OK so this is the things that most people struggle with the most.
I know I did for years. No really, like 20 years. If you don't know my story, flip back some posts. The short version is - youth and gymnastics kept me very healthy as a kid. Then I moved countries at age 15 and didn't keep up the same activity levels. Being young carried me until mid college, and then my size and health changed. I was about 23. From that point on I tried, just cutting back on the foods I wanted to eat....it was HARD. Worked for a while couldn't keep it up - the story of almost everyone's experience with diet.
This was me at 19
I had lost some of the definition I had as a gymnast, but was still very slender.
Soooo we know eating is the hard part, but here is why you HAVE to conquer it....
1. The obvious health issues, heart disease, low fitness, cancer, blood pressure, diabetes are ALL linked to excessive weight gain. Some cancers are genetic - but quite a few are associated with being overweight.
2. Working out is AMAZING for your health and strength, but it IS NOT until you control your food that you will change your size. Food is the component if you want there to be less of you. When I first started exercising at 35 I lost 26 inches from all over, but not a single pound. I changed my shape and my size a little, but was still really heavy and too big to be healthy, because I didn't have the food part under control.
3. You DONT want to live your life under the control of food. And most of us do. How many people do you know who can literally eat 2 square of chocolate and not touch it again for a month? Sure we all know ONE!!! But most of us struggle.
4. Your life and quality of life REALLY depend on the food you eat. I didnt realize how run down and tired I was, until I fueled my body correctly. it was like going from a rusty old car body, to a racing car. The feeling of having energy and strength cant be beaten!! it is fantastic. it is one of the reasons I WANT to eat like I do long term, because it is MUCH nicer being in a strong working body, than a weak tired one. :)
Sooooo how do you do it? How do you find a way to eat that you can live with?
1. COMMIT TO BEING CURIOUS! Every diet you ever did and failed, is because you had to do it to reach X weight for X occasion. You cant start like that, you have to start with CURIOSITY. You HAVE to have non size/weight goals as your motivation.
2. COMMIT to being curious as to which way you like to eat and try something for 3 full weeks with you motivation being....I WONDER how I might like eating this way, how I will feel physically, and emotionally? How my energy will be? How I will like the food?
3. EXPERIMENT! This series is going to look at several HEALTHY ways to eat, and tell you resources to find plans to try them for 3 weeks. JUST to see if you like one. It can be done. I LOVE the way I eat. I LOVE the food, the energy, that my body loves it and thrives on it, my overall health, strength, vitality.
Remember you just have to know you need to make a change. Forget the scales and the numbers you THINK you should be, FORGET having a size or weight goal. Go into it being CURIOUS to try something new and commit to seeing how you feel after 3 weeks and base your decision to continue or not based on how good you feel, and your energy and if you have any health issues, if they seem the same or a little better.
Soooo I am taking requests as to eating plans to highlight pro's and cons with. As a trainer I have a nutrition component in my qualification, and 20 years of failed dieting - so I can tell you a great many things from a nutrition stand point and from what defeated me when I tried something.
My plan is to cover Plant based, Vegetarian, Paleo, Daniel Plan, Low carb, High protein, Whole Food, Portion Planning, Weight Watchers, Jenny Craig, Nutra System, Medifast, and the Zone plans. BUT I am happy to take requests ( comment below) and add in what I know about the plans, and my take on it from a nutritional stand point and whether it is a good long term plan for someone.
Soo if you are considering following on and participating in this series, I want you to spend this week think about some BIG non weight and size goals and plans for yourself. THE HAVE TO BE UNRELATED TO SIZE AND WEIGHT. Long term success demands something deeper than a clothing size.
My reasons are - ( I was in early stage liver failure by age 40 from being overweight) to keep my liver healthy, to have energy to do what I want to do, to be strong enough to not be limited by my body, to live on my own terms for as long as I can ( I want to be fit and strong enough to wipe my own butt at 90 if I make it that long!! Better yet, if I still want to paddle board and do yoga at 90, I WANT TO BE ABLE TO DO IT!!) if I dont take care of me now, I wont be able to do that.
FIND YOUR WHY and tune in next Monday for why I chose Plant based eating, and think about giving it a try. I can tell you it changed EVERYTHING for me about food, cravings, health...EVERYTHING.
Me today - not skinny, not big, a very average size 10 - BUT...VERY healthy!! Very strong!! No longer being controlled by food cravings and having the energy to do ANYTHING I want. :)
If you need any help, or ideas, or would like me to review a specific eating plan, please comment below of find me on FB at https://www.facebook.com/sharethehealthfitness
See you next Monday!
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