I am also reminded daily of the misinformation that is out there when it comes to weight loss and how to achieve the body we want. And with recent headlines about the Biggest Loser winner, I need to say something.
Detox juice diet to lose 10 lbs in 3 days!
Cut your calories and do more cardio!
Avoid eating fats or they'll make you fat!
Take this pill for 3 weeks and shed pounds fast!
Eat our products for every meal and every snack that are full of additives and chemicals - say good bye to real food - and lose 15 lbs in a week!
It's all quite drastic and a bit insane. But mostly it's just not healthy.
Since when are we deficient of protein shakes? or why should we avoid feeding our body when it's working so hard on that treadmill?
Concepts like these frustrate me. a lot.
Maybe you've tried a meal replacement plan, have counted points or calories, have drank many shakes or have filled your days with crispy rice cereal. And maybe you've even gotten results on these plans. But what happens when you go off of that plan slightly or go back to the normal routine? The weight comes back on, and probably more weight than you had to begin with.
If you have failed on those diets and plans, please don't beat yourself up. You took their promise of weight loss and health as truth because of your desire to be healthier and leaner. We have all been there. You are not a failure.
Why don't these things work? Why does the weight come back on?
To put it simply, these aren't lifestyle changes. They aren't sustainable. They are temporary shortcuts.
So get out your frustrations! Punch a mattress or scream in a pillow! Because honestly, I want to do that for you!
I'm done with false advertising and with people feeling hopeless after yet another failed diet or gimmick.
If you're as frustrated about the things you've tried and the lack of results that you've had, I want to send you a hug through cyber-land.
Alright, I've vented. You want solutions?
Let's start by changing our frame of mind.
We need to stop thinking about losing weight.
When we talk about weight loss, these tactics mentioned above will give you weight loss. Starving yourself will give you weight loss, there's no doubt about it.
The word weight. Weight includes both fat and muscle. And I don't know about you, but I want to lose fat - and ONLY fat.
When we starve ourselves or eat nothing but sugary rice cereal, it's not helping us maintain our lean muscle. When we lose weight this way, we are really losing both fat and muscle.
Think about that cycle for a second: You try a diet that limits calories and limits protein, so you lose muscle along with fat. You are done with your 30 day diet, weight comes back on in the form of mainly fat. So now you have less muscle than you did before and much more fat than you did before. So now you're squishier and weaker. THEN you'll do it all over again! Yikes!
Why do we want muscle? Muscle helps to form those toned arms we all desire. It helps us to form the bum that we want. To help in achieving the flat tummy or lose the love handles that don't belong there.
Muscle also uses fat very efficiently as energy - it's our God-given fat burner! So let's keep as much muscle around as possible!
Let's start to think about improving our health.
When we're stuck in the calorie-counting mindset, then things like diet soda, 100 calorie snack packs, or rice cakes seem like the way to go. But those things are adding to the weight gain because they're full of sugar, even fake sugar is
When we start to think about improving our health, we start to look at the types of food we're eating. We start to think quality over quantity. Not all calories are created equal.
And that, my friends, is my mission. To improve the quality of foods each of us includes. This is a lifestyle change, where you are able to eat real food, you get to be in control, and you get to decide what works best for you and for your life.
Let's take a deep breath together. AAhhhh...
Going back to things I've talked about before..
- Let's choose good fats and include them often. Fat balances blood sugars, supports our metabolism and helps us avoid the sugar cravings.
- Be smart about your carbs. [to be clear, I'm not a carb hater, I am a sugar hater] So look at things like fruits and veggies to fill up your plate, limit the refined grains like breads, pastas, sweets, bagels and the like.
- Eat more protein. I used to be kind of scared of meat. Yep, I was scared of dead animals. Kinda silly, really. Since eating more animal protein my body has thanked me over and over again. Remember those muscle things? Those muscles of yours need protein to build. The hair on your head needs protein to stay healthy and strong. Your nails need protein. Everything you are made of needs protein. So if you are scared of protein, get over it. You'll be happier. Eggs for breakfast, Chicken for lunch, Steak for dinner - yum!!
[Oh, and by the way, if you have a naturally stressful life I would recommend not adding to it by stressing your body with cardio upon cardio sessions each week. That's just unnecessary stress. Try walking at a comfortable pace instead, or spend some time in prayer instead of going to the gym, do some deep breathing - whatever outlet works for you.]
When we focus on improving our health instead of aiming for a number on the scale, naturally our body will follow.
In the words of Jason Seib of Everyday Paleo "Get healthy on purpose and you'll get hot by accident". It really can't be more true.
I truly care about your well being more than I care about how you look. I want you to be the best you that you can be so that you can have the energy, the strength, the ability to be used by the One who created us and live this short life we have to the absolute fullest. You deserve that.
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