If you are anything like me, you are scrolling the internet and many other places looking for the perfect diet for your lifestyle. Is it intermittent fasting? Is it keto? Is it both? Should I be vegan? Gluten free? Should I go back to the old fashioned way of eating three solid meals with two small snacks? The list goes on.
There is much information that conflicts with one another. One thing is for sure. I can never figure out what works best for me even with various certificates and degrees in nutrition. It’s no secret I’ve struggled with weight my entire life. Which is probably why I went after the knowledge to see why I couldn’t win the huge fight with myself. After years of introspection and education all I got was…you guessed it… more confused! So I’m going to give you my version of clarity that nobody tells you when they are selling their diets and pills online.
‘They’ want us to believe that their diet and program is THE program that is going to finally work for us, and god willing it will, but realistically it won’t. At least not for the long haul. So what will work? What does all of this mean? The real answer is every single solitary person is different. And by that, I mean their body, their metabolism, their genetic make-up and what is going to work for them. However, there are a few key life choices that if you are making, your body will definitely respond better and it will cost you nothing.
#1 Sleep
7.5 hours a night and no less.. Sleep is the key to helping you digest and regenerate.
#2 Movement
Some call it exercise but I know that can scare some so let’s just say a body in motion stays in motion. Walk, dance, whatever you like to do to get movement in your life. Every, single, day. Period!
#3 Connection
It is a known fact that people with a solid group of friends or family that they are connected to are indeed healthier. And my take, as well as many others, is that you are the sum total of the 5 closest people in your life. If those 5 people drink coffee, you will drink coffee. If they eat ice cream, you will also eat ice cream. So make sure the people you surround yourself with have the same habits as you. If they exercise, I assure you it is more fun to do it with them, so you will also exercise. See a trend?
#4 EWF - Eat Whole Foods!!
Eating clean- so many different ways to explain this but again I want it to be so easy that you would never veer from that. What I tell clients is to live by the 80/20 rule. So, 80% of the time eat really clean and 20% of the time, eat whatever. Soon I promise that the “whatever” will also be a clean version of enjoyment. A homemade cookie. Ice cream without a list of chemicals so long there is no way to decipher what you are actually eating. There are 168 hours in a week and 20% of that time is literally 33 hours. If you are awake and eating for 33.6 hours a week that means you can enjoy it. Maybe that looks like you will ‘enjoy’ on the weekends and stay really clean during the week. This makes for great fun on the weekends and a good level of discipline during the week, plus overall great health for the long haul. That’s another really important point. Consistency. One day on and one day off does not allow the body to reboot. Lifting weights one day a week is not enough. Working out one day a week is not enough. Eating well one day per week, not enough. Eating processed foods….NEVER.
These thoughts have helped me to find success. Don’t get me wrong, I work at it every day. I remember years ago someone said to me that diet was a lifestyle, and that was very overwhelming to me. I couldn’t believe I could never eat the “fun” foods that I wanted to eat. They didn’t explain how I could understand, so I yo-yo dieted for probably 40 years. Super skinny (which btw was not for my body type) and super heavy which is not healthy. When I finally looked at it as longevity and vibrance I realized that there was a way to have it all. Now when I go for a special treat it is one of our yummy energy balls and not an oreo. When I look for a meal I grab one of my talented chefs prepared single meals that have all the micro and macronutrients I need for a meal. Not only are they awesome, but they are much easier and filling and taste good so by no means do I ever feel like I’m on a diet.
Now when I want to lose a couple of pounds, I just eliminate a few of the heavier ‘clean’ items I enjoy for three weeks and bye bye vanity weight. More on the elimination diet in another post….and really that’s for serious health, not a couple of pounds.
Just always remember that food is either the medicine or poison you put in your body. Let's make it yummy medicine moving forward.
If you have any dietary questions, please send me an email to meridith@aneucatering.com and I will be happy to give you a few fun pointers to jumpstart your health journey.