Change Your Mindset,Change Your Diet

Change Your Mindset, Change Your Diet

Most people when they hear about the way I eat respond by saying they could never do it. They wouldn’t want to. They could never give up pasta, bread, etc. It is too restrictive. They don’t want to feel deprived. They prefer everything in moderation. To be honest, before I adopted this lifestyle I would have said the same thing.

 Ask yourself, how is what you are doing working for you? Do you feel crappy most of the time? Are you hungry all the time? Do you seem to get sick easily? Have you been losing and gaining the same weight over and over or worse, are you gaining weight and can’t seem to lose it? If so, what you are doing isn’t working.

The Old Me

The old me would always try and figure out how much I could eat without gaining weight. I would diet just long enough to get back to a comfortable weight and then return to my old way of eating. In my early thirties I usually only had to do a pretty awful cleanse for about 10 days once a year. That would do the trick. I would get to an acceptable number on the scale and then I’d go back to “normal” eating all the sugar I thought I needed to enjoy life. As I started my forties that didn’t work as well. In addition to my yearly cleanse I focused on counting calories. I was eating all the low fat foods. I did more cardio. Instead of feeling great, I found that I just wanted to eat more food. My cravings were terrible. This low calorie diet seemed impossible. Eventually I would crack and eat all the things I was trying to avoid. From there I would figure I might as well eat whatever I wanted and start again after the weekend. The good old “Diet starts Monday”. As I look back on the craziness I realize that is deprivation. That is what isn’t sustainable.

A Change of Perspective

Why have we gotten to the point where we want to eat as much food as we possibly can? Why not change our perspective? Rather, let’s see what’s the least amount of food we can eat and still feel great, still maintain and build muscle, still have tons of energy and mental clarity, to not get sick as often and, most importantly, not feel hungry all the time. Wouldn’t it be great to not always be thinking about food? It’s time consuming to be always preparing for your next snack or meal. Constantly fighting hunger cravings is exhausting. 

I am finally in that place, a place where I eat the least that I need to in order to thrive and feel great. I truly enjoy the food I eat. It is simple and quick to make. It is delicious. I don’t feel deprived or that I am missing out. I don’t have to count calories. One of the things I love the most is I have achieved an intuitive sense of how much I need to eat. I don’t have constant cravings and feel the need to eat all the time. I no longer get that slump in the afternoon where I feel tired and need a snack. I can easily go for long periods of time without food. It is liberating and I feel fantastic. There are times when I eat things I wish I hadn’t, but the difference is I can hop back on the wagon instead of binging for several days. I don’t obsess over food and don’t feel guilty when I want to eat some french fries. I would say I eat clean about 80% of the time. I strive for consistency rather than perfection.

I often wonder why it took me so long to figure it out. In fact, if it wasn’t for my son’s Crohn’s diagnosis I am not sure I would have. My son was pretty sick and it was hard seeing him suffer. At the time I didn’t know what Crohn’s was so I read everything I could find. As a family, we changed our diet. And this is how it all started. To be honest, I’d go back to the way I was before if I could take away the diagnosis but since that isn’t possible I will focus on the positive. Because we changed our way of eating, my entire family feels better. We are all healthier.

Eat Real Food

When I think about it, it is simple. Just eat real food. Stop using inflammatory seed oils like vegetable and canola oil. Reduce your sugar and try to steer clear of packaged, processed foods. Buy the best quality meats and vegetables that you can afford. Steer clear of the foods that make you not feel well. That’s pretty much it. Not a lot of rules. Eat better and you will feel better. You will lose weight. You won’t be hungry all the time. Your body will work better. You won’t feel like you are depriving yourself or missing out.

Just because it is simple doesn’t mean it is easy. I get that. It is hard at the beginning, but once you get going it is easy. Definitely a lot easier than the years of cleansing and dieting I did so that I wouldn’t have to be “deprived” of any foods. Anyone can learn how as there is a lot of free information out there, but most of it is conflicting. It is hard to figure out the right way to do it. It took me a long time, in fact a few years. I didn’t have anyone to guide me, but now I understand how to do it. It isn't a one size fits all approach as everyone is so different. I had to do a lot of experimenting and try new things. It is a series of many small steps that help you form new habits. But I did it, and if I can do it anyone can. You have two choices, you can continue to do what you are doing, or you can make a change and try something new. I promise it is worth the time and effort.

Many people ask me how I eat so I put together an ebook with lists of what I eat and some recipes. It isn't fancy, there are no complicated recipes. I focus on eating real food that comes from quality sources. Everything I make is simple and nourishing. I want you to see how quick and easy it can be. If you want help, I am here for you. Just let me know what you need. Click below if you would like the ebook and I will email it to you. You can make these changes, it takes some work at the beginning, but you can do it!