Don’t Starve Yourself!
“I’m back on my diet.” Rebecca says, lighting a cigarette.
“Oh?" I, the Professional Dieter, am interested. "What diet are you doing?”
“I’m starving myself.” She says, “Let’s face it: I’ll never lose if I eat food I like.”
Her mouth is set, it’s useless to argue, but I can't help myself!
"If you ate the food that's good for you after awhile I think you'd like it" I venture.
"If you ate the food that's good for you after awhile I think you'd like it" I venture.
She rolls her eyes "Liiiiiiizzzzz," she says, like I just told a really bad joke.
This is typical of conversations I’ve had recently with several friends who are in every other way smart, educated, productive people. They just don’t know much about how their bodies work, don’t know what combinations of food will kick-start their engines & get them burning energy even when they sneak in a cheat. These people are warring with their bodies! You can't win a war with your body, no tie, no draw. Your body will win eventurally by killing you & there's no satisfaction in that. Can't we all just get along?
Our bodies & minds are connected but not the same. Just as your mind is the center of thought your body is also a source of intelligence. It will try to guide you if you’ll pay attention to it.
Who is your most loyal friend & only true lifelong companion?
Your body!
Since you are linked together for the duration, it’s in your best interest to treat it kindly. Learn how it works & give it the best you can afford. You wouldn’t put Kerosene in your Cadillac, neither should you put unworthy fuel in your personal conveyance.
Show your body that it can trust you. When trying to shed pounds it’s important to let your body know you’re taking care of it by feeding it beautiful food at regular intervals. Lots of people diet by skipping meals & cutting portions or fat. These actions signal your body there’s a famine going on so if you go off your diet your body will store everything it can as fat to guard you against the next lean times.
It’s much better to eat three or four meals at regular intervals through out the day. You can eat more if the food is high fiber & water content. All the reds, yellows & greens in fruit & veggies are nutrients that want to make you feel good & look sexy. Eat lots of color & your skin will thank you.
Portion size is a big problem for Americans. It’s not your fault nobody ever told you how to determine a portion & most of our restaurants overfeed us. Since everybody is a different size & chemical makeup no two people have the same needs. For protein your serving should be the size of your palm. My hand holds the perfect amount of berries, grabs the right amount of salad greens & holds a pen so I can write down what I’ve eaten. Keeping a food journal for a week will help you get a handle on what you are actually consuming. Write it down, don’t cheat yourself. I take a vitamin with breakfast & use cast iron pans to get iron in my diet, although you could just eat liver once a week.
While you’re dieting bake, steam, boil, broil, microwave or eat it raw! Frying makes you fat, fat makes you fat, white food is white because it has no value & it makes you fat. Eat color.
Here’s what you need every day:
Show your body that it can trust you. When trying to shed pounds it’s important to let your body know you’re taking care of it by feeding it beautiful food at regular intervals. Lots of people diet by skipping meals & cutting portions or fat. These actions signal your body there’s a famine going on so if you go off your diet your body will store everything it can as fat to guard you against the next lean times.
It’s much better to eat three or four meals at regular intervals through out the day. You can eat more if the food is high fiber & water content. All the reds, yellows & greens in fruit & veggies are nutrients that want to make you feel good & look sexy. Eat lots of color & your skin will thank you.
Portion size is a big problem for Americans. It’s not your fault nobody ever told you how to determine a portion & most of our restaurants overfeed us. Since everybody is a different size & chemical makeup no two people have the same needs. For protein your serving should be the size of your palm. My hand holds the perfect amount of berries, grabs the right amount of salad greens & holds a pen so I can write down what I’ve eaten. Keeping a food journal for a week will help you get a handle on what you are actually consuming. Write it down, don’t cheat yourself. I take a vitamin with breakfast & use cast iron pans to get iron in my diet, although you could just eat liver once a week.
While you’re dieting bake, steam, boil, broil, microwave or eat it raw! Frying makes you fat, fat makes you fat, white food is white because it has no value & it makes you fat. Eat color.
Here’s what you need every day:
· 5 servings of fresh fruit or veg, one must have vitamin C since your body doesn’t make that, organic will be easier on your liver & skin, less pesticides to digest.
· 2 or 3 servings of high quality protein. Beef has the most fat/oz, if you like red meat try Buffalo. Chicken, fish & eggs: free range, hormone free & organic will help you men not to get moobs !
· 2 servings of grain (a slice of bread is a serving, so is a cup of brown rice)
· 2 servings of dairy (keep your yoni happy ladies, eat yogurt everyday!)
These are not veggies: Corn, potatoes (includes french fries), mac & cheese, peas, lima beans, ketchup.
Anything with pasta, marshmallows, creamy sauce or jello is not a salad.
Drink lots of pure water, do lots of brisk walking, go to the spa & have a facial. When you lose weight give your old clothes to charity & reward yourself with something (not food) that makes you feel awesome!
