Holistic Approach to Eating

Ever feel like the fitness industry, the "experts", and the general media is feeding you full of mumbo jumbo? You can't eat this cause it will give you cancer but another media report will provide details on other benefits the same food will provide you to stay healthy. How does anyone make sense of all the hype and "advice" we receive on a daily basis on what we are supposed to do? Most of the public throws their hands in the air and say's "what's the point?". I've felt the same way for years and have been on a journey for a lifetime trying to figure out what I should be doing to eat right. I've visited registered dieticians, been through every weight loss program available, and I'd just given up throughout much of my life as nothing seemed to work. Sure I'd lose a few pounds and then when I went off the diet or couldn't afford the program any longer, I'd just return to the old eating patterns as I hadn't learned a thing. Eating was a reward and why stop doing something that makes you feel better or tastes sooo good! I found myself thinking "I'm not eating too much in a day and besides I skipped lunch today". Not good! I really had no idea what I was doing and in retrospect I felt miserable all the time, physically and emotionally.

I've spent the last 4 years educating myself on eating and fueling my body properly and let me tell you, it isn't easy. Dieticians are great but it just was too much for me to measure, count, and examine every little detail of nutrition. I needed a better approach that I could live with and needed to get to a diet that I could deal with for life. To date, I've lost 140 pounds, never measured a single portion, never counted a single calorie, and never stressed over an occasional over-indulgence to satisfy a craving. Here's what I've learned:

1. Love yourself and desire a better life than you've created for yourself so far
2. Stay in control and be determined even when the pressure to conform to the crowd may be high. Beat your own drum.
3. Learn how to read labels. You'd be appalled at what those pre-packaged foods have in them.
4. Eat for nutrition only. A calorie isn't just a calorie, that's why calorie counting doesn't work. You'd be surprised what a calorie of sugar will do vs. a calorie in protein in your body.
5. Balance your nutrition between protein, carbs, and fat.
6. Focus on low glycemic foods and avoid foods with no nutritional value.
7. Eat six small meals a day to keep your body fueled throughout the day and never hungry.
8. Take a good multi vitamin.
9. Understand portion size and control portions you are consuming but it's not necessary to measure food to manage portions.
10. On a scale of 1-10 with 1 being extremely hungry and 10 being extremely and uncomfortably full, eating should cease when you reach a level 5 or 6. This should be a feeling of satisfaction with no hunger pains but not completely full. Never let your hunger get below a level 3 which is why the 6 small meals a day is so important.
11. Man made foods, processed foods, or pre-packaged foods are things to avoid.
12. Focus on whole foods.

These are just a few things to focus on when chosing a food to eat. Still confused? Learn what these things really mean and take the mystery out of what and how to eat by joining us for one of our Holistic Health Seminars starting in Aug. Contact us for details or go to our web site for more information at www.rockbrookwomensgym.net. Educating yourself on how to eat for life is the only method that works along with a good exercise program! Healthy trails to you!