eat 1 to 2 times per day. Consider the average
overweight, obese or diabetic individual who eats 8 to 20 times per day. Our bodies weren’t designed to do this.
Imagine feeding your dog 4, 6 or 20 times per day
- Finally Ask Why am I thirsty? Why am I hungry? Is it a biological need or is your brain asking for a little re- laxation or pleasure?
These 3 questions will help you reposition your mind to help you change the way you look at food. Rather than looking at food as comfort and fulfilling and immediate desire, you can begin to look at food as medicine. As Hippocrates said, “let food be your medicine and medicine for your food“.
Rather than using food as an immediate gratification, use it as a long-term investment, so that you can ensure a healthier, more active future for yourself.
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