New...again?

well, good morning!

you do have the willpower and the focus to eat well. what really made me change my mindset and outlook on eating/lifestyle change was a real cognitive shift in my approach to food. I've been reading a lot, The Omnivore's Dilemma and In Defense of Food by Michael Pollan, Food Politics by Marion Nestle, The End of Food by Paul Roberts, and Pandora's Seed to name a few. There are others I already had to pack for school but hopefully I'll read them once I get back there. Basically these books discuss where we get different kinds of food, what much of it is made of, where in the world it comes from or where it's supposed to come from, methods for making it, and how climate change, globalization, population growth, water supplies, non-renewable energy, culture, and all manner of things tie into what ends up on your plate.

How connected are you to the food you eat? Do you eat meat? Where does the meat you're consuming come from? Who killed it? What's on the ingredient list for the granola bars you like? Where did those ingredients come from? Basically I'm asking these near-impossible-to-answer-questions because people are so incredibly disconnected from that which they continually put inside their bodies. It is increasingly hard to know what to eat because there seem to be hidden health benefits or miseries behind every morsel. I strongly urge you to investigate your food, your body, and the world's (quite unsustainable) food system. Only by researching these things and really understanding the impact I have on myself and the world when I'm eating, and knowing where a lot of food actually comes from, did I ever get to a point where I honestly don't want fast food or other crap anymore. Most of the time. We all have our slip ups, which are fine. We're not perfect - we're human! This doesn't have to be a 'fingers crossed' thing - if you change your mindset, and certainly change how/what you eat, you will become healthier and probably lose weight.

But remember, the scale is not everything. It might not budge for weeks and you notice your waistline slimming. Our bodies are strange things in that way, and they are also designed to become obese. Losing weight goes against everything that evolution ever selected for for the last few thousand years, so of course it's hard!!! Eventually, hopefully, you can get to a point where you don't have to track calories anymore and you can eat pleasurably. One of the biggest things for me has been eating slowly, savoring everything I consume, and not always finishing everything I'm served. You also have to want this. You will know weight loss is a priority when you really feel your mindset and approach to this change. For me, I struggled with weight loss all through high school to no avail. Only when I got to college and was more active/began looking at things a different way did I really, really begin to change.

This also takes a very long time. It didn't take you 30 days to put on 30 pounds, why should it take you 30 to lose them? The diet/fitness industries do not help. They sell you lots of food products, not REAL, wholesome, seasonal food, while simultaneously encouraging you to buy their exercise crap so that you can work off all those products. Take time. Take time to think and work to create delicious meals for yourself, take money and spend it wisely, take a moment and remember that your body is your temple and you must treat it well. Your mind is a powerful thing and it likes to make you think you can't do this. Well, you can, and it knows you can, it just likes chocolate a whole lot.

Anyway, that was a lot of rambling. Feel free to add me if you would like! The important thing is that you really stay connected, very in the present, very aware, when it comes to food and how you stay active. Maintaining this connection has helped me and might help you too!