How Not To Let Your Diet Make You Neurotic!

Over the years, I have met many, too many, people who have become neurotic while trying to lose weight. 

What are the signs?

When I sit down with them and we begin chatting about their weight loss experience, they begin to tell me in a hurried stream of words the rules they have learned over the years of reading about how to eat, lose weight, or get in shape or get healthy. Those streams typically are very heavy with the words” I know I should do this” and “I know I shouldn’t do or eat that”. These rules are only pieces of the big puzzle. Our society and the media drive this sliver mentality. We speak, hear, and learn in sound bites these days. We look for the quick fix, the right answer, or the magic solution to a problem.

Please understand one thing … There is NO quick fix! Your body has certain things that it needs as a foundation to function and there really are no shortcuts. You can make it easier to get those simpler things, but you must still get them.

What are those things? 

A major foundation is water. Just because something is liquid does not mean it replaces water. You need to consume ½ your body weight in ounces per day of clean pure water to hydrate your cells, lubricate your joints, maintain proper digestion, detoxify your body, and a whole host of other functions. Coca-Cola cannot substitute for that.

Another foundational piece is whole foods. Your body needs protein, carbohydrates (the right ones), and healthy fats at every meal and snack to maintain proper function. Whole foods are essentially foods you can identify. This means that a piece of cheese or a piece of beef is identifiable, but whey protein powder is not as much. That powder could be anything and usually does contain other things than what God put on the earth.

Know that there are certain amounts of these whole foods your body needs based on your Metabolic Design that are different than your spouse’s or best friend’s. This is one reason why not all diets work for everyone.

Rest and exercise are crucial to a healthy body as well.

But I told you that I would share how not to be neurotic while trying to lose weight. And it may shock you!

Throw every rule you have heard about dieting out the window. (Unless you are a client of mine.)

Especially if you are a client of mine! You, of all people, know that there are no rules, guilt, shame, self-abuse, should’s or should not’s, good or bad foods. Every food is a possibility. YOU just have to DECIDE which you are going to use for fuel, which you are going to indulge in, and how that affects your health and goals.

I have seen far too many people become obsessive about what they should and shouldn’t be eating and that does nothing but make you stressed out, raise your cortisol levels (increasing your fat storage) and eventually, after enough time make you a little neurotic.  

Food is not good or bad, nor are you for eating something. When looking at food, diets, or trying to improve your health, focus on just one thing … Is this food going to fuel my body? If the answer is no, then you have a decision to make. Will this taste good enough to indulge in and detract from my goals? If the answer is yes, then indulge in moderation. And find other ways to build into your health within the same meal, like if you choose to get a burger, opt for veggies instead of fries. Go one step further and opt for no bun as well. If you want dessert, opt for a healthy dinner and indulge in a few bites vs. the entire cheesecake. It is all about choices, not judgment.

The other thing that people get obsessive about is the numbers. This I see far too often and it is a major saboteur of success. 

The numbers on a scale can be a huge pitfall. The scale is not always your friend. Do not weigh yourself more than once per week. 

Many people will jump on the scale to “see how they are doing”. The challenge isn’t the number itself, but the value placed on that number. For some people it equals, “I did really well yesterday” or a “Boy, yesterday was a disaster. I better get back on track today.” Unfortunately, as we are evaluating our progress, we forget that our body does not transform in 24-hour periods. There is no immediate result on the scale of eating well or poorly one day. It is a culmination of many little decisions and successes (or setbacks).

Please also do not use this as a reward/punishment model either. Many people live moment by moment. They will look at the scale, see the number has gone down, and say, “Wow, I did really well yesterday. I deserve a little treat!” Then they’ll opt for a brownie or piece of candy, and if they had not lost that ½ pound overnight, they would have opted not to. This is the typical diet mentality. I lost, so I can return to my old ways.  Do not fall into this roller coaster. It is not a fun ride! Instead, refer back to the above … Eat for Fuel.

The number of calories, points, or protein, carbs & fats can be another big stumbling block. If all you do is focus on these numbers, you are likely not going to be getting the nutrients your body needs daily, because you are focusing solely on quantity instead of quality.  If you eat McDonald’s, ice cream, and a brownie in one day and that is all you eat, you are likely still within your calorie count or your points, but you are definitely NOT getting your body what it needs to function properly. 

Where are the nutrients? The nutrients are the building blocks to building a healthy heart, brain, and body. Without those, how long can you function?

Instead of focusing on just the quantity, focus on the quality of what you are eating. Think about whether it is processed or whole food. When you eat whole foods in balance (protein, carb & fat) with each meal and snack in the correct proportion to your Metabolic Design, you will lose weight, have no cravings, and regain or retain your sanity. 

Try it. Discover your Metabolic Design and then simplify your eating into whole foods in balance. You will be amazed at how satisfied you are, how you feel, and the simplicity of losing weight.

Don’t delay! Regain your sanity and shed your extra weight today!