 So, what is eating well? Eating well is eating enough food to satisfy your hunger. But more importantly to provide your body with adequate nutrition to function optimally. The foods you need to eat for your health and weight loss objectives are what our species was meant to eat. If we want to live long healthy lives, we need to embrace unprocessed foods full of fiber. These foods are fruit, vegetables, whole grains and legumes. For those trying to gain weight, eating nuts, seeds, and avocados are the healthiest way to keep some body fat. But for most of us, that would be the problem of our dreams. So, what’s the fastest way to derail your health and gain a lot of weight? Highly processed foods containing salt, oil, sugar, flour, and alcohol. Sure, they can be delicious, but they are highly addictive and have little to no nutritional value. TOXIC FOOD If you are carrying extra fat on your body, this is a sign of imbalance. Your body is trying to survive the onslaught of toxins that you eat on the Standard American Diet. This extra fat storage is a safety mechanism to protect the body. Toxins are not just pesticides and heavy metals. Processed foods use a lot of preservatives, colorings, stabilizers and emulsifiers. Our bodies do not recognize these things as food so, to the body, they are toxins. Think back to when you initially started overeating a diet high in processed food and low in real food. That's when your digestive system went into overdrive. And your cleansing organs started to work harder to keep up with the greater supply of toxic food. Your poor liver, to keep up with the constant onslaught of toxic food had to find a way of safely storing the toxins. So, the most efficient way to store the extra toxins was to 'bubble wrap' the toxin in a fat cell. This is so the toxins wouldn’t poison the blood stream and hence the whole body. As a result, more and more fat needed to be stored to protect the body. So, extra fat/weight is the result of the body’s attempt to keep you alive and functioning. By cutting off the supply of toxic food, it gives your body a chance to catch up on its housekeeping. The body can return to balance. The liver and kidneys don’t have to work so hard. The stomach can heal and become more efficient at emptying. The small intestines become more efficient with absorption and assimilation of nutrients. And the large intestines, on a high fiber diet, become more efficient at elimination. If you eat a clean nutrient rich diet, your body will be able to stop storing toxins in the fat cells. And then safely release the toxins through elimination. You will notice that your blood Ph will improve on an alkalinizing diet. Your energy will return. Your aches and pains will disappear. You will have a feeling of wellbeing as your body has a chance to do some serious housecleaning and repair. Finally, your body will be able to release the extra fat and safely get rid of the extra toxins. CALORIC DENSITY So, what foods have the highest caloric density? Processed foods, in particular fats and oils, and foods with little or no fiber. The foods with the lowest are vegetables, fruit, whole grains and legumes. These foods are high in fiber and water. By eating only foods high in fiber and water, you are eating a diet that is low in caloric density. This means you can eat A LOT of these foods and still lose weight. This is because they are full of nutrients but low in calories. By not consuming fats of any kind, you are reducing your daily caloric intake by hundreds of calories. Remember why we are eating. It’s not for entertainment. It is not to escape our emotions. It is to fuel our bodies in the best possible way so that we can live long and healthy lives. MY STORY It is a rare beast indeed who can be obese and have no other health concerns. At my heaviest, I had so many other health issues. But alas I didn’t make the connection between my health issues and what was on my fork. Not until I started eating this way did those health issues disappear. My acid reflux and stomach issues were the first things to improve. Shortly after, all my aches and pains from tendonitis disappeared. Finally, my thyroid function improved so I didn’t need to take medication. But the last to go completely was the extra weight. This doesn’t mean that everything has to heal before there is a change on the scale. It means that with a consistent diet your whole body will steadily improve. So not only is weight loss a byproduct of eating well but also glowing health and that's great news.  This quote was a real eye opener for me. I didn’t realize how compelling any foods that are non-compliant can be until I was put to the test. I speak about this in my book BREAK THE CYCLE. My husband doesn't eat like me. In general, though he eats pretty well. But he has his own treat box which I fill with foods I am not particularly attracted to. That said, there have been times that just knowing that they are there calling me can mess with my head and my resolve. So, I won't buy those treats to avoid temptation. Once you decide to eat this way, it is so much easier and less stressful to keep those fattening foods out of the house. So, clean out your kitchen and keep it clean. Stock up on lots of unprocessed foods and keep your fridge full. As a reminder, compliant foods are fruits, vegetables, whole grains and legumes. These are prepared without sugar, flour and salt. All the recipes on my website are compliant. Go here for ideas: www.karenwarwickrhn.com.
