You're in Charge ( Finally--a TRUTH!)

Being in charge for some is easier said than done. You still question yourself, your motives and actions everyday. You might fall into all the MYTHS of this series on occasion as well. It's OK to make mistakes, fall off the wagon and have minor lapses in judgement. Just do your best to get back at what you know is the correct path for yourself as soon as you can. No body's perfect.

It's time to give yourself a wider path of flexibility that you can stay on forever. Allow yourself the flexibility to make any decision as long as you consider the advantages and disadvantages of your choices and always keep self-care in mind.

You are in charge of your body. You only have one. Please take care of it!

Carbs are BAD ( oh, and so is fat)

The whole " good food-bad food" thinking makes certain foods special. As a result you might feel deprived and think about then all.the.time. Not such a good thing if you ask me! Worse yet, healthy foods could even become a 4 letter word for you now.
The truth is all foods can fit into a healthy lifestyle. Since different foods have various nutritional qualities and calorie content you can use the principals of balance ( what, the what?), variety and moderation ( what a concept) to guide you without trying to restrict an entire food group.

I agree with this. I also know my body well and know what it reacts to well and what it does not. Dairy for instance. When I did the 10 day cleanse ( which I will be doing again starting Monday), it took out all dairy for those 10 days. What a difference! Less bloat and puffiness. I am sure it was the culprit too. I was eating cottage cheese up to 3 times a day and low fat cheese almost everyday. I still eat these things, but only a few times a week now. I get my calcium in other forms of food (broccoli, nuts, spinach, soy milk, and various beans).

Exercise More When You "Cheat"

I think we are all guilty of this MYTH! How many times have you "cheated" on your lifestyle ( ie: diet. I just hate that word) and in return tacked on an extra 10, 15, 30 minutes or more of exercise to "offset" the damage?

This myth causes many of us ( yes YOU) to equate physical activity with punishment for eating. This is why many people hate to exercise in the first place. They see it as a negative and not a positive thing. They might use exercise to earn the right to eat as well. This is not a very good mind set to have.

Although your weight is determined by your overall calories in versus your calories out, exercise is only part of that equation. Exercise has many faces of benefits. Try to sees exercise for good and not evil. Put the focus on how great you feel, upped energy levels, more restful sleep and how much healthier overall you are becoming. Wouldn't you rather do something good for your body because of how it makes you feel (GREAT) instead of because you feel forced to do it?!?

I would and I do!!

Eat Small Meals Every Three Hours

I am guilty as charged with doing this when I am "on track". This MYTH is based on the fact that there are many thin people that eat frequent, small meals. However, most of the thin people probably aren't looking at their watch all the time-they in fact wait for their body to tell them when to eat. They eat when their body tells them to and not rely on the clock. They eat when they are hungry and stop when they are satisfied ( not stuffed!) Since that tends to be a small meal; naturally they are hungry in about 3 hours after that meal.

The whole 3 hour rule is not always convenient for me. If I know it will be near impossible for me to eat in that time frame I might either bring a small snack or eat a bigger meal! In all honesty the 3 hour rule usually works well for me. And when I am doing that on a regular basis my body does tell me when it's time to eat and it's usually in the 3 hour range. While I don't disagree with this myth, I do know what works for me. I better, it has taken me years to finally figure it out!

Don't Let Yourself Get Hungry

This myth is based on the assumption that overweight people are not capable of controlling themselves when they are hungry. It's not so much about control as it is knowing the difference between physical hunger and head hunger. There is a big difference. The explanations are easy, but for some figuring out which one they are experiencing can sometimes be difficult. Physical hunger is when your body really needs sustenance. It's ready to be fed. You might get light headed, your belly might rumble or your blood sugar might even drop. You physically are ready to eat. Head hunger is not the same. You might see/smell something delicious that you think you need to eat RIGHT NOW! Or you put yourself on a time table of when you have to eat ( this myth will be discussed tomorrow). It's all in your head. Something might trigger your body to make it want to eat--not need to eat. Triggers were talked about in yesterdays myth.

When you really listen to your body and are in fact hungry-food is more satisfying and tastes better. If you're not hungry when you start eating, what's going to tell you to stop? You do need to recognize hunger and make sure you make time to eat before you are too hungry though. We all know the bad choices that can be made when we are starving!

Don't eat after 7 PM

Have you ever heard someone say that before?? As if it's OK to stuff your face all day long, but if you stop after 7 PM the too many calories you inhaled from 7 AM until 6:59 PM don't count!

MYTH!

For the next 6 days I will highlight a long standing myth a lot of us have heard and a lot more of us have actually fallen for when it comes to dieting. I will admit that many years ago I was told not to eat anything after a certain time of day. I lasted probably 3 days!

The above myth is exactly that. A lie! It's based on the observation ( not fact) that people that struggle with their weight overeat in the evening. Your metabolism does not automatically turn off at 7:01 PM. That would be cool though. Dinner is usually over and done with before 7 PM, so the majority of us are not eating because we are truly hungry. It's done mostly because of the main triggers- boredom, loneliness and its TV watching time--mindless eating.

It's probably a better idea to ask yourself "Am I hungry?" whenever you feel like eating in the evening. If you are then EAT! Just keep in mind that your day is coming to an end and you most likely don't need another full or heavy meal to satisfy your hunger.

If you ask yourself that question and the answer is no try to consider why you feel like eating ( IE: the triggers) and do your best to come up with an alternative activity.

Some suggestions:

Go for a walk

Chew sugar-free gum

Do a cross word

Call a friend

Organize something

Let me know if you have fallen for the Don't eat after 7 PM myth.