The Other "F" Word

Recently, I visited a museum of art.  It was no ordinary museum; it was the Louvre in Paris, France.  This museum is extraordinary.  Large pieces of art, sculptures, with figurines as far as the eye can see.  Millions of people visit this historic place each year.  It truly is incredible!  What was striking is that the women in each piece of art were.....well, voluptuous!  Actually, they were what we would consider today as fat!  Yet, in the eyes of these artists, they were beautiful! I began to wonder why that might be?  What has changed in the way we view ourselves, especially as women? How did we get so obsessed with thinness?  

It seems in the 1840s it was proposed that women, in particular, abstain from abundant eating for optimal health.  First by suggesting spices in foods and heavy on bread.  Then came the suggestion decades later to consume more meats; thus the diet revolution began.  Fullness, that was once considered beauty, then became disgust and non-fashionable.  Women used to have clothing custom made by a seamstress and no sizes to compare.  Then the department stores come into play where dresses were sold in sizes S, M, L, or 8, 10, 12. That’s when woman began to compare themselves to one another.

Today, there is so much emphasis on being thin.  Thin is in, or is it?  People come in all shapes and sizes.  Some are tall others are short and there is a huge range in between.  Not everyone is designed to be skinny, just like not everyone is designed to be tall.  There is cellular makeup that gives us a pre-disposition.  That being said, I'm not advocating obesity.  Body build and muscular make-up should be considered, however, being larger than you should is not healthy. What I am saying is not every woman should weigh 120 pounds.  Accepting ourselves for who we are is important in a multitude of ways.  First acknowledging one's self-worth, loving ourselves for who we are and where we are in life.  Small changes add up to larger changes and so on.  Health and wellness is about creating a balance, not just what our pant size is.  A size of a person does not necessarily determine a healthy person.  There are many thin people who are sick.

As people, we are too obsessed with weight.  The better scale of measurement is to ask yourself some questions:

• How do I feel?

• How do I sleep?

• Am I where I want to be in life?

• Can I do the activities I want to do?

• How are my relationships?

We look at ourselves with a distorted view.  Others see us differently than we see ourselves, but we continue to hang on to the negative thoughts, and they become our truth. Our brain automatically goes to the negative. An infestation of ANTs (automatic negative thoughts) is destructive to the mind and body. Anytime you realize you have ANTs in your brain, get rid of them…immediately! Over time, you can change your brain creating better place to live in your own body.  Enjoy your life....there is freedom!

Health Bite: Health is not necessarily weighed by scales.

Crowding Out

There was always such excitement for me on the first day of school!  It was a fresh year with new subjects, new teachers, and new friends.  I felt like this could be the best year ever!  That feeling lasted about a month until I got the results of my first test grade and then the newness was all over.  Similarly, the same feelings apply to a new year with goals, ideas, and dreams.  At first, it's game on!  Eating more salads, exercising three times a week, it's all going great. Then crash, I go out for dinner, feeling a bit too tired to exercise, and I just give up.  Sound familiar?

For many reasons, I don't like the word "diet." The word means restriction and that restriction is the reason most of us fail at diets.  Instead, I challenge you to use the word "lifestyle."  A new lifestyle is a process.  It's making small changes that can lead to better overall health.  Rather than using restrictive guidelines commonly associated with leading diet plans, adopting a new lifestyle is about adding in better choices while destructive choices are crowded out. 

What does that look like? Well, let's say you drink three sodas a day and eat out four times a week. Maybe drink more water and one less soda during the day, and/or eat at home one more time each week until sodas are cut back and the eating out is only on special occasions. These small changes begin to be weaved into a new lifestyle, which can create a healthier and happier you.

The biggest complaint is the cravings, usually from sugar.  When we completely stop all the bad habits, our body goes into withdrawal mode. Our brain goes crazy and all we can think about is food!  By adding in good things slowly, we crowd out the bad choices, therefore, creating less or no cravings. The key is to start slow and gradually build on the good choices. You will be amazed at how much better you feel even in a week's time. Pay attention to your body and live the life you have always wanted. Our bodies were designed to be healthy, it just needs to have the nutrients each day to stay that way.  

Health bite: crowd out the bad by adding in the good

My Sugar Addiction

I think I’ve been addicted to sugar all my life.  When I was little, I would sneak cookies from the cookie jar, and would frequently ask my dad to buy me a candy bar at the store check out.  When I was old enough, I started baking cookies, brownies, and cakes.  Not sure how all of this sugar stuff started, but I’ve been feeding my cravings for years.  There wasn’t a reason for me to stop the habit initially, even though I knew it wasn’t considered healthy.  For most of my life, I’ve been able to maintain my weight, did not have problems with my teeth, and have been healthy…according to my doctor.  It wasn’t until my spouse was diagnosed with cancer that I started looking into health, particularly, food.

