Diet Free Radiant Me™ Archives - Page 45 of 46 - Diet Free Radiant Me | Intuitive Eating | Emotional Eating

Pop Culture Permeates Body Image

In 1959 Barbie burst onto the scene, meant to be a symbol for young girls to look up to and hope to be like. However, throughout the years many mothers and advocates for woman’s issues complained about Barbie’s unrealistic proportions and the body image that it would represent to the impressionable young girls playing with her. Now images of unrealistic body types are hard to escape in our country. We are a nation obsessed with celebrity, and sometimes we forget that their lives are far from normal, and so are their body types.

I want to ask you a question. Are you striving for the“perfect body?” Are your looks what make you who you are? I hope the answers to these questions are no. However for a celebrity, their job and their responsibility to the public is to look good. That means their days are designed to have hours to workout. Their meals are delivered to their doorstep or handmade by a private chef. Not to mention a little thing called airbrushing and spandex which are used to trick consumers when it comes to the magazines you see. It is hardly fair to hold yourself to an image that is hardly realistic.

There is no person to whom you should be comparing yourself to. Everyone is different and what works for one person may not work for another. When it comes to body image, you are under no obligation look like anybody other than yourself, especially if it means putting yourself at health risk to do it. You have to respect your body for what is and what it allows you to do. Maybe your arms seem out of proportion, but those are the arms that are strong enough to lift your children with. Or perhaps you would like your thighs to be smaller, but it’s those thighs that allow you to participate in your favorite sports or exercise activities.

There is always a positive to be found in the way you’re built. The way you are built allows you to do the things that you do. Try to internalize this thought; an improved self-image is the first step towards an improved body image.

Your turn to take action: Stand in front of the mirror with minimal clothing on. Look at your reflection and ask yourself, “What one thing do I like about my body?” If you can’t seem to find anything you like, then think about the way your body functions and all the good it’s done for you. Please share your thoughts in the comment section below.

Eating Out Mindfully

Restaurants can be one of the greatest challenges of trying to eat healthy. New labeling requirements have made us more aware of just how unhealthy some of our favorite dishes can be. But eating out is part of our culture and it is a fun social event to go out to eat with our friends. It is also an opportunity to try new foods that we don’t eat on a regularbasis and that should not be missed out on just because you feel like you won’t be able to make healthy choices.

I often hear from my clients that they don’t go out to eat because they fear they will make “bad” choices and overeat. I tell them if you were dieting then I can understand how difficult it would be. But I quickly remind them that they are not dieting. Eating mindfully is about enjoying whatever foods you want, and knowing that the enjoyment can come guilt-free. One of the best intuitive eating principles that can help you in a restaurant setting is “Respect Your Fullness.” By eating what you really want to eat, not what you think you should eat, you will enjoy your restaurant experience and be able to stop when comfortably satisfied without risk of overeating.

It’s easy to get distracted when eating out. You might be wrapped up in conversation and eat more than you expect because you were not paying attention to your food. Here are some strategies to increase your consciousness while eating:

Be aware of how hungry you are when you sit down. Sometimes restaurants make you wait for a long time before seating you at a table, and then you still have to wait for your food once you get there.
Never arrive overly hungry or it will be harder to identify when you had enough. Have a small snack before you leave home.
Wait to take bites between conversations so you can be aware of the food you are eating.
Pause mid-meal and ask yourself if you are still hungry.

Eating out is fun and can be included in a healthy eating lifestyle. All food and food related activities have their place in mindful eating, and as you continue on this journey, you will see how you will enjoy food socially more than ever before, without the guilt and the uncomfortable fullness!

If you are interested in learning more strategies to help you get off the diet roller coaster, request your Free – Break Free of Dieting Strategy Session Here.

Your turn to take action: How will you increase your consciousness while eating out?

4 Dangers of Chronic Dieting

While many people can admit to dieting at some point in their lives, there is a difference between wanting to lose 1. weight the healthy way (slow and steady) or relying on fad diets that promise quick fixes.

The problem with fad diets is that they will most likely last just as long as it took you to lose the weight. Instead of losing weight gradually over time and being able to maintain the weight loss, these short-lived diets will actually end up costing you more than you bargained for.

Because of their quick-fix results, many people unfortunately get caught up in the cycle of dieting for a specific event, gaining the weight back, and then trying a new fad the next time. This is known as chronic dieting.

While these may work in the short-term, there can be negative long-term effects!

