5 Big Secrets to Energy and Weight Loss.
5 biggies that are sabotaging your weight. And they have nothing to do with what, or even how much, you're eating.
I know, you're probably thinking I'm insane for writing this post.
But I've become so passionate about this concept recently! I want everyone to know that losing weight and feeling healthy can be simple and stress free!
I want to preface that losing weight the right way does not require pills, diets, special recipes with fancy ingredients, or even a gym pass.
It does, however, require time and awareness.
That, my friend, is my goal. To show you that by becoming a little more mindful of H O W you're eating, you can still eat what you love without sacrifice.
Sounds appetizing, doesn't it?
Well, read on to see 5 big mistakes you're making that are keeping you from losing those extra pounds.
Mistake #1: You feel like you need to restrict or change what you're eating to look better
Wrong and wrong.
Calorie restriction will only leave you feeling hungry all the time. This can lead to obsessive thoughts about food, poor muscle tone, and weight loss resistance. Your body, literally, thinks it's on a deserted island when you calorie restrict.
Why use valuable resources to burn calories or build muscle when you need those resources to survive?
And let's talk about changing your diet. Sure, eating healthier will help you to look and feel healthier. But if you're consuming with poor habits, then changing what you eat is not going to help you.
Read on to see what I mean.
Mistake #2: You're eating too quickly
For some of us, Covid couldn't keep us in a slower pace of Life because we had to resume working, schooling, parenting, or otherwise.
I'm hearing more and more from parents and professionals that, because of their new schedules and routines, eating is even less of a priority.
Maybe you're juggling virtual schooling with working from home. Maybe virtual schooling itself is what's eating up all of your time.
Regardless, as a culture, we are spending less time eating, and suffering more from the repercussions of a fast diet.
If you experience
gas
bloating
poor elimination
prolonged feelings of fullness
a need for 'something more' to complete your meal
and are struggling to lose weight
take a moment to time your next meal. If it's under 20 minutes, it's too fast.
Mistake #3: You're biting off more than you can chew
One of the many culprits that are keeping you drained of energy, feeling heavy, and weight loss resistant is not thoroughly chewing your food.
I get it; when time is short the goal is to shovel the food into your mouth and get it down as quickly as possible. This will lead me into my next point, but hear me out first.
One of the keys to slowing down and harnessing your natural energy without additives or caffein is to take smaller bites.
What's happening is that when you take large bites, your tongue naturally moves food towards the back of the throat to make room for chewing the remainder of the bite. This leads to the natural response of swallowing.
The problem is that most of the food that you just swallowed was not chewed thoroughly enough for proper digestion to occur.
This leads to less vital energy because now your stomach has to work hard to break down the food for digestion.
It also causes poor nutrient absorption. The food particles broken down by stomach acids are nowhere near the scale they'd be had you chewed them. So they pass straight through the intestines and stress out the colon.
Read this as loose stools or constipation. If either of these is a problem for you, consider the size of your bites.
Mistake #4: You think of food as fuel for your body
It's true. Your mindset about food has a whole lot to do with how your body responds to what you're eating.
When you think of food simply as fuel for your body, you remove the elements of pleasure and celebration that should be part of every meal. These are highly tied to metabolism.
You also fail to consider food as nourishment.
I don't mean chock-full of vitamins. I mean nourishing to you on a Soul level. The same way a long walk after a tough day can be nourishing, or an evening out with a good friend.
This is a biggie and something so many of us are unaware of! The diet and fitness industries push into our minds that food = fuel as a way to get you to prescribe to their formulas and to keep you buying their products.
Don't be fooled just because they're loud. They don't have your best interest at heart unless it'll bring them loads of money.
Change what you think about how you're eating to go further and see lasting results in your health.
Our mindset is directly linked to our bodily responses in every capacity. Still unsure about what I mean? Take a moment to feel your pulse or heart beat. Now think about your worst possible fear. Did you notice a difference in your heart rate? What about your muscle tension? Anxiety? Stress level?
I've made my point clear on this one. So let's move on to the final mistake you're making that's sabotaging your weight.
Mistake #5: You're not celebrating every meal
Have you ever wondered why so many Europeans, with their buttery pastries, freshly made pastas, cheeses, and wine, have fewer medical episodes and remain thinner than we are here in America?
It's because they celebrate every meal!
People from all over Europe celebrate their meals in different ways; some take a siesta so they can enjoy a well-prepared meal at home. Others spend two hours each day eating with company they enjoy, laughing and talking. They consider the action of eating part of their Self-care routine.
Eating is an act of celebration and not just something that needs to happen to survive. The body responds in equal amounts of celebration by returning to you good health.
They are, literally, taking in all of the healthy fats from those butters and cheeses, absorbing all of the vital nutrients from the Semolina flour the pasta is made from, and receiving the benefits of the antioxidants in the wine they drink.
We could surely learn something valuable from their example!
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Rita Haddad, MA, CLEPC
Art Psychotherapist, Certified Coach, Author, Mentor, Speaker
Specializing in weight, inflammation, digestion, fatigue, energy
