Live Long Naturally ©2012

Ann Louise Gittleman, author of bestselling Fat Flush Plan refers to yo-yo dieting as a schizophrenic eating habit – Scientists have referred to it as the yo-yo syndrome. Syndrome or schizophrenia, it is not healthy and can actually make a person fat. Many people, some of my clients included, weight themselves e-v-e-r-y single day. I’ve seen it drive them absolutely crazy, despite their clothes fitting perfectly well.

When a person makes a habit of dieting, the body cannot distinguish between dieting and famine, it reacts to protect the individual by slowing down their metabolism and becoming more efficient at storing fat. Another end result of yo-yo dieting is that it increases the risk for heart disease. Heart disease, by the way, is the #1 killer among women. And who are the ones that diet more often than not? Women.

Our best bet is to simply strive to eat healthy most hours of the day and days of the week. When we eat healthy, weight will never be an issue!

“Everyone should be held responsible for what they eat, just as they are for what they drink when driving.” Jane Goodall

It’s been said, we are what we eat. However, it is more than that… we are what we eat, drink, absorb, think, and believe. So why wouldn’t we want to make it positive, great and healthy?

Think about what you eat before you eat it. If you think you will have “eaters remorse” you probably will. Before allowing your taste buds or emotions to eat you into oblivion or eaters remorse, ask yourself if it will bring you closer to health and your naturally good looks or farther away faster. This simple question has helped me and many others avoid certain foods or drinks, which in turn makes looking in the mirror the next day easier.

Eating healthy most days of the week and hours of the day and can do wonders at helping a person look and feel their absolute best without ever having to “diet” again. As we age, the months and years seem to fly by faster – before we know it, a decade has passed, wrinkles have appeared and clothes have gotten larger.

Think long term…

Do you find yourself eating for comfort just to be upset at yourself later? Eater’s remorse is a Catch 22. I’ve been guilty of it and it didn’t make me a happy camper. Not to mention, when we binge or indulge out of control, we can in fact eat or drink ourselves into oblivion the next day… hardly being recognizable even by us.

Thinking about what I may look or feel like after a meal (I am considering indulging in) has helped me avoid the food more than once! Before you eat, ask yourself what consequence a certain food or drink will have on your looks and your health. Carry a small mirror if it helps. If what you are about to eat or drink will not make you look or feel better, why have it? Why torture yourself? Why set yourself up for eater’s remorse?

Your overweight self does not stand before craving food. It’s craving love.” Oprah Winfrey

Drinking water has never been so easy – pick your size, flavor, additives (oxygen, electrolytes), or even a message of love or gratitude on your bottle. The intention is great, but you can tape the same message on your recycled bottle and have the same effect, without the price tag!

Choices for drinking water include:

• boiling for 5 minutes
• store bought filter/bottled water/from a water machine
• reverse osmosis
• distilled
• alkaline water filters
• visit a natural spring
• “treat” water with the sun, Himalayan salt, dowsing, etc…

Whichever type of water you choose, drink more! A client of mine lost 40 pounds drinking 1-½ gallons of water a day over a period of three months. This was the missing link in his daily routine. If you hit a plateau in your weight loss regime, try drinking more water. It suppresses your appetite and helps keep you full longer between meals.

The amount of water a person needs to drink depends on your source of information and your body weight. Generally, the more weight you carry, the more water you need. Some health experts say to drink one ounce of water per pound of body weight, while others say to drink half your weight in ounces. Dr. Mercola, states to drink one-quart for every 50 pounds of body weight. See what works best for you. Don’t focus on who’s right or wrong, just drink more! Give your body the moisture it so desperately needs.

Even your vehicle needs water to keep it going. Your plants, trees, grass, fruits, or vegetables will shrivel and die without water – so will your body and brain! Why allow yourself to look and feel old before your time?

A raisin, a prune, and leather are all dried out – YOU don’t have to be!

Getting plenty of nutrients in your food is easy if you simply make your meals colorful. The more color, the more vitamins! I continue my list from last week. As you’ll notice, this list is not entirely for vegans, though I do know you can get plenty protein from plants – a high animal protein diet is responsible for much of the disease today. Whereas, a high plant based diet will not only keep weight off, it will keep you alive AND WELL longer.

Real food allows us to eat more and weigh less!

Dandelion/kale: I tried choosing one over the other, but found that difficult. Aside from both being green and a great source of fiber, both are great detoxifiers. Dandelion is excellent for the liver, which is critical for health; it is also a diuretic – there aren’t many natural diuretics. Both help the eyes; kale is a great source of iron, while dandelion is great for indigestion and enhancing mood. They both provide sources of calcium, Vitamin A & K; Kale also has Vitamin C, which is great for cancer. Dandelion is also great B.P., bowel, cholesterol, diabetes and enzymes. Kale is an antioxidant, something we can all use. Dandelion can grow on it’s own as a weed – it is harsh plant, with a bitter taste to help fight major diseases.

Eggs: Are a common easy to find food that do not cost a lot, they can be used in many ways to provide the protein, omega-3’s, and B-12 we all need. They are beneficial for breast cancer, heart, brain, eyes, and liver. Since the liver is often considered the “first line of defense” in keeping us well, we can all benefit from nourishing it.

Green Tea: This just happens to be a favorite of mine for it’s ability to enhance my mood, increase my metabolism, and help keep my weight down. Knowing it is an antioxidant makes it that much more tasty. It is great for cancer, heart, stroke, hormone balancing (for women), cholesterol, and Alzheimer’s. It is also an anti-inflammatory.

Olive Oil: Aside from olive oil being good for us, I felt I needed to include something we can use to cook with. It is anti-cancer/oxidant and a great source of omega-3’s. It is also great for the heart, blood pressure, and cholesterol. I also use it (organic variety) to remove my eye makeup.

List was taken from a project I did earlier this year. Previous post gives the details of how and why this list came about.

Cheers!