The real key to weight loss and health

erin6026

Every once in a while, I check in on friends' food diaries. I'm often disappointed when I see things like gummy bears and lean cuisines, instant diet food, etc. Technically they're "under their daily calorie goal" but they're missing the wholllllle point.

Here's my epiphany:

Your body is like a car. It has certain functions to perform and needs a handful of PARTICULAR fuels to do so. These fuels are protein, fiber, complex carbs and vitamins/minerals.

When fuel is running low, your body says "I'm hungry". If you feed it "food" that doesn't contain these "fuels", in a very brief time it will ask you to feed it again because it didn't get what it needs to operate. The "food" (ike soy lecithin, sodium glycoilate, etc.) you just gave it gets shoved into fat deposits because your body doesn't know what it is. Examples: diet bars, diet drinks, lean cuisine, skinny cow, high fructose corn syrup, "light" popcorn.

When you eat whole foods (veggies, fruits, lean protein like fish and chicken, whole grains like quinoa and couscous) your body DIRECTLY gets the right fuel it needs so it stops telling you its hungry all the time. You feel full, you feel satisfied, and you're only taking in the exact right amount of food your body needs.

Your metabolism will balance. Your skin will glow. You'll lose weight until your body finds its ideal size. Your energy will jump and stablize. You'll feel wonderful. Your body will thrive. You'll be healthy!

{from 10 years of dieting, weight watchers and ultimately being confused. Then finding clean eating = REAL eating. 'tis wonderful!}

servilia

I lke the analogy - imagine putting garbage in your car's gas tank - it would break down pretty easily and wouldn't get you very far!!

saimabhaidani

thank you for this post............. its as true as it gets

elid

I do agree that it's important to eat clean, but for some it's just not a feasible goal to cut out absolutely everything processed. Sometimes I didn't have time to cook a big meal the night before, just had some scrambled eggs or something, so I don't have good leftovers for lunch. At that point, my choice is often between having a lean cuisine I keep in the freezer at work for emergencies, or going out to get some fast food. It's about choices, and often, a good choice is easier to make than a perfect choice.

And the thing is, I also really enjoy sweets occasionally! I subscribe to the 90/10 rule... if you're good 90% of the time, that 10% "badness" is not gonna kill you. I'm losing weight and am happy and healthy, so I think this works fine for me.

Mirabilis

I think I'd be more concerned if I saw alcohol on the menu every day.

That said, if it were easy to change, nobody'd be fat, ever. And we know that isn't the case.

We take baby steps. We change things a little at a time and hopefully that gets better and better. All we can do is come closer and closer to perfection. It's better to grow into a better diet at the rate we can handle than to burn out trying too much too fast.

I had my Lean Cuisine stage too. I'm through it now. I needed it to learn portions.

I still have wine gums, because I love them, and I am entitled to that treat now and again. I have frozen fat free yogurt every single night, and it's good for me.

Nobody should be discouraged by a lifetime ahead of them of kale and tasteless kibble. Take joy in what you do. Just do it in moderation.

erin6026

Oh I totally agree you have to give yourself a break here and there. Chocolate and red wine are technically organic and natural!

But really, these changes are tough to make and you have to give yourself some time (and some stumbles) in your journey.

I'm coming to this after 10 years and just really love how I feel now. Cutting out all that stuff has been such a revelation from me - I want to share the wealth!