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| Moon set at Moonlight Beach, Encinitas, CA 11/8/2014 |
Why don't I lose motivation like all the other 40 years of yo-yo dieting?
Why don't I just wind down, quit, stop doing the things that keep me well? Return to the old ways?
Is it a combination of my 11 Keeping the Motivation reasons? (link)
One key idea popped into my head right before I hit the beach for a walk and photo session.
KEY REASON: IT started with THE FOOD. I use a Paleo-ish, low inflammatory food template.
1. It's the food.
2. The food is nutrient rich.
3. I spent a lot of time fine tuning my food template.
4. I've got my inflammation down so I can absorb the nutrients.
5. That optimized my body and mind, and nervous system.
6. I'm sleeping better and that leads to...
7. More calm and relaxing thoughts. More access to the clear thinking part of my brain.
8 The result: making decisions from a place of strength.
9. I want more, more, more of the good feeling and food in a non-addictive way.
10. It started with food, always for me. It doesn't end with food, but it starts with food.
Anyhoo, that's what popped out of my head. I could be totally wrong. I don't think so. I'm going with my intuition which is
So many people say "It's not about the food". Okay, sure, they could be right. For me, it started with food, then I had the mind shift. Always. For me. Always starts and ends with food. Accepting that takes me far and keeps me well. I feel very fortunate.
While I was on my walk, I enjoyed:
A. Podcast with Evan Brand and the great Terry Whals, MD (Not Just Paleo, episode #103).
- Dr. Whals mentioned the health of our kids, the economy if diseases strike the young. The costs to society.
- Plus Dr. Whals is a good speaker over all. I'll never get tired of hearing her story.
- I hold similar opinions on the Paleo Treats front. I did not change my diet to eat baked goods.
- Sara and Jason will be answering more questions. Also lots of continued learning.
Boom. Deep thoughts. 4.5 mile walk toodling around with the camera.
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| First Red Cup, Nov 8, 2014 Swami's, Encintias, CA |
DEFINITELY it starts with the food. Food fuels the brain (and other body parts), or it inflames/injures. Absolutely!
ReplyDeleteYesssss! I think that the saturated fat is my brain fuel friend, Gwen. Just so glad I figured it out and stopped being afraid of the right kinds of fat/fuel.
DeleteIt IS the food..and other things. Love the 'red cup'
DeletePJ, once I accepted the food part of my binge cycle... I could dive right in and make super effective changes. I started with weight maintenance in mind and it's expanded to so many good sleep patterns, over all wellness. I had no clue, but I'm really glad I took the time to explore.
DeleteYes! Happiness in the red cup!
YAAY! Another podcast addict!!! You might like bulletproof radio--they are paleo but sorta extreme (hey they're interesting) or fat burning man! I love nutrition diva too--check them out!
ReplyDeleteAnd for motivation---Achieve your goals by hal elrod!!! Have fun!!
My general observation is that most people modify their diet and their physical activity to lose the initial weight. However, some people focus more on diet and some people focus more on exercise.
ReplyDeleteOf the people who focus on food, some people eat more nutrient dense food, even if they don't realize that's what they're doing. Bread, donuts and corn chips are poor sources of nutrients. Replace some of those calories with vegetables, eggs, nuts and good quality meat, and you're actually going to be eating more nutrients, even if you're eating fewer calories.
On the other hand, the people who eat smaller portions of the same crappy food wind up losing nutrients. You know what has less nutrients than a bag of Cheetos? Half a bag of Cheetos. What has fewer nutrients than that? A 100-calorie snack pack of Cheetos. So for those people, cutting calories equals deprivation and weight loss equals starvation.
The people who endure long bouts of aerobic exercise to "burn calories" don't have to worry so much about food quality, so long as they keep exercising. Professional athletes often eat total crap, and lots of it. Even the paltry nutrients from a box of Twinkies will add up if you eat enough of them. However, there's a tendency to overestimate the number of calories actually being burned, and to underestimate the amount of food needed to replace those calories.
Plus, the body often adapts to the exercise by shedding muscle tissue. It's like the passengers of an overloaded airplane throwing cargo out the door so the plane can take off. As a result, people often gain fat by training for a marathon, and if they ever have to stop running (usually due to injury), they act like a caged animal.
The actual health benefits of that type of exercise start to take place at just 50% of Maximum Heart Rate for just 30 minutes per day. This is easily achievable through ordinary activities such as light walking, gardening or housework. It isn't necessary to compete in back-to-back Iron Man Triathlons on consecutive weekends.
Another form of exercise which is very effective for long-term health is anything which builds muscle. This includes weight training, resistance training, and high intensity interval training. Joe Weider and Jack LaLanne were healthy and productive into their 90's and had extremely strong bones. A person who is obese actually has very strong muscles. As they lose fat, they will have a much easier time maintaining their fat loss if they try to preserve as much of their muscle as they can on the way down.
Getting good sleep, managing stress and flexibility are also useful for long-term health and weight management. So, activities like yoga or Pilates or meditation or gratitude or forgiveness can help, even though they don't "burn calories" as much as running on a treadmill full blast while Jillian Michaels screams in your face.
:I wrote a reply to your comment on my blog: Regarding WW new program...It will be interesting to see what the new program is. I think a change or additional option will be welcome. You have done so well, Karen. The majority of people who lose weight don't achieve your long-term maintenance. You are an inspiration for good health and staying fit.
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