Weight Loss? How about Eating Better?

The New Year horn has blasted in 2007.

Now the stores and TV's and radios are blasting the latest in weight loss vitamins, schemes, devices, etc. They all know now is the time to harvest those folks who created their wishful lose weight resolutions.

Instead of spending all your money joining a gym you'll never use, or expensive cardboard Jenny Craig foods, or the Thigh Disaster machine, how about you change something for free?

Be Mindful.

That's it.

Go to the store after you've eaten a hearty meal - so you're full. You walk the aisles and this way you avoid all the snacks, trash foods and instant gratification items.

Now that you're on track, you have a shopping list made up from whole food recipes which you've found from the local library or online. Why buy 'em? Find 'em for free. If you are like me though, having a nice book on a shelf is like a trophy.

Be mindful of what you put into your mouth and how you eat it. This will allow you to obtain the weight you naturally are destined to weigh. If your body is clinging to those extra pounds which you are having a helluva time losing, perhaps it is not from eating so dieting won't help anyhow. In fact, it may just compound the problem causing fatigue, irritability and weight gain caused by binges.

When I say be mindful of how you eat it, I mean don't eat while driving, while watching TV or running errands. How can you be mindful about what you put in your mouth if you are being distracted? Have you ever wondered how that bag of chips, 2 things of popcorn and a rack of beer were all missing after a movie marathon? You weren't being mindful. Later you realized it when you were constipated for 4 days, had acne for 1 week and were one irritable person to be around for others.

Eat while at a place suitable for mindful eating: a table, restaurant, picnic bench, nature.

If after a couple months of mindful eating, you find yourself not losing some of those last stubborn pounds, there may be a reason - or two. Don't just avoid eating. That won't do anything except make you more tired, irritable and create binging. Have I said that before? Good. Then you're paying attention! It's important...

Some reasons why the last stubborn pounds just won't shed:

• hypothyroid: you may want to get a blood test if you are tired, losing hair, gaining weight, constipated, tired in the middle of the day.


• toxic: your body retains adipose (fat) in order to protect itself from heavy metals, pesticides, herbicides, etc. It doesn't want to lose the fat as then those toxic substances will be free flowing around your body causing severe havoc.


• timing: eat the larger meals in the morning and afternoon. Avoid the larger meals at night as your evening metabolism is idling - not buring calories. Do eat something though in the evening with some protein in it or you'll find yourself waking up all the time due to low blood sugar.


• soda, caffeine? stop them. yes. done. gone. zilch. Ahh pure water and herbal teas...


• refined sugars? stop them. read labels and avoid them.


• processed foods? stop them. make your own. Basically anything that is colored white, consider it to stay on the shelf. Soy may be the only exception here - and of course, garlic, white onions and some others are excellent.


• exercise: try walking more. Park your car at the end of the parking lot so it takes longer to get to the storefront. Bag the elevator and take the stairs. Turn off the bad sitcom and head outside with a friend or neighbor for a jaunt, run, bike and other fun things to do.

Losing weight with pills, devices and programs are bunk and drive-thru ways to get thinner temporarily. You'll find the next time you go to lose weight, it will be harder to do.

Why?

Because you've lost muscle mass due to not eating and not eating well. That is why I keep hammering home the point of conscious mindful eating. That is all you have to do. That is what eating programs are anyhow - they create the menu and bankrupt you for pre-packaged processed foods. The program still works because they created a 'menu'. You do that - and then you create home-cooked fast easy to prepare whole food meals. Add some exercise and strength training to that and you'll be the talk of the block.

Now I gotta get going - my Jenny Craig infomercial is coming on soon...