The Five Keys to Healthy Eating
By: Jeremy Likness
1. Enjoy what you eat
Whether someone is following the Atkins diet the South Beach diet the advice contained in Tom Venutos eBook Burn the Fat Feed the Muscle or even a program of their own design success depends on enjoying what you eat. When you dont enjoy your food you resist it. Resistance creates stress and stress is counterproductive to fat loss. It is important to look at eating as a part of your life not a chore that interrupts your life.
The question ultimately becomes How do I learn to enjoy healthy foods Most people did not enjoy their first cup of coffee or can of beer. What happened is that in their environment external pressures stress fatigue peer pressure created a desire to enjoy that steaming hot espresso or to be able to chug down a draught of beer with the best of their buddies. Eventually a strange thing happened when the coffee cup was repeatedly associated with more energy or productivity or simply the pleasure of settling down to read something while draining the cup or when the beer became associated with fun times and great parties they acquired a taste.
You can acquire a taste for healthy foods. It is important to understand how you operate to determine if it makes sense to go cold turkey or transition. Many people cling to diets that allow free days or gorge fests because they never really learn to enjoy the healthy food they need the psychological crutch of getting comfortable again (if comfortable means bloated and nauseous from overeating junk food) and live from free day to free day. Is this you If so you might start transitioning and looking for an alternative. Instead of a free day how about this: have a few free meals and then focus on enjoying the food that you consume throughout the week. Experiment with new recipes. Dont like raw vegetables Try steamed. Dont like them plain Spice them up. As you lose weight and gain energy focus on the connection between your healthy foods and your new physique. Before long you might even acquire a taste for healthy foods.
2. Believe in what you are doing
Belief is an important component of any lifestyle. If you dont believe what you are doing will work why should you continue to do it Often times the lack of belief is not in the program you are following but rather in yourself. Food is an addiction that is no different than addiction to cigarettes alcohol or illegal drugs. To overcome this addiction the first place to look is within you. Without faith you are going to allow fear to maneuver you into a position to binge overeat and sabotage yourself.
When you dont believe you simply do. It is a frustrating concept especially for analytical people because they want to have a simple set of rules. It is easy as an analytical person to get into your comfort zone. Find an equation that spits out a number of calories. Get a ratio of foods 40% protein 40% carbs 20% fat right Then you have that exact formula and you are ready to go. Unfortunately if it were that simple more people would be sharing their success story (and their formulas) with everyone else.
The fact is that it is not the calorie or the formula or the ratio that determines your success. It is you. Whether you are on a high protein low fat nosugar or other program your success will be determined by the level of your belief. I have witnessed people achieve success using many different nutrition styles and the common element that linked their success was belief. If you asked them Will you lose your weight they would reply Absolutely. If you cannot state that without confidence it is time to find something you can believe in ... and more often than not it will not be a new program but you. Believe in you.
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 wont 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 dont 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 dont overeat and they dont 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 dont overdo it ... and when it is done they dont 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 foodcombining (a concept where you do not eat proteins and starches together for more information read Fit for Life by Harvey Diamond or Total Health Makeover by Marilu Henner) I simply resisted. No way thats not right! Ive 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 doesnt work and embrace what does. This ability to not fear the unknown allowed me to try foodcombining 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