It has been a crazy week – in a good way!
Over the weekend, I taught the first ever Detox Your Life workshop and am wrapping up the first 10-Day Cleanse. These were both amazing experiences from both a coaching and a client experience. There was a lot of “aha” moments, a lot of realizations, and plenty of stress busting breakthroughs.
There was also a ton of questions about weight loss and one of the common themes that popped up was dieting – what to eat, what not to eat, what food groups to leave out, and how to really lose weight for good.
And you know why everyone had these questions? Because almost everyone has been on a diet. Or two. Or three. And almost everyone has lost weight and then gained it all (if not more!) back.
Instead of dieting again, make a change. Commit to recover from dieting for good.
You can start with these 5 steps.
1) Don’t skip meals.
You ate poorly earlier? Don’t skip your meal to make up for it, this will make you hungrier later and can lead to cravings or even drops in blood sugar. Instead fill up on nutritious veggies and whole foods to balance it out.
2) Stop Stressing so much.
Do you feel guilty when you do eat a slice of cake, skip a workout, or eat more than your share of “points”? All that guilt and stress are just as likely to make you gain weight as the food you are eating. Stress releases hormones and kicks your adrenals into gear. These work overtime to
3) Stop counting calories/fat/carbs/points.
This seems like a fantastic way to keep track of what you are eating when you are eating. And it may work for awhile, helping you to pick which foods are the “healthiest” for you. But after awhile, it can become monotonous, stressful, and hard to stay at your weight goal. Instead, remember this key point – it’s about quality, not quantity. Eat better quality food, not food that is altered to fit a specific count.
4) Stop focusing on large nutrient groups (aka low-fat/carb or high protein diets).
Here’s the real deal – you need all of these things. You need fat for your brain to function. You need carbs for energy and digestive health. You need protein to build muscle. Stick to a balance of all of these and your body will balance out as well.
5) Keep it simple.
Eat real, whole foods. Cut out the processed or keep it to a minimum. When you eat real food (aka not processed, prepackaged, or engineered) your body can break it down easily to absorb the nutrients within it. These whole foods contain a vast array of nutrients, vitamins,and minerals that your body needs to function at its optimal level. If your body is getting what it needs, your cravings and over-ating will drop. And your need for dieting will diminish.
Your body will thank you, your energy levels will soar, and your weight will balance out.
What has been the worst diet you ever tried? What is the best advice that you’ve followed? Share your insights in the comments below.
If you are ready to make a change for good, email me at jessi@thehouseofhealthy.com to learn how you can make a change that will last.
Peace and Love, Jessi
