As promised, here is my blog entry about my "weight loss secrets". Part of the secret is that I never diet and that my eating habits are a lifestyle choice and, as stated, a habit. I am a grazer, my husband is a grazer and I suspect our children will be grazers. I had to think about how to define my habits in order to write this piece. This is important: I didn't seek out grazing as a diet/lifestyle choice... but that is how things have evolved for me over time. I was, in fact, surprised to find that it is a type of "diet" if you google it.
The following is my take on Grazing:
A long time ago, during my life time - specifically my life line, I started eating less during "meals" and took up snacking in order to appease my body's nasty little crashes, which I assumed were hypoglycemic fits. Snacks between meals satisfied my cravings and kept my body stable - reducing the roller coaster ride of ups and downs throughout the day. I also stopped drinking caffeine about 3.5 years ago during my first pregnancy. After stopping my caffeine habit, I realized how much better I felt every day, all day - day after day after day. I never get that EXHAUSTED feeling anymore at different points during the day - and there is no extreme swinging from alert to drowsy to get me a bed.
Redefining Food Intake: Meals???? vs. Eating Food
Grazing also fits my overall lifestyle: I rarely have time to cook a "traditional meal". It just is not a priority during the week day - coming home from work and spending time with my kids playing and going to the park overtakes the desire to be in the kitchen. Our kids get plenty of kitchen time on the weekend: we always make our own bread, desserts, food for the week with full kiddo participation. My daughter loves helping in the kitchen. She has the chance to eat food straight from our garden. And of course there are times that we have a large festive meal with friends and family. Most of the time, however, we eat to live, not live to eat. When you get away from a meal mentality you do run down that slippery slope of how well you eat. How do I deal with that? Do I eat well?
Here are a couple of things that I believe help us in our house. First of all, we strive to keep processed foods out of the house - of major importance when you don't cook much. Keep the junk out and enter the "100 healthy foods". It all works together with my goal of reducing waste and working towards zero waste. Real, whole foods with minimal damage! I'll grab a handful of almonds, an apple, some pre-cooked chicken, make up some broccoli, whip up some oatmeal, eggs, and so on. We make our own bread, banana bread, soups, and snacks (popcorn, carrots). When we shop, nothing with high fructose corn syrup enters our basket. We try to buy items with itsy bitsy ingredient labels - things we recognize. Yes, we eat chocolate - dark chocolate. Yes, we drink a beer here and there. Yes, there are days when we eat anything we want and a lot of it. I believe in Joyous Living! Someone saw me eating a cupcake or something like that at work one day and said... "aren't you supposed to be a Life Coach?" To which I replied, yes, and I believe in being happy. I don't struggle with calories and worries about what I am eating, because I live a lifestyle that allows for occasional "crap" in my diet.
My lifestyle does include a lot of movement! If you want to lose weight, or stay at a healthy weight as you age, you need less calories - less going in and more output - burning calories, a less sedentary way of life. Reduce your intake! One problem with 3 meals, I believe, is that people overeat at each meal. You are really hungry by the time it is time to eat, you eat quickly, and don't listen to the full signals (or don't get the signals until you've already eaten too much). Then people will also snack between these large meals too. I eat small all the time (except when you see me eat out). Research is proving that restricting food intake is lengthening lifespans, and leading (not surprisingly) to weight loss. Time Magazine Special: Eat Less, Live Longer
Google Top 10 Healthiest Foods, or healthy food lists, or 100 healthiest foods. Here is a link to List of 10 Super Foods. I have kept a list of healthy foods on my fridge to refer to when I need inspiration. I enjoy eating one food at a time - savoring it's unique texture and flavor. I believe we should try to get our vitamins from food rather than supplements.
My Favorite Tips for Weight Loss
1. Slow down when you eat
2. Eat less food, eat more often :)
3. Eat nutrient dense, non-processed foods
4. Get exercise
5. Be Happy and Mindful with your food, your kids, your job, etc...
6. Keep junk food out of your house
7. Make your desserts
8. Eat Anything, once a week
9. Think about what a "meal" is and your relationship to food
10. Totally avoid high fructose corn syrup
11. Eliminate soda
12. Counting calories does work, but it is a lot of work... just eat less & introduce healthier foods
13. Learn about healthy fats
14. If you graze, don't graze on junk
