The world of dieting seems to be filled with rules and regulations. Eat this. Not that. This is good for you. This is bad for you. This counts. This doesn’t. Willpower is a must. Failure is always lurking. Everywhere you look there are things you can succeed or fail at. Judgment abounds.
There are a couple of supplements that you will want to take depending on your situation. But for the most part, they are useless or even dangerous.
“I had a stressful day so I deserve…”
“I lost a few pounds so it’s okay if I have…”
“I exercise so I can eat whatever I want.”
“I gained a few pounds and I’m disheartened so…”
Humans have an incredible power to see only what they want to see and deny any information to the contrary. If all else fails, justify, justify, justify.
Now that we are on the other side of the holidays, we are starting to see the posts about how much weight people gained. It’s a little scary (For the record, we did not gain any weight and we did not feel deprived). It also means that people (hopefully you) are more open to hearing about how to make better choices going forward.
Protein has been given cult status. It’s the one macronutrient that everyone worries about getting enough of. But why do we worry about it? Where did the idea that protein is so important come from? And is it really something we need to be concerned about?
I took daily probiotics and a fiber supplement (recommended by my doctor), pills for lactose intolerance, laxatives, antacids and just about anything else I could find that claimed to help with GI issues. Nothing worked. I was miserable.
When I tell someone that we eat a lot nuts, usually pecans or almonds because I’m allergic to walnuts, they often say, “You’re lucky. I could never eat those they are so high in fat.
You know about Pavlov and his dogs who would salivate at the sound of a bell. But did you know that same response is making you eat foods you know are bad for you, when you’re not hungry?
Intermittent fasting, sometimes abbreviated IF and also called “time restricted eating” has been gaining in popularity in recent years. Used both as a method of dieting and to improve health and longevity,
I (Dr Robyn) have written books on conflict resolution and the one thing it always boils down to is, you get to control you, your emotions and your physical space.
The saying, “Calories in/calories out” is common shorthand for, “You have to burn all the calories you eat or you’re gonna be fat.” It sounds right. Our logical brains say, “Yes.” But (of course there’s a but), it’s not completely true.
Let’s start by being clear what milk (less concentrated cheese) is supposed to do: Make sure a 60-pound calf keeps coming back to be fed and turns into a 400-pound animal in about six months.
What if you decided to replace the beef in a dish with black beans and mushrooms? What if it was really yummy? What if you didn’t get that heavy feeling in your gut after eating it?
I have seen a lot of people talking about using apps to track their micro and macro nutrients to “make sure” they are getting what they need. The process seems exhausting to me (most diets do).
That “caveman” part of the brain says, “When should I eat? Anytime food is available of course!” What should I eat? The highest fat, densest calories food available, clearly!”
This is the hard truth – Alcohol, in any form is an intoxicating, addictive, carcinogenic, neurotoxin and drug; not a therapeutic agent. Now that we have that out of the way, let’s look at some of the details.
When I suggested he might stop dieting and start eating by moving towards being more plant-based he replied, “That’s WAY too restrictive!”
Weight is a funny thing. It’s just a number on a scale. But it is often how we judge ourselves. For so many that number is what determines if they feel good or bad about themselves.
You likely already know that greens are good for you (kale, spinach, lettuce, swiss chard, cabbage, etc). They help with things like, heart health, sexual function, diabetes, breast cancer, glaucoma and even depression.