As I mentioned in my last blog post, a common theme with my clients is wanting to organize their health and weight issues. I struggled with my weight for a long time, and have learned to make the things I do a regular part of my lifestyle rather than go on and off diets. My weight has been stable for years.
Here’s what works really well:
- Eat more fresh foods and less processed foods. (Fast foods are usually processed.)
- Eat more green stuff and less sugar. (Simple but not easy.)
- Drink more water and less caffeine. (Many folks are dehydrated due to drinking too much caffeine and not enough water.)
- Eat a balance of protein, carbohydrates, and some fat. (Carbs and fats are okay, just be mindful of them; they’re easy to overdo because they’re comfort foods.)
The way I suggest handling comfort foods – and emotional eating – are to have 80% of your diet fresh, green, “clean” foods. And allow yourself 20% of fun, emotional, comfort-type foods. By eating this way you don’t end up with all-or-nothing type eating where you say, “Heck with it!” and binge – and ending up feeling lousy and guilty.
The more aware – more conscious – you are as you eat, the easier this balance is. When you eat, don’t multi-task, just sit and eat. One cause of overeating is that people eat while watching TV or while on the computer, or driving.
Many times in my life I’ve heard it said that, “The French eat what they want and don’t get fat.” What I suspect is that the folks in that culture take time while they eat and enjoy what they’re having, so they don’t have the impulse to overeat.
Bring yourself into the present moment and eat consciously. If people did more of that – and made choices that erred on the side of “fresh and green” they’d have less struggles with their weight.