4 Side Effects of Dieting

1.Slowed Metabolism– When dieting consists of a drastic decrease in caloric intake, your body will compensate for this “starvation mode”, which will slow the rate of your metabolism. While many diets claim to speed up metabolism, they are actually doing the opposite.

2.More Challenging to Lose Weight– Over time, after numerous fad diet episodes, it will be harder for your body to lose excess weight, and even harder to gain back the lean muscle mass that you have lost. After a quick-fix diet, youhave lost mostly water weight and muscle, so when you do gain weight back, it is not muscle, it is fat. Therefore, although you may lose initial weight, the chances of you gaining even more fat back after your success is extremely high.

3.Altered Mood– What happens when you get hungry? You get angry! Not having the appropriate amount of food in your system can affect your mood because of hormonal changes and a lower level of blood sugar. With less energy being consumed, the more tired you become as well. Is losing weight in an unhealthy fashion worth being tired and in a bad mood for?

4.Nutrient Deficiencies– Some diets restrict certain nutrients such as carbohydrates or complete food groups, such as dairy. When you aren’t eating well-balanced meals, you are likely missing some essential nutrients that can lead to deficiencies and disease.

The next time you hear of a fad diet that is too good to be true, it probably is! There are many ways to lose weight fast, but they certainly are not healthy and over time can lead to further health complications. Eating well-balanced meals and letting your body guide you while incorporating consistent exercise and movement that feels joyful and gentle is the true way to feeling at home in your body and living a happier and healthier lifestyle.

Your turn to take action: Want off the diet roller coaster? Sign up below to Break the Spell of Diets in 3 Days! You’ll be amazed at the feeling of freedom!

People Pleasing and Putting Yourself First

When you are on an airplane and the emergency procedures are being explained, do you notice they tell you to always put your oxygen mask on first before helping others? The reason you are told to do that is so that you are able to help others. If you disregard your mask and try to help your children or loved ones instead, you would pass out and be of no use to anyone.

This is a good metaphor for those of you who do not take the time to take care of yourself in life. When you are too busy running around and doing for everyone else, it is easy to become drained, sick or resentful. By taking time to care for yourself, you are actually helping to be more present for your loved ones. It may seem like your needs are not as important as those around you, but again, if your needs are not met, how can you be the best you can be for everyone in your life.

The other thing is, the people in your life want to see you happy and fulfilled. If you feel like they may not be supportive of you taking time for yourself, explain to them how meeting your needs will make you better at helping them with theirs. They will also enjoy seeing you happier and calmer, rather than the stressed and snippy you that might come out when you are doing for everyone else and not tending to yourself.

Worse yet, what if being a people pleaser is actually harming your health? Weight gain, high blood sugar, and elevated blood pressure are all physical side effects of neglecting yourself in order to please others.

Eating healthy is one of the first things to go when you are taking care of everyone around you but you. You might find yourself saying you do not have time to plan or make your meals and snacks because you are busy making your children’s. Or, perhaps you are on the go all day running from place to place that you forget to eat and find yourself ravenous at the end of the night when everyone is tucked into bed. Being healthy is its own type of oxygen mask. A healthy you breeds healthier individuals around you, which is a win-win for everyone!

If you need help finding ways to take care of yourself, check out my recent blog post 10 Ways to Combat Stress! Remember, your loved ones need you, but they need you to be happy and healthy more than anything.

Your turn to take action: What will you do to take better care of yourself?

The Stress and Food Cycle

In the previous article I listed many healthy ways to manage the stress in your life. Notice I did not list “indulge in comfort food” or “treat yourself with food” as one of the healthy alternatives to stress. Yet how many people use food as their “go to” cure for stress? If this strikes a chord with you, you are not alone.

Food is a very common tool that some people use to try and mediate stress. However, food as a “cure” typically provokes even more stress. Comfort foods that people often turn to are laden with sugar and fat and are not the kind that makes you feel good when you finish it. It is the type of food that is easy to overindulge in and become overfull, and full of guilt. This behavior can be the cause of unwanted weight gain. You then feel more stressed, engage in more mindless eating and experience more remorse.

You can break free of this vicious cycle by understanding the real reason you use food to deal with your stress and by incorporating 3 simple steps into your life.

Take the first step to self-discovery by tuning into my free mini-webinar 3 Simple Steps to Stop the Stress and the Weight Gain. This webinar will give you an introduction to the strategies you need to combat stress, as well as insight into how to best avoid the stress all-together.