HALT I actually read about this acronym in a book about Texas Hold’em poker. It works well for food addiction and staying compliant. Do not shop or go to a drive thru when you are:
Make a deal with yourself. Before you buy/eat something non-compliant you will go home and eat a nice, big compliant meal. You will be surprised how you are now longer tempted once your belly is full of satisfying starches. HALLOWEEN This is particularly relevant with Halloween approaching. In this instance, you have to know yourself REALLY WELL. In some cases, you might be okay to buy Halloween candy and treats as long as you:
But if it is early days in your processed food addiction recovery, do NOT bring any treats into your house. So, in general, keep your environment clean to help protect your food sobriety. Remember the acronym HALT to assess yourself on why you may want to eat non-compliant foods. And know yourself. Have a plan for special occasions where non-compliant foods are within reach.  This quote is true for all aspects of life. You don’t become an expert at something if you do it once. An athlete who scores the winning goal didn’t magically find himself in front of the net for that one shot. It comes with many hours of dedication to the ‘habit’ of training. When it comes to your health, you don’t just wake up one morning 50 pounds overweight. You don’t wake up one morning with cancer, heart disease, osteoporosis, or diabetes. It is the small daily habits that got you into this state. Fortunately, it is also small daily habits that can turn your health destiny around. So, to become a fit healthy person we need to incorporate repeated behaviours that we can do every day. The good news is that these healthy habits are pleasant to do. Here are some small habits that you can incorporate into your day. Restorative Sleep Sleep is the best stress buster and gives your body the chance to detoxify and rejuvenate. If you have ever been on a 12-hour flight, you know the feeling of wishing for a proper bed to sleep in. It is almost a craving. Stretch out on clean cool sheets in a dark and quiet room for eight hours. It is actually a gift that you can give yourself every night. Regenerative sleep is critical for your long-term health. Nourish Yourself Get into the habit of preparing lots of unprocessed foods every day. Eat your four pounds of vegetables, fruit, whole grains and legumes. This can work miracles with your health and waistline. Preparing food without sugar, oil and salt is a new skill. It takes time and constant practice to become good at it. At first it will take you a long time to cut and chop and prepare. But don’t get discouraged. With consistent practice you will become so much more efficient. So, practice making new recipes every week. Find what you like and stick to it. With good clean nutrition it doesn’t take long for you to lose your aches and pains. But it will take a long time to restore your body chemistry to balance so the extra fat will melt away. For healthy compliant recipes, visit my website at www.karenwarwickrhn.com. Move Your Body I was at the hospital yesterday. Fortunately, as a guest. When you see people stuck in the hospital, in their beds or in wheelchairs, it makes you count your blessings. Moving your body everyday should be seen as a gift not a punishment. The more weight you lose makes you want to move your body more anyway. It is a great way to improve your mood and increase your energy levels. There are three areas of fitness that are important for longevity. Cardio training, strength training and flexibility training. Try to incorporate all three of these in your daily routine. Cardio training can be walking, jogging, running, swimming or cycling. The aim is to get your heart rate up for at least 30 minutes. To ensure, I get enough cardio, I get on my treadmill first thing in the morning and walk on a program for 20 minutes. During the day, my dog, Ruby, insists on two walks (about 30 minutes each) so my cardio is taken care of. As it is autumn, and squirrel season, I even get some short bursts of running in. Strength training can be weight training, resistance band work, calisthenics and Pilates. If you don’t have equipment, use your body weight in the form of calisthenics. For me I do 10 minutes of weight training every morning. Flexibility training can be stretching, yoga, and Pilates. Even though we are reluctant to do it, stretching feels so good. Flexibility and balance are very important as we get older. We want to keep our muscles long and flexible. Then, we are in good alignment and have better recovery time from injury. So, try to incorporate some flexibility training into your day. For me, I have ONE TV that has yoga and Pilate shows that I PVR. There are also lots of yoga ‘classes’ on YouTube. I usually do this in the afternoon when I feel my energy dipping. It feels so darn good to stretch out and reground myself. Get Outdoors Getting out in nature is so healing for the body. But to do this on a daily basis can be challenging especially if you live in a city. But even working in your garden out in the fresh air can help with your mood and attitude. For me, once I am inside, it’s hard to get me out again so after walking Ruby, I stay outside and do one chore in the yard. There is a never ending and always changing list of things to do in the yard. I concentrate on one task every day taking between 10 and 30 minutes. I feel great to have accomplished something and the yard looks fantastic. If you don’t have a yard, go to a park and hang out. Fresh air and sunlight are grounding and do a lot for your mood and energy. Weight gain is the product of an ‘unbalanced’ body and lifestyle. Form habits that support your body every day. Then watch your body come into balance; physically, mentally and emotionally. Remember, we are what we repeatedly do. Strive for excellence in your life. One small habit at a time.  It is not very exciting, but it is super powerful if you think about it. This quote is not really attributed to anyone in particular. I heard it in a mediocre movie about young entrepreneurs developing a new product. But I made note of it at the time as it can apply to so many areas in life.
But for my purposes, I will focus on how you can use these three powerful words to improve your dietary choices. That way you can lose that extra weight and improve your health. SIMPLIFY Simplify your diet: Go for unprocessed foods. Focus on the foods that our species was meant to eat. This includes fresh fruit and vegetables, whole grains, and legumes. Every day eat:
Eliminate sugar, oil and salt:
CLARIFY Get really clear on your goals. Make the goals attainable and break down what you need to do on your daily target sheet. There are 3 things you need to do every day to improve your health and waistline:
Remember that food and eating is part of a healthy lifestyle, but it is not all of it. So set up your daily target sheet chart and check off these boxes every day. ECONOMIZE This is not only for money, but also for time. To save money:
To save time:
Losing weight permanently is not easy, but it is worth it. Use Simplify, Clarify and Economize as your new mantra to get you going. |
Karen WarwickI hope these inspirational quotes help support you on your journey to excellent health. Archives
April 2023
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