Successful weight loss requires a shift in how you think about food. Food has its place for holidays, events and special occasions. Although food should not be entertainment. The entertainment should be the company. As your body cleanses itself of sugars and fats, it will need fuel to keep going. Until now your body has been functioning ‘the best it can with what you’re giving it’ now train to run the very best it can!
Fuel Your Body
This shift in focus in difficult at first. What does your body need in order t do what you want it to do? I put my body through a rigorous fitness routine and it needs lots of protein to stay healthy. Without protein, my muscles are unable to repair themselves and are sore. Some bodies need more fiber or certain vitamins. It’s important to LISTEN to your body and feed it’s needs. It’s also important to get regular blood work done with your doc in case there are any gaps in your nutrition. I would recommend at least an initial consultation with a nutritionist or dietician. P.S. The more you talk about weight loss, the more people you’ll meet who give you free advice, ie. woman I met in line at Whole Foods that happened to be a nutritionist. Back to the point.
But it’s so yummy!
I am not trying to say you can’t enjoy your food. While dieting I think it’s essential that you find food you love to eat. Some meals I definitely eat because I want to not because I need to. However, when asking my body to do the things I do, it asks that I give it something in return. When I need protein, I try to eat the yummiest protein dish I can think of. When I need something light, I eat a salad. When I binged on candy at the movies the night before, I eat extra light and sugarish free. Try to start thinking about what your body needs, not just what your head wants as much as possible. As your body ‘detoxifies’ from sugars and fats you will learn how your body feels when it’s healthy. When I wake up in the morning, I can usually tell if I’ve eaten way to much sugar or grease. It’s amazing when you’re listening what you can hear.
Food Obsessed
One thing that has never gone away during my journey is thinking about food. I don’t consider myself a food addict or an emotional eater. I was a pleasure eater. I still am. Some days I don’t think about food at all until it’s time to eat. Somedays I don’t find food interesting at all and have to force myself to eat what my body needs. Other days though……..I’ve planned my meals before I get out of bed. If I am dying to have reverse chicken nachos from Illegal Petes (shout out! YUM!) then I plan my day to make sure I can eat those nachos and it won’t throw me off track. I make sure my stables like carbs, protein and sugars are on track in my other meals to cover what I might miss during dinner.
I think it’s ok to think about food and eat for pleasure AS LONG as you’re listening to your body and paying attention to its needs!
PS – For those wondering since yesterday’s post, I dropped those two pounds and was back to my expected weight this morning. Moral of the story: Sometimes the scale goes up for no reason. Keep making good choices and it will level out.