Just click here for instant access to this webinar and let me help you break free from this cycle!

Your turn to take action: Do you turn to food when feeling stressed, overwhelmed or emotional? What action will you take next time you are feeling this way instead of eating? Please share in the comments below.

The Connection between Sleep and Your Body Weight

Have you ever found yourself trying to fit all the things you do into your day’s schedule and deciding the only way to get them all done is to cut back on sleep? If the answer is yes, chances are this was not a one-time occurrence. Not only does constantly cutting back on your sleep make you less productive due to the fatigue you experience, but more and more research supports the idea that a decrease in the hours you sleep at night can actually promote weight gain.

The connection between sleep and weight gain can be found in two hormones: leptin and ghrelin. Leptin is the satiety hormone, responsible for feeling satiated. After eating, your leptin levels rise because your body is satisfied and knows it has enough food. Ghrelin is the hunger hormone, which tells your brain when its time to eat. After you eat, ghrelin levels decrease. Studies show that when you are deprived of sleep, your leptin levels decrease and ghrelin levels increase. This is why when you are low on shut-eye, you sometimes feel a constant hunger, because these hormones are out of sync. The higher the ghrelin, the more your desire for high calorie foods full of sugar and fat. This also adds to weight gain.

In addition to the hormone imbalances, a new study recently came out regarding the “mismatch” between the body’s circadian rhythms and the actual schedules people maintain. The busy social calendar you keep can leave you sleep deprived to sometimes chronic levels. Your circadian rhythms are based on day and night levels of sunlight and darkness, which should control the optimal window for being awake and being asleep. Pushing yourself to stay awake through more of the dark periods is leading to a disruption in these patterns, and potentially contributing to habits that cause an increase in weight gain.

While it may seem like a good place to cut back in order to fit more into a busy day, sleep should be regarded on the same level as proper nutrition and physical activity. It is equally important when maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Just like the “me time” I discussed in a previous blog, getting enough sleep is not selfish, but rather it makes you a more productive and present person whose fuse isn’t set off by a lack of sleep. Treat yourself to 7-9 hours of sleep a night, and you will find yourself more in control of your hunger and tackling your busy schedule!

Your turn to take action: How many hours of sleep do you get at night? What strategies will you use to get more shut-eye?

Here We Go Again-Another Fad Diet

Just a mere couple of months into 2013 and Americans have latched on to a new “magic bullet” called “The Fast Diet.” To summarize, the “Fast Diet” recommends limiting your calories on two, non-consecutive days during the week to 500 calories for women and 600 calories for men. The other five days you are free to eat whatever you want. The creator of the diet, a doctor from Britain, claimed that following this plan resulted in his own 20 pound weight loss in two months, as well as reduction in his blood sugars and abdominal fat.

However many experts are skeptical due to the lack of human testing. Without proper research, it is unethical to make a statement to the public that this diet is safe. Any diet restricting calories to under 1000 is suspect because no human being, no matter what their weight, should be consuming that little energy if they want to maintain a healthy lifestyle. The up and down caloric patterns that occur on a day to day basis also throws off your metabolism and keeps it from working in a regular rhythm, something that could actually cause weight gain. Another issue is it encourages erratic, mindless eating on the 5 days of the week that you are not fasting by telling people to “eat however they want.”

Wouldn’t it be nice to always eat “however you want”? Well, that is what the iEat Mindfully™ program is all about, minus restricting calories and having to follow any rules! Unlike the type of mindless eating the “Fast Diet” encourages five days a week, the iEat Mindfully™ program encourages you to eat whatever you want by honoring your true hunger and respecting your fullness. It is not a diet, but rather a way of life. There are no unhealthy restrictions on any day of the week. You simply learn what your body needs, and have a mutual respect for it and the food that you consume.

Like fashion, diets are nothing more than trends. They come and go with the season. However knowing your body and living a healthfully is always in style.

Your turn to take action: What are some diet trends that have let you down? Have you made a commitment to give up dieting?

Eating for Wellness, Not Weight Loss

When you are a child, there are so many exciting things to experience every day, and meals and snacks are just a part of the routine. Life is not driven by your meals and snacks and whether or not you will eat the “right” or “wrong” food. There is pleasure in the friends you are with and the joys each day brings.
When you focus too much on eating and dieting, food begins to control your life rather than being a part of your day. You find yourself cancelling your lunch date with your friends because you are afraid there will be nothing on the menu that you “can” eat. You find you are lacking energy to do daily tasks because you are eating very little calories because your plan “told you too.” These are all food rules that you are following to hopefully lose weight and they are removing the pleasurable experiences from your life.

