Friends are going out tonight and have invited you to join them.
You want to go, but what about your diet you are sticking to?
Will there be anything for you to eat? Will it throw everything you’ve done so far right out the window? What about trying to not have that glass of wine or beer for the next 90 days? And don’t even get started on what you’ll eat if you do decide to have one drink!
Do you go?
And if you do, do you:
1. strictly stick to your diet, obsess the entire time about the menu, and wish you could just enjoy?
2. splurge a little and feel guilty for days afterwards?
Or
3. go, enjoy yourself, and feel stress-free AND guilt-free?
We’re guessing the majority of us want number 3, but we have no idea of how to do that!
But it’s possible – and we’re here to provide some insight on how to do just that.
Here are our 3 steps to having a healthy diet, staying on a healthy diet, and still enjoying yourself!
When it comes to “dieting”, there is such a sea of options, how do we know which one to pick?
Well, even though we all may respond differently to specific types of diets (think Ketogenic, Paleo, Whole Food, etc.), one of our colleagues, Jade Teta, encourages everyone to take a step back and think about our “HEC”.
Based on the principals that healthy weight and metabolism are built on balanced hormones, HEC focuses on stabilizing:
– Hunger
– Energy
– Cravings
all of which are triggered by such hormones as cortisol, insulin, dopamine, seratonin, and GABA
as well as others.
This means that when you feel starved, you lack energy, and/or you crave certain foods, it may be because your hormones are not stabilized.
Ever reach for those chips just because you feel tired? How about that chocolate donut because you crave the sweetness for energy?
Yep, might be time to check those hormones.
Once hormones become balanced, hunger can be a natural and normal sign to signal it’s time to eat, energy can sustain itself throughout the day, and cravings can become less and less.
At Colorado Natural Medicine + Acupuncture, we can test your hormones with such options as:
– Adrenal Stress Test
– Complete Thyroid Panel
– Women’s / Men’s Hormone Testing
– Metabolic Analysis
– Neurotransmitter Test
The results of these tests can help us analyze how hormone levels may be affecting your weight and how things such as supplements, certain diets, lifestyle, and acupuncture can be
customized to help balance your hormones, stop the weight gain, and start the weight loss.
And P.S.
This may be the reason why your extra workouts and low calorie diets aren’t working!
Spoiler Alert!
You are not super-human.
You may know this in the back of your mind, but really take a moment to ponder this.
Are you trying to do it all? Do you think that you should have the willpower and determination to stick to a specific diet 100% of the time (even if just for a month)?
We’re here to tell you…it’s time to allow yourself to be real. To be human.
We find that clients that stick to an 80/20 diet or 90/10 diet find themselves less obsessive, less guilty, and more happy with their weight and their lives.
Why is that?
We think it’s because this type of diet/lifestyle allows for flexibility AND a little indulgence!
An 80/20 or 90/10 diet focuses on eating well-balanced (3) whole food meals (with plenty of lean protein, lots of vegetables, and limited healthy carbs) everyday, 80-90% of the time and then providing empowerment for having that dessert, extra drink, or fried food 10-20% of the time.
One of our staff members at CNMA recently began this way of eating and she’s seeing results. Here is her experience:
“I am learning to plan ahead for light, healthy meals throughout the week to stay on track and then there are meals that I leave blank, which allows me to go out with friends, to take the kids to pizza, or to enjoy wine with my husband.
Within the first week, I found that I wasn’t over-thinking my meals or feeling bad about eating something that wasn’t exactly healthy. I now feel like it’s okay because I know I did great the rest of the week!
All in all, it feels like FOOD FREEDOM!”
We’re delighted that she is finding a way to sustainably eat for herself and her family. She realizes she’s not super human – and doesn’t have to be.
Obsessing about what we eat may be an effect of obsessing about the way we look. It’s to be expected in a culture that many times values and respects being thin over being happy.
So we ask you this question…do you LOOK for happiness or do you HAVE it?
This can be a difficult question to consider. And one that can make us feel uncomfortable as well.
But if you are finding yourself saying, “I’ll be happy when…” you may just be ready for a perspective change.
Health isn’t just about how you look or what a number on a scale says. It’s about how you feel, how content you are, and how fulfilled your life is.
Stop wondering when you will be happy, and start giving yourself some self-love to experience it right now.
Once you love and accept yourself – weight and all, you may find that you begin to make choices out of love rather than out of guilt and shame. That’s one to take a break and think about for a minute, isn’t it?
How wonderful would it be to want to snack on raw vegetables to feed the nutrients your body needs rather than feeling that it will help you get into those skinny jeans?
If there is one thing we hope to convey from this blog, it is:
If you’re feeling lost in the sea of diets, frustrated that you’re not losing weight, or just overall uncomfortable with your eating habits, contact us for a complimentary 15 minute consultation with Dr. Graves to discuss your frustrations and concerns.
For those who live in Castle Rock, Castle Pines, Centennial, Highlands Ranch, Lone Tree, Parker, Monument, Larkspur, Colorado Springs, or the Greater Denver Metro area, