In Part I, we covered two keys to healthy eating: enjoy
what you eat, and believe in what you are doing. In Part II, we explore the remaining three keys to healthy
eating.
3. Practice moderation
Moderation is the key to everything. Many people operate
in an either/or mode ?either they are following a program
perfectly, or they are simply going wild with their eating
habits. A true lifestyle plan will be easy to follow because
you won't have to worry about counting calories or weighing
foods. Why? Because you are operating from a zone called
moderation. This zone is tough for many people to find,
and sometimes it requires going through a strict dietary
regimen in order to create the control you deserve to have
over food, instead of allowing food to control you.
Moderation simply means permission to enjoy without excess.
When you want a glass of wine, you pour one and savor it.
You do not suddenly feel guilty and then punish yourself
for having it. If you are having a slice of pizza or ice
cream, you don't create a license to eat until you are stuffed.
Instead, you have a slice or two and enjoy it. If you are
full, you are done. If not, then you might share a dessert
with your spouse or someone else at the table.
Those who are successful at keeping their weight off don't
overeat and they don't create limits. Some people truly
enjoy healthy foods and eat these all of the time. Others
have a balance they create. What is common is that they
do not become a victim when they cannot eat a certain food
?if a special occasion arises, they are happy to enjoy a
piece of cake. The key is that they are in control and don't
overdo it ... and when it is done, they don't allow guilt
to override their success.
4. Be flexible with new ideas
Change is tough. Change is scary. If change were easy,
there would not be millions of dollars in books about how
to face change being sold. Change in your nutrition or health
is no different than change in other areas of your life.
Embracing a new style of eating can feel uncomfortable and
unfamiliar. I know ?I have been there and done that myself.
The key to success, however, is not to become so boxed
into your comfort zone that you cannot open to new ideas.
For example, I had been conditioned to combine protein and
carbs at every meal, that when my wife suggested I attempt
food-combining (a concept where you do not eat proteins
and starches together ?for more information, read ?it for
Life?by Harvey Diamond or ?otal Health Makeover?by Marilu
Henner) I simply resisted. ?o way ?that's not right! I've
learned that ...?
Eventually, however, I came to my senses. No matter how
much I have read or learned, the reality is experience.
You can argue with me all day long about what color the
sky is ?but if it is blue in my reality, then that is the
reality I will embrace. Everything productive in my life
has come from being able to embrace change and try out new
things. I discard what doesn't work, and embrace what does.
This ability to not fear the unknown allowed me to try food-combining
even though it did not fit into my existing reality. What
I found was an eating method that gave me more energy and
helped me feel more comfortable. By stepping outside of
my comfort zone and trying something new, I was able to
integrate more freedom into my eating plan.
Don't be afraid to try new programs, new dishes, and new
recipes. Don't pre-qualify your decisions by going to research
and reading about calories and studying the fat content.
Instead, just try it. Keep a journal. Record your feelings
in the journal. Observe how your body reacts. Create a dialogue
with food that works for you rather than living in someone
else's system. Don't fear change ?change is required to
move from overweight or obese to healthy and lean!
5. Learn to hear your body
Most of us tune out our body's protests. It is a requirement
in modern society. When we are constantly stuffing our bodies
with foods that damage and harm us, our bodies cannot continue
to sensitize us to the pain or we would be in a constant
state of suffering. So instead, the brain tunes out the
signals like background noise. We no longer realize the
harm that we are doing to ourselves. We confuse cravings
with hunger. We think we want sugar when our body is screaming
for healthy fats. It creates a state of constant stress
that we are not conscious of, and it impacts the core of
our health.
This is why I believe it is great to quiet and calm things
down. Don't be afraid to juice fast for a few days. Try
a "5-day high-fiber cleanse" to reconnect with
your own health. Don't listen to your friends who will scream
?tarvation?and swear you are going to lose pounds of muscle.
Muscle doesn't disappear overnight, and starvation is when
you have NO food, not when you go on a modified fast that
provides nutrients but gives you the ability to break out
of a cycle of cravings and self-abuse that modern, processed
foods create.
Learn to eat when you are ready, not when it is time. This
doesn't mean that if your preferred style of nutrition is
consuming six meals per day that you stop. What this means
is that you get in tune with your body. If you are not hungry
when it is time for meal two, go back and adjust meal one
so that it doesn't fill you up so much. If you are starving
by meal two, change meal one so that you are satisfied ?increase
the portion size, add healthy fats, or introduce new foods.
By learning your body, you can break out of the cycle of
measuring and weighing foods. You come into contact with
yourself, and learn to flow. When you feel it is time to
eat, you eat. You don't eat a pre-allotted amount of calories.
Instead, you listen to yourself. Think about whether you
feel like having a lot of protein. If the thought turns
your stomach, focus on salads, or fruit, or whole grains.
Find what feels comfortable and then eat enough to satisfy
you without leaving you stuffed. Practice this for a few
weeks and you'll find that you can think yourself into the
shape you desire without having to obsess over calories.
These are the five keys to successful, healthy living that
I have observed. The people I know who have conquered their
weight and are comfortable in their bodies used different
methods. Some are vegetarians, some advocate low carbohydrate
diets and others feel that high protein is important. Despite
these differences, however, ultimately the plan they settled
into addressed these five key points and allowed them to
live in their health rather than having to work on their
lack of it.
>>
Click here for Tom Venuto's Burn the Fat Feed the Muscle
program (a must have for anyone serious about
losing body fat and getting fit!)
>> Click here for Will Brink's Bodybuilding Revealed
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