The Diet Plan That Really Works
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
The etymology of the word, diet, is from the Greek work diaita which means lifestyle. There is no historical text that defines diet as suffering from starvation, or subtracting all delicious foods from diet so that eating is no longer a joy. The historical understanding of “diet” involves food, but it certainly does not revolve around it! Lifestyle involves nutrition as well as career, relationships, and spirituality, among a handful of other topics.
Within the past few decades, however, the times have changed. We now understand diet be a burden, something that more females than males do, and to be a basis for literature and money making. Well, folks, I hate to be the bearer of “bad news,” but I will tell you a secret. One cannot lose ten pounds in a week by going on a diet and still be healthy and well. If you remove all carbs from consumption but still hate your job and can’t find a healthy balance with your loved ones, are you going to be happy?
So what do we do… what is the diet plan, or lifestyle change, that really works to get us to a healthy weight, a stable conscious, a happy life? The best diet plan I have worked with is simply to slow down. The “Slow Down Diet.” It is very simple and I assure you, hands down, it will make alter your wellness and happiness in a very positive way.
- Before you put something into your mouth, slow down. Ask yourself why you want to put it into your body. If you come up with a good answer, then follow through. Will it nourish your cells or your soul? If you are craving something sweet, perhaps upgrade your choice of food to fruit or sweet veggie instead of a piece of cake. If you want something salty, instead of potato chips try upgrading to a healthier snack and put a bit of sea salt or Braggs Amino Acids on it, such as a tomato or grains. You may just realize in slowing down that you down want to put anything in your body at all… you have beaten the system!
- When the food is in your mouth, chew it for goodness sakes! We are so quick to chew three times and then swallow, our mind barely has time to digest whether or not we are enjoying the food that we have chosen to nourish our bodies with. Take time to savor the food, maybe even close your eyes. See what textures exist on the tongue, notice how different a bite can taste from the moments it hits the tongue to the last chew before swallowing. Chances are, you will find yourself much more satisfied after ten bites than you would have if you never took the time to chew.
- After you have taken a handful of bites, perhaps 15 or so, stop for a moment. See how your belly feels and how your mind feels. If you are not satiated, then move the fork back to the mouth. Otherwise, be satisfied with what you have decided to eat and be finished.
- Walk, ride or drive slowly from place to place. I know you are thinking right now, this has nothing to do with my eating patterns and losing ten pounds by the holidays! But it does have to do with your diet, or your lifestyle. If you can manage to transition in a slow manor, everything else seems to slow down too. When you have anger boiling in the mind, you can slow down and decide if it is really worth snapping on your boss or your significant other. When you are so excited that you just want to scream out, slow down and find another way to channel that energy into helping someone who is not feeling as excited. NOTE: Sometimes, just scream. It can be necessary.
- Think before you speak. This is something I am having a hard time working on, that is for certain! Have you ever reflected back on a time when you said everything that you shouldn’t have and seemed to leave out all of the important pieces? Happens to us all. But let’s make it stop. Think before you use your words, and be sure that you have placed yourself in the other persons shoes before assuming that they will understand where you are coming from.
Okay, so there it is. My brilliant plan for you to lose weight, stop stressing, and get on to healing yourself so that you can get on to helping others. Of course, there is plenty more where that came from, and if you are interested in making serious lifestyle changes, I would direct you to my nutrition page and see if that is more of what you are looking for. Otherwise, test out the slow down diet and let me know what you think!
