Keep It Simple Sweetheart

Awwwwww!

I have always loved the acronym K.I.S.S. Keep it simple, sweetheart. Think about it for a second. When we succeed at simplifying our life, we are being kind to ourselves, being affectionate to our soul. Yes? :) And, simplicity is what Losing My Behind is all about....I just don't do complicated anymore.

So this post is a simple treatise on simplicity itself. Especially when it comes to food and being healthy. And, because it just shouldn't be so hard to love ourselves.

Truth is simple.

First, we all want our weight loss to be permanent. And, there are lots of "experts" out there, devising their proven plans, popular programs, and savvy systems . . . and I honestly believe that for most of them their intentions are honorable and good.

But, some of them are sooooo complicated. I love a good challenge, but nothing irritates me more than unnecessary busy work and making something simple into something complicated.

Second, no ONE way of losing weight is right for everyone. We have different affinity's for the method to our madness....DNA if you will. Nobody should ever deny their own natural bent. There is simply too much tasty food in this world to live our lives eating stuff we don't like.

This is why I find it difficult to subscribe to any ONE program out there. It's not that I'm not serious, I am EXTREMELY determined to reach my goals. It's just that nobody knows my body better than me.

And third, we all lead very busy lives...careers, family, home, friends, recreation, community...and the last thing we need is a diet program that requires hours of training! It's one thing to learn what constitutes a healthy diet, and quite another to have to learn point values, percentages and grams of this or that.

I've tried all that, and honestly, I have never thought about food so much as when I am engaging in all those food activities. Obsession is what it is. At least for me.

The goal in getting healthy, both physically and mentally, is to NOT be obsessed with food, and yet so many programs require such a sharp learning curve that all you do is think about food. Somehow that just doesn't seem right to me.

So, I subscribe to the K.I.S.S. philosophy.
Keep it simple sweetheart. Here are some phrases I've heard around the food world that help me keep the highway to healthy eating simple, sane and ultimately doable:

"Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants." - Michael Pollan

"If it doesn't come from the ground or have a mother, don't eat it." -unknown

"Stop renting weight loss." -Pat Barone

"If hunger is not the problem, then eating is not the solution." -unknown

"Moderation in all things." -unknown

What do you think of these statements? And, what simple, to the point, easy to implement food advice have you heard or, better yet, implemented in your own life? Please share your sage advice in the comments!

Simply me,
Cheryl

Photo courtesy of Creative Commons

I'm Sorry To Tell You, You Are Not The Biggest Loser

It seems when Ali says those words very early on in a Biggest Loser season, they come a little bit easier. But, as the weeks roll by, relationships develop, bonds are formed, and I can just tell that she really hates to see these folks go home.

If I had been a contestant on the Biggest Loser this past week, I would have been the one to go home because I gained back 2 pounds. What the heck. I'm not in a contest, competing against other contestants for a giant financial reward or working out 8 hours a day. No, I'm just an ordinary woman trying to eat right, exercise and reclaim my health, and simply working for my right to just be alive and healthy and active for another 30 years or more!

When I started this whole program, I didn't have a specific "diet" I was going to follow. I've been on so many over the years, have learned a lot, and decided to take all the little things I have learned from each one and make up my own program. And, that first month, I lost 10 pounds. Success!

Then, I decided to get all fancy schmancy. I talked to a dietitian, I tracked my food, I worked out more, and you all know that my weight has barely budged now for two months. Up and down, up and down. If I were seeing a downward trend, I'd be cool with that. But, something has got to give. My newfound success in month one feels like so long ago.

I'm not saying that everyone I've worked with over the last two months is wrong, I'm just saying that for whatever reason, their plans are not working out for me. And I think that "whatever" reason has to do with my blood sugar, insulin response and the kind of calories I am consuming. At least I'm pretty sure that's the culprit.

Enter: A Week In The Zone, a book written by Dr. Barry Sears, the author of The Zone: by the year 2000, more than 5 million copies were sold! This book doesn't give quick fixes or magical promises. Rather, it is sensible, practical and very very doable.

Isn't it funny that we spend soooo much money on books that we hope will deliver a silver bullet? We are desperate as we feel our own wastebands expanding, and yet the problem is not going away. In fact, America is getting bigger and bigger every year.

Don't you think that if the problem with America's obesity rate was fat that we would be well on our way to eliminating the problem? We consume far less fat than we did 15 years ago, but just take a look next time you walk down a city street....we are getting wider all the time, and Dr. Barry Sears believes that it's not the fat that's making us fat.

No, he believes it's the simple carbs we consume that spike our insulin, and its insulin that makes us fat and keeps us fat. (NOTE: This is NOT a high protein diet like Atkins. Please read on.)

Dr. Sears has my attention. He doesn't propose a new fangled diet.  Instead he presents a very strong case for why simple carbs are wrecking havoc on America's health, and a very simple, straightforward solution. I promise you, this stuff isn't tough to figure out. It's not complicated. It IS scientific, tho, with Nobel Prize-winning research to back it up.

We don't need drugs, we don't need surgery, we don't need another diet to go on only to abandon. We don't even need diet foods to lose weight. No, all we need is lots and lots of fruits and veggies, lean protein, and healthy fats.

The easiest way to understand this program is to start using high glycemic carbs such as bread, rice, potatoes, corn, etc. as condiments, not the main course. If we can manage to make this mind-shift, we'll start to lose weight permanently, prevent disease, increase longevity and control insulin and blood sugar levels. I think it's worth it.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who either struggles with their weight or knows someone who does. Hubs and I are going to give the program 30 days. I'll report back on May 1 with our results!

$10 on Amazon. Not bad at all.

To health and long life,
Cheryl