They say, they say, they say

Last week I was sitting with a bunch of gals at a bridal shower.  As we were chowing down on our (breaded!!!) chicken cutlets and green beans, we were talking about, what else...weight control.  The Sally next me said, "You know, they say if you consume the bulk of your calories in the morning you'll lose weight."  Another Sally said, "They say if you just eat five sensible meals, you'll lose weight."  Our round table discussion went on for a bit, but ended as soon as the desert was served.  Then our attention was returned to the happy bride and her groom.

This got me thinking...the 'THEY SAY' statements constantly swirl around us.  I want to ask, "Who are 'they'?  Where are 'they' getting their information? And why do we listen to 'them'?"

I have recently become obsessed with my local library.  Here I get to riffle through their 'exercise and nutrition' section.  It's mind blowing, actually.  There are so many different ideas!  Admittedly, I checked out 'Le Personal Coach: A French Trainer's Simple Secrets for Getting Fit and Slim without the Gym' and 'Fed Up! The Breakthrough Ten-Step, No-Diet Fitness Plan'.

I noticed Dr. Phil has multiple books, Richard Simmons has numerous dvd's and there is even an older gal with a series of exercise dvd's called 'Sit and Slim'.  It's great to know folks who cannot stand, or wish to stay off their feet, have a workout routine geared towards keeping their booties on the chair.  Believe you me, there have been days when I have thought to myself, "I wish I didn't have to get up to burn calories".  On second thought maybe I should check it out ;)

My point - everyone and their brother/sister/mother/doctor/cousin believes THEY have a solution for the on-going battle of the bulge.  Magazines are loaded with 'healthy options YOU should try'.  The internet is a mecca for new fitness ideas/plans/goals, etc.  There are on-line tools where you can journal your diet, chronicle your weight loss/gain and there are a multitude of options when it comes to joining a gym.

Suddenly it feels like we're Alice and we're spinning madly down the rabbit hole.  All in the name of weight loss.

"They say, give up your diet and eat what you want"...that is THE only option that gets my attention.  Whoever 'those' people are, I'll buy.

Who do you listen to?

Toss your cookies!

Roses are red, violets are blue, get me something sweet or we're through!  High caloric "gifts" surround us.  Why this trend?  No one says 'be my valentine' by offering broccoli, do they?  It would go over like a tootsie roll in a punch bowl!!  

And if you're sweetie brought you healthy treats, they may offend.  As if to say, "I've noticed you're still carrying some Holiday weight, so no sweets for you."  After all, we're only 6 weeks into our New Year's resolution to lose those pesky pounds.

It's almost absurd to think of purchasing healthy alternatives to the popular gifts wrapped in the pretty red heart shaped boxes.  I saw (food) Valentine's gifts in the gas station yesterday. It's all over the place and relatively easy to find.

If you do a simple google search for Valentine's Day gifts this is what pops up:

 


It's all sunshine and jelly beans until you realize you've become a type II diabetic!!!  Thanks a lot, Valentine.  Our society is so freaking obsessed with gifting sugar!   Does your Valentine also offer to help you with your monthly gym membership fee?  Now that's a thoughtful gift!

Here are some savvy alternative to the norm:

All you need is a cookie cutter and some fruits and veggies.  Sure, fruits have their fair share of fructose.  Ok, but at least you are offering vitamins, minerals and phytochemicals (sexy isn't it!!) instead of just processed sugar!!

Your sweetie won't feel like an over-indulgded fat cow afterwards.  Fruits and veggies have a positive effect on moods, too.  So it's a win-win situation!!  Say you love them with a savvy gift!

Eat for Health

As I am reading Dr. Fuhrman's Eat for Health, parts of the book literally jump off the page and smack me between the eyes!

http://www.drfuhrman.com/shop/eat_for_health.aspx

Dealing with the toxic change - 

"It takes time to be comfortable with the changes in your life.  It is not unusual to feel physically uncomfortable as you detoxify in the process of making over your body chemistry with a healthful diet.   The more stimulating or harmful your prior habits, the worse you feel when you stop them.  When breaking your addiction to salt, meat, dairy, saturated fat, processed foods and other substances, you might feel headachy, fatigued, or even a little itchy or ill, but the good news is these symptoms rarely last longer than a week or two.  However, if you are making the changes to nutritional excellence gradually, uncomfortable symptoms should be minimized. 

Some people are so addicted to stimulating food, sugary sweets, and over eating they may even feel depressed when they don’t indulge.  For example, cheese, salt, and chocolate are all addictive, and it takes a pro-longed period of abstinence to beat these addictions.  Sugar and caffeine, especially when mixed together, are highly addictive and create a significant amount of discomfort when stopping.  Sugar withdrawal symptoms have been demonstrated to be similar to withdrawal symptoms from opiates, including anxiety and tremors. 

You must allow this detoxification to occur.  An important hurdle to achieving your ideal weight and excellent health is getting rid of your addictions.  After that occurs, you may feel like you have been freed from prison and will find it easier to move forward with the program and be one step closer to truly eating for health." (Pg. 125-6)