Instead of focusing on your food as a tool for weight loss, focus on it as a tool for wellness. Food is fuel. It should not prevent you from living your life, but rather it should help you live your life. For example, do not skip breakfast because you are worried you will overeat the rest of the day. Have a hearty nutritious breakfast such as oatmeal with fruit and nuts or scrambled egg whites in a whole grain tortilla. You will see how much energy you have to start your day and will find you are not “starving” by lunchtime.

Promise yourself you will not miss plans with friends because of the venue they are eating at. Be mindful of your hunger, order something that you are going to enjoy, but honor your fullness and know when it’s time to stop.

By making food a positive force in your life, you will end that unhappy relationship and be on your road to wellness AND weight loss. Your decisions will no longer be controlled by food, but what you want to do and what you want to eat. As long as you keep the principles of intuitive eating in mind, you are good to go!

What is one food rule you live by that does not coincide with eating for wellness, and how will you change it?

Repair Your Relationship with the Mirror

It is not always easy. You’re standing in the dressing room with a new outfit on and the fluorescent lighting hits all the “trouble spots.” Or you just ate dinner and are changing into pajamas and you catch a glimpse of your stomach in the bedroom mirror and are not especially thrilled with what you see. Very rarely do people voluntarily stand and look at themselves in the mirror out of the joy of seeing what they look like. They stand in front of the glass and start picking themselves apart.

Does this sound familiar?

The first thing to remember is not all mirrors are created equal. Some mirrors are wider and make you appear wider, just like you might weigh more on one scale over another. It is simply a piece of glass that shows you a reflection of your appearance. Yet you see it as a tool that can facilitate a negative dialogue with yourself.

In a recent blog post I talked about not being so hard on yourself. Repairing your relationship with the mirror coincides with all the things mentioned in that post. It all comes back to loving who you are and speaking positively about yourself. Instead of hiding from the mirror, embrace it. After all, it lets you take a look at you, and gives you the opportunity to see the wonderful person that everyone else does. Mirrors reflect what is seen on the outside, but spend a few seconds longer in front of it and you can start to think about who you are on the inside.

Instead of picking yourself apart, look into the mirror and notice parts of your reflection that you are proud of. Then look harder and see into the person you are looking at. Think about all the things you handle on a daily basis and be proud of everything you regularly accomplish. The person you see looking back at you is wonderful, whether or not the fluorescent lighting is flattering or unflattering. Be happy with the person staring back at you.

Spend a full minute staring at yourself in the mirror and come up with five things you love about the person staring back! I can’t wait to hear what you discover!

Change the Tape that Plays in Your Head

It can be frustrating to not achieve the weight loss goals you have set out for yourself. Often you might see this as a failure and a reflection of who you are as a person. You therefore develop a negative internal monologue with yourself that tends to only perpetuate weight gain or the inability to lose weight. Bullying yourself is not the way to long lasting weight loss, nor is it part of a healthy lifestyle.

Many times the roadblocks in the journey to weight loss are not a lack of nutrition education or even support, but rather they are barriers you put up in your own psyche that prevents you from moving forward. Your emotional health is key to your physical health, and talking yourself down will not lead to success. How many times have you eaten what you consider “poorly” or not in keeping with your “diet plan” throughout the first half of the day, and your inner voice starts bullying you saying, “You can’t even make it a few hours without eating unhealthy” or “Can’t you stick to anything? You’re such a failure! You’ll never lose weight!” The disappoint that accompanies these thoughts almost always leads to more unhealthy choices throughout the rest of the day.

Instead of criticizing yourself, be your own cheerleader. The day is not ruined if you chose to eat a bagel for breakfast instead of oatmeal. Tell yourself it is OK and move on. There are so many more things to the day than what you eat. Food should only be a part of your life, not what controls it. The more you can shift your mind from the negative to focusing on all the great things about what you do in a day, the more success you are sure to have on your weight loss journey.

Support from others is great and is a key piece in the weight loss puzzle, but the support you give yourself is equally if not more important. After all, you are on this journey for you and nobody else, and while weight loss is great, achieving happiness and a sense of peace with the way you maintain a healthy lifestyle is even better.

Please share with me at least 1 thing you are proud of that you did today!