Toronto Nutritionist – Stop Weighing Your Self-Esteem
Standing in the women’s change room at the local health club, I watched a woman climb on to the bathroom scale. Her mouth flew open as she read the numbers and her hand clasped her mouth. Deflated she slowly climbed off and walked away with a distraught look on her face. I knew in that moment her day had been ruined by the number she’d seen on the scale. If only she knew the real secret to weight loss. For the last century people have spent millions of dollars to achieve the perfect weight and it doesn’t work!
We have become so obsessed by calories, low fat, high fibre, low carbs and diets galore. What if this had nothing to do with weight loss? Imagine never counting another calorie for the rest of your life and achieving the perfect weight? Well you can and it is simple.
The Secret is not food, it is habits. Take a look at the people in your life who look like they never have to worry about their weight. They make it look easy and they can eat pretty much eat anything they want. How is that possible? They have a secret. They practice daily habits that ensure they never have to go on a diet. Starting with these daily habits right now can ensure that you are on the road to success. You’re never too old, never too late, never too overweight, and never too sick to change your habits.
What are the habits I’m talking about? Number one, these people drink between five and eight glasses of water; no pop, juice or milk (that is for infants). They avoid the five new food groups which are fast, frozen, fried, junk and processed. These people have a diet mostly devoid of white foods such as bagels, muffins, cookies, donuts, pancake and white bread. What they do eat is five fruits and seven veggies every day. Who ever said fruit was fattening? By eating whole, live foods they feel satisfied because foods rich in minerals are what your cells actually crave. Also, these people enjoy meat, chicken, eggs, nuts seeds and whole grains. When on the run they look for fresh foods, not food that comes in a bag, box or pick up window. When they travel they bring along green drinks and nut bars so that they don’t have to eat the processed food that they are usually faced with.
They get up early so that they can plan their day. Exercise is definitely part of their daily regime. It is not an endurance test for them but something they really enjoy doing and their secret is that they have planned the night before what they will be eating and doing the next day. They exercise almost every day. They believe in balance and if they take time off to balance themselves. These habits are done not as a punishment but as a reward. If they have over indulged on the weekend, they cut themselves a bit of slack and start fresh on Monday with the same healthy habits as before.
They LOVE food and they feel energetic. Having a bowel movement every day comes because of the healthy foods they eat. Their dinner plate is full of colour and they do their best to stay away from the beige foods: pasta, pizza, but they do indulge once in a while. Fat is their friend. Taking two tablespoons of flax oil every day makes them feel satisfied and helps their cravings for sugar leave. They love to eat food from the Garden of Eden and they rarely consume food that is found in the middle of the grocery store. When at a party they look for the fresh veggies and dip and always ask for extra veggies in the restaurant. Their grocery buggies are full of live food. Microwaving is a no-no as they understand that their bodies cannot digest these foods because of the harm microwaves does to the energy of food.
Every day add one of these habits into your daily regime and watch how easy it is. Focusing on adding things into your life is much harder than denying yourself. It is much easier than you think and the results are amazing.
Take the stairs at work, park your car further away and begin your new daily habits and start to really enjoy your body as it is the only one you have. Discover your new found energy which will last a lifetime. Doing all of this, you will NEVER have to weigh your self-esteem!
Jane Durst-Pulkys, PhD, BsC., CNP., RNCP