Knowledge IS Power (IV)

Knowledge IS Power (IV) - I am fairly sure you are all familiar with that unwelcome truism about things getting worse before they improve. As much as I wish it were just a myth, I'm afraid, it is the painful truth even with respect to something like changing one's diet. However, by me referring to worsening, I am not talking about you possibly suffering physically but rather about you quite likely reacting emotionally and perhaps even mentally. After all, who wants to give up their comfort foods, let alone in a radical manner? I would think not too many folks would like to go down that path. It is certainly no longer a secret that the intake of food generally soothes and sugarcoats emotional, mental and to a certain degree even physical issues which most of us have been carrying around since early childhood. The reasons are literally countless, and what's more, many a problem tends to sink deep down into our subconscious ultimately making it so much harder to get to the bottom of it. Anyway, humans and domesticated animals alike have always taken to the culinary pleasures to either fight, mask, compensate, deny, ignore or just deflect from all types of psychological issues. Wouldn't it therefore make much more sense to professionally tackle those emotional disturbances with the help of board-certified psychologists and psychiatrists? Heck yes, but the reality is that not too many can actually afford being treated that extensively, or there is just no preference as far as taking advantage of such. Instead we have more or less become accustomed to just swallowing our problems because after all, we firmly believe that we have gained full control - even if only over what we ingest. Every other attempt of self- therapy by means of food, though lastly proves to fail and instead slowly takes a toll on our health often leading to obesity. The circle is herewith complete and the good old cat is just once more chasing its own tail. You see, in order to sustainably break free from that diabolic grip, we clearly need to sacrifice which means you will not necessarily delight in the process of readjustment at first. Sorry if I have again been beating around the bush too long. Let me cut right to the chase of the matter and deliver plain talk at last. First and foremost, I would encourage you to subscribe to any renowned dieting program like Jenny Craig, Weight Watchers, Atkins, Slim Fast, Mediterranean, Paleo, etc. just to learn about the importance of calories, portion sizes and well, structure in general. There is no need whatsoever to stay with them forever, but at least try to hang tight for a few weeks or even months until you feel that you have fully grasped the gist of it all. It is, however, absolutely imperative that you gradually adapt to the way of thinking that any bad or poor food choice can in fact be replaced by better and healthier ones. No question, it takes quite a while to not solely explore new or rather different foods but eventually also implement them in your diet - according to the famous proverb, "Rome was not built in a day" or also "Haste makes waste". Should you perhaps wonder why this is so, well, rather simply, you are called upon considering the entire adventure for what it is, a fundamentally serious and permanent change rather than just another short- lived fluke in terms of crash- dieting to avoid the all too dreaded yo- yo effect. It takes your body seven months on average to develop and also establish a certain memory regarding your weight, but it is only after approximately seven years that any weight related progress as well as routine is finally memorized and registered for real. Now, how exactly do I want you to go about that life- altering change? Well, as a golden rule, try to stay away from both white flour baked goods and any sugars as much and as often as possible. However, please, don't think for one single second that you can no longer indulge in any of them. Every now and then, it is absolutely okay to enjoy those foods as long as they are consumed as a mere treat and needless to say in moderation. ALWAYS keep your calorie account in mind, though. For the sake of balance, what goes into your system food- wise, needs to be calorically worked off again which requires that you be fully in charge of what and how much you actually eat at all times. What really helped me was starting a daily food journal, but just promise to yourself not to cheat too much. Exercise is de facto the only other way to successfully help keep the calorie intake in check, so pick an activity routine which is manageable for you and pursue it on a regular base such as running, walking, going to the gym, doing gymnastics, yoga, swimming, etc. Yes, stay active, but don't feel pressurized by it. Maybe it would help in this regard also to modify your outlook on this being something you enjoy doing rather than feeling forced to do. As far as the daily caloric intake is concerned, a rule of thumb would be to stick somewhere between 1000 and 1500 as an averagely active woman aged 40 and older. On the other hand, for a same- aged male, I would, recommend a number between 1200 and 1700 depending on his activity level, of course. - Come back next week for one last post on this specific topic.