Today's post is about dieting. Now I have read a LOT about dieting, myself being a major magazine-aholic. I think that a lot of women, particularly one's who try to "wing it," don't know diddly squat about the way their body works. Now I am not a dietitian, but let me share a couple of things that I have learned from magazines, books, and personal experience.
1. Eat something! I know we women have our emotional roller coasters and sometimes lose our appetites. But not eating is one of the worst long term things you can do. I hardly ate for like 2 months one time (over some stupid breakup). I got into my size 1 jeans again, I looked good in my bikini... it was awesome. Or so I thought. I also had sunken eye-sockets from malnutrition and my hair looked like crap. I had zero energy and my brain wasn't functioning properly. But, hey! I looked skinnyyyyy!!! Unfortunately I didn't understand the way my body worked. I was skinny because my body was literally feeding on itself, mainly the muscle (and less of the fat than I had hoped). Not to mention that at some point, I got over that boyfriend and back on my feet. Aaaannd... back in the kitchen. My appetite was still small, and I wasn't eating junk food. But my metabolism was SO screwed up from adjusting to a smaller diet that any food I DID eat went straight to my no-longer-size-one ass! I'm not saying I got hugely fat, but my point is that your metabolism WILL have it's revenge. It took me months to get back to my normal weight AND metabolism. Trust me: the no food diet sucks.
2. Eat for your environment. Our bodies adapt to the environment we live in for a reason. Even the color of our skin adapts, as you will notice that people closer to the equator are taller, leaner, and darker. People further from it are shorter, heavier, and lighter skinned. The human body is an amazingly adaptive creation. We have existed for centuries based on the food the land provides for us. We have adapted to technological changes that have enabled us to not walk everywhere and to import food from around the world. And these are all awesome things. But it's important that we respect our environments as well. The fact of the matter is that if you live in a colder environment, you NEED to eat heavier food to keep your body warm. If you're living in, say, Southern California, there IS no real cold. Therefore you don't really need to eat a Porterhouse Steak to keep you insulated. Lean meats will do, and even then you should use sparingly in the summertime. I'm not saying you shouldn't enjoy a good steak once in a while. I simply mean that there is a reason you crave juicy fruits and light meats in the warmer months and mashed potatoes when it's cold: your body knows what it needs. Respect the knowledge that has been genetically passed down to your body.
3. Drink lots of water. And I am talking LOTS. Hardly anyone gets enough water these days. Considering the fact that your body is made up of something like 92% water... it's important that you refill that or else it wont run properly. If food is your fuel to get you moving, consider water your oil. It enables the "flow" of your body and lubricates it to run smoothly. I don't really buy into that whole "it will fill you up" stuff. I DO know that it will clear up my pimples, make my brain function better, and get rid of those nasty dark circles under my eyes. I like to keep a few bottles in my car and refill them from my water jug to make some attempt to slow down the plastic use that's so bad for the environment.
4. Limit your white starches intake. This one is a "duh" situation. Sugary white foods like Weber's bread, sugar, and sweet-tooth cereals are a no-no. Get with the program.
5. Pimp your plate. There is NO reason your food needs to be boring, even if it's from a microwave. There are so many nutrient enriched foods out there it's doggone ridiculous. Bread with extra fiber, butter with Omega 3s... Why settle for something that ISN'T adding more to your intake of good stuff? And to top that idea off- don't settle for stuff from the can! Add something to everything you make. Sneak in those extra servings of veggies wherever you can! I taught my boyfriend (the smoothie KING) to add some spinach to a fruit smoothie. Not only could he not taste it, he LOVED the idea. And there you go, a sneaky super-smoothie! Make a microwave dinner (I like Lean Cuisines because they usually have no preservatives) and steam up some extra veggies. They usually sell them so you can even steam them in the microwave as well. You can add them to your food for a super-microwave meal!
I hope these are helpful tips! Have a fantastic day!
Love,
Lula Mae
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It has been a year, almost exactly, since I started to make the effort to "heal" my metabolism after torturing it for a while. Let me tell you that there was a time, in my not-so-distant past, where a weekend binge literally put 3-5 lbs on my 5'3" frame. It was depressing to think that I could never have a naughty food day again for the rest of my life without spending 2 or 3 weeks running my ass of to make up for it.
ReplyDeleteWell, I have some great news! I was sick with a cough for about 3 weeks. Great news, hu? Actually the news is that during that time I could not run (coughing and running don't mix) so I only really had 3 workouts during the whole 3 weeks. And...drumroll please, I did not gain any weight! I ate decent, not fabulous, during this time but my body is now healthy enough to handle 1500-2000 calories of daily nutrition without an hour on the treadmill to compensate! I feel so grateful things are fixed and I promise to never break it again!