The more I learned about systemic disease and cancer, I was convinced that sugar is a primary culprit in disease.  What I found frustrating is that my husband’s doctors did not really touch on foods to eat or avoid.  When I asked about sugars, one oncologist told me that cancer will feed on anything and that it’s not necessary to avoid sugars.  On the other hand, when a patient has a PET scan (an image to help diagnose cancer), the patient drinks sugar water prior to the scan.  Why? Because the sugar water goes directly to the cancer cells or tumor.  If cancer doesn’t consume sugar, why use sugar water?

So why stop consuming sugar?  Here a just a few reasons:

• Sugar has no nutritional value and is only adding empty calories, and empty calories mean you are hungry more often.
• Loose weight, because consuming empty calories and eating more often leads to weight gain.
• Have more energy, because instead of the highs and lows of the sugar rush, you will have sustained energy.

sugar2

According to the Web MD, between 2001-2004, Americans consumed an average of 22 teaspoons of sugar a day, amounting to a 355 calories.

It’s not easy.  So what’s the first step?  Decide you are going to cut out sugars.  You can decide how far you want to go.  Will you give up added simple sugars or will you give up starchy pastas and potatoes too?  You decide.  See now you feel is a few days.  First, though, set yourself up for success.  Remove temptation from your eyes and brain.  If you have cookies or soda in the house, get rid of it.  This may not be so easy, so be prepared.

1. Stock your pantry and refrigerator with alternatives to sugars.
2. Prepare snacks ahead of time:  celery and no-sugar added peanut butter, nuts like almonds or cashews, fruit like apples, grapes, etc. (you will enjoy fruit more once you give up the table sugars) and enjoy a fruit smoothie, hummus and veggies, and chips and salsa
3. Have meals ready to go when you get home from work or school.
4. Convince a friend or family member to do the challenge with you.
5. Keep a food journal so you can see your progress.  I like My Fitness Pal
6. Weigh yourself in the beginning of the challenge and then again in two weeks.

It’s exciting to see what progress is being made.  When you start to feel better, you'll want to continue.  Remember, moderation is key.  It's okay to have some sugar once in a while.  Just know that sugar is a treat NOT a food.

Health-bite: Feel better without sugar.

Decisions, Decisions.......

So many decisions are made throughout our day. What to wear, what time to leave, do I have time to get that laundry started? According to a recent article in Health Magazine, the number of decisions we make throughout the day can be sabotaging our health. According to Judith Beck, PhD, and author, our decisions should be automatic. When we are faced with too many choices, our brains are overloaded with making decisions, creating decision fatigue. The result? Poor decisions. Making choices in advance will help us stay on track and eliminate the "Should I? Shouldn't I?" struggle.  The article goes on to give us five ways to help with day-to-day decision making for staying on our nutrition track.

1. FORGET YOUR FREE DAY--For many dieters, a "free day" means eat whatever you want. For some, weekends means no control until Monday morning, however, this type of splurging undermines all the hard work you've done. Getting on the scales and seeing your hard work become undone is often discouraging. Those people who allow "free day" are more likely to gain their weight back.

2. TREAT YOURSELF EVERYDAY--How about a cookie or a piece of candy? Allow yourself a treat each day, but plan it out in advance. Keeping the calorie count in your day's allowance, you may decide to have a piece of candy after supper. If you have decide to have the cookie someone brought into the office, that' s okay too. Just plan it into tomorrow's calorie plan.

3. SAY YES TO SOUP SUNDAY--Limiting choices makes it easy to stay on task. Soup on Sunday, Fish on Friday, Tacos on Wednesday, you get the point. Don't rely on the brain to make good choices last minute. Have a plan. Limit yourself to take the guess work out the menu.

4. HAVE BACKUP MEALS HANDY--Sometimes life gets busy. Having a few quick meals can help you stay out of harms way and ward off pizza delivery. These can be foods you've doubled and put into the freezer, or maybe a prepackaged frozen meal. Either way, it's good to have a back up plan in case things go wrong.

5. CUT YOURSELF OFF--It's easiest to overeat at night. Set yourself a time limit. No eating after 7:00 p.m. Floss and brush your teeth so you will be less likely to snack. When you tell yourself the kitchen is closed, you won't be as tempted to go looking. It will also help you get a better night's sleep. Plus a clearer mind will help you make better decisions tomorrow.

What strategies work for you? How do you stay on track?

Health-bite: make decisions in advance