LOSE 5 POUNDS FAST! DROP 10 POUNDS IN A WEEK! SHED FAT RIGHT NOW!
These are words that have been thrown at us basically since the moment we could read. I remember when I was in middle school and high school, I would purchase magazines based on these catchy titles and cover models because, well, they were telling me I should LOSE FAT NOW!
Society has screwed with our brains.
There are so many fad diets out there today and it can be so overwhelming. One school of thought tells you that you have to do intermittent fasting. One school of thought says keto is the healthiest thing on the planet (honestly, f&*% keto). One school of thought says you need to go vegan! Or paleo! Or plant based! Oh my goodness. It’s just too much, isn’t it?
I’ll be the first one to tell you that I’ve tried Whole 30 twice (the second time ended on day 23 when I DESPERATELY NEEDED FROYO LOL). I’ve tried a paleo diet, an elimination diet, vegetarian, intermittent fasting...I’ve tried a lot. But honestly, right NOW I can say with certainty I feel the best I’ve ever felt in my skin. Want to know why? I’m not stressing the eff out about what’s going into my mouth!!
There are a few rules I live by that have truly made me feel my best in the last year:
Eat mostly whole, unprocessed foods. (This is always number 1!)
Eat the cookies. (I wish this was number 1! But I know Levain Bakery will always be there when I need her!)
Eat mindfully until I feel satisfied and not overly full. (I practice this every day!)
Drink the wine, but not too much.
Smoke the weed, but not too much. (don’t let the munchies take over!)
Sleep 7-9 hours a night.
Exercise, but not too much.
Do you see the pattern? MODERATION AND BALANCE, BABY!
No matter what diet you choose to follow, the ability to lose weight comes from being in a calorie deficit. Whether you’re eating keto, paleo, vegan, high carb, low carb….if you’re eating less energy than you expend, you will lose pounds. So unless you have a food allergy or a health issue that prevents you from eating certain foods, what’s the point of stressing yourself out about sticking to a strict diet when you can practice balance and mindfulness and eat the things YOU enjoy most? Let that marinate!
When you can control your mind, your body will change. And guess what? It takes a long time. You have to stay consistent.
I was having a discussion with a client the other day and she told me her friend does keto every once in a while to drop a ton of weight fast, but then gains it all back. My client told me she could never have enough discipline to do keto and drop all that weight so fast. THIS IS NOT DISCIPLINE, THIS IS A COP OUT! (Also yo-yo dieting is so unhealthy for your hormones!)
Do you know what true discipline is? Getting honest with yourself. Truly eating when you are hungry and stopping when you are full. Every. damn. day. Discipline is NOT beating yourself up every time you feel the slightest bit guilty about food. THIS is the shit that takes discipline and practice every day to make long lasting changes.
Stop stressing about following the next best diet, my friends. The change starts with you and your consistency in practicing small simple changes each and every day.
