Thanks so much to our regular contributor, Dr. Mike Tremba.
He interviewed me last week on breaking the grip of food addiction. Enjoy the recording and please let him know much you appreciate it. You can find him on Facebook or at his site.
What Are You Saying to YOU?
The words we use to describe ourselves make a difference in what we end up doing.
Think about the words you use to describe what you want.
There are four stages in the process.
- I need… (acceptance)
- I can… (realization)
- I will… (commitment)
- I am… (actualization)
For example, if we’re talking about weight loss, one’s self-talk progresses through the three stages like this:
- “I need to lose weight.”
- “I can lose weight.”
- “I will lose weight.”
- “I am losing weight.”
Acceptance is usually painful so most people try to avoid it. However, once accepted, the next step is to find support to reinforce that it can be done.
After realization comes commitment. [Read more…]
Diet Schmiet! Why Lifestyle is More Important.
Every time a friend tells me she’s trying a new diet, I want to smack her in the head.
If you’re health-conscious, I’m sure you feel the same way.
Now, while I wouldn’t suggest actually doing that—the results, I’ve found, aren’t great—it’s definitely important to help people who don’t quite understand “health” see what it really means to eat and live well.
They might not thank you, but their bodies will.
Why Dieting is Dumb
“Diet” comes from the Greek word for “useless.” At least that’s what I assume, because that’s what most diets are: totally useless and ineffective.
Diets essentially tell you to eat X for Y amount of time and Z will happen; “Z” is always some outlandish claim like, “You’ll lose eighty pounds!” or “The man of your dreams will appear on your doorstep in a Speedo!”
And they’re always inaccurate. Temporary changes don’t create permanent results.
Being unhealthy is a problem. So is drinking. People with drinking problems make a lifelong commitment to change their behavior; people with health problems need to do the same.
“No Diet” Doesn’t Equal “No Rules”
Don’t misunderstand me: not dieting doesn’t mean eating burgers three meals a day. A healthy lifestyle means having a healthy diet—diet, here, meaning “what you eat.” Sticking to that diet is the most important part.
The Truth About Abs reviews are a great read for people who think crash dieting or 90-day bootcamp workouts are the key to health. The reviews are all from people who started a program (whatever healthy program that may be) , stuck to it, and found results.
Stuck to it, like, forever. Like, that’s how they live now. Because that’s how you get healthy.
Mental Health is Health, Too
If one more of my friends tells me she needs to go on a diet because she’s out of shape… well, you already know what I’m likely to do.
And that’s another myth I need to debunk while we’re on the topic of diets: “out of shape,” what does that mean? I’d like to be a rectangle, but I’m an octagon instead?
Humans aren’t shapes. There’s no “right” body. People who look in the mirror and don’t like what they see often think that eating better and working out will change that.
It won’t. At least not to the degree that they want it to, usually.
If you hate your body, you have deeper problems than poor health. You need to practice some self-love.
Before any one of us can commit to eating well and staying active, we need to feel motivated to do it for ourselves. And if you hate yourself, you’re not likely to feel too motivated.
Try this: every morning, look yourself in the eye in the mirror and tell yourself you’re beautiful. Didn’t work? Do it again. And again. And ten more times, until you believe it.
You’re never going to stick to a healthy way of living if you don’t think you deserve to be healthy. Once you realize how worthy you are, the rest is easy-peasy.
Eat Well and Exercise
That’s all you have to do.
Stop eating fast food. Cut sugar out as much as possible. Limit caffeine and alcohol, and eat a lot of raw foods like fruits and veggies. Incorporate plenty of meat and nuts into your diet, but stick to lean cuts and only buy organic.
And find a physical activity that you love. Running, yoga, spinning, rugby—try everything until something sticks, and then stick with it. Get your friends involved to help you stay motivated to get out there and be active, and take turns trying out each other’s favorite physical activities.
Join a gym, too. Wherever you live, there’s probably weather. And I don’t want to hear anyone whining about how it’s been too cold, rainy, hot or whatever to go running or get on your bike.
The hardest part about working out and eating well is getting started. Once you’ve incorporated both into your routing, you’ll feel better, look better, and live a better life. I promise.
Now go do it!
Hannah Tool, through a healthy lifestyle, regular exercise, and online help from sites like reviews of the Beyond Diet program, has worked her health into the best it can be, even though she’s challenged with Crohn’s disease. She writes, spends time with her boyfriend, her dog, and wonderful friends, and always seeks new inspiration for life. Among other things she’s thankful for, is the ability to help others eat well, lose weight, and regain their lives.Lose ten pounds — and your health — in three days
Searching the worldwide wacky web I stumble across: “Lose ten pounds in three days!”
Intrigued, I find myself on a discussion page for a “fantastic new diet.” Let’s review, shall we? (Warning: If you are capable of rational thought, tread carefully.)
Day One
Breakfast:
Black coffee or tea
half cup grapefruit
one slice toast
two tablespoons peanut butter
Lunch:
half cup tuna
one slice toast
coffee
Dinner:
seven slices meat
one cup string beans
beets
one small apple
one cup vanilla ice cream.
Day Two
Breakfast:
One egg
half banana
one slice toast
coffee
Lunch:
one cup cottage cheese
three saltine crackers
Dinner:
two hot dogs
one cup of broccoli
half cup carrots
cup of vanilla ice cream
Day three is a virtual repeat. Beyond that, instructions include, “Do not vary or substitute foods. In three days you will lose ten pounds and then you can eat normal food, but do not overdo it. After four days of normal eating, start back on the diet.”
Let’s wade right in, shall we?
Out of the Fog: Four Observations about Bad Habits
Forgotten habits exist right under the skin.
We think we’ve got them licked, but they’re always immediately beneath the surface, ready to emerge whenever we get careless or ignore their symptoms. Or look at them this way: We never get rid of them; we put them into deep freeze and can defrost them whenever we get sloppy.
We would all like to think we have “our acts together,” certainly in how we present ourselves to others. As I said we would like to think that, but equally certain is that within each of us there is a nagging — oft times scolding — inner voice pointing out our shortcomings; loath to congratulate and pretty darn quick to disparage. No one likes being critiqued with unrelenting regularity, so what do we do?
Simple, like teenagers not wanting to be scolded by critical parents, we tune it out. Call it “denial;” call it “defense mechanism;” or call it “mental health,” after all, a rose by any other name…
However, despite what children protest, sometimes, we parents know of what we speak and the warnings we provide could save them a bucketful of hassle — if only they’d listen. Alas; they, as did we, find out too late.
Being a “wrinkled kid,” I ignored my internal parent and was unintentionally thawing out some past routines.
It began innocently enough with five little words (six, if you count the contraction as two): “One small bite won’t hurt.”
And it doesn’t.
Neither does the next; or the next, or even the fourth. But upon the frightful realization that I had waded in so deeply I could no longer see the shoreline, I needed to face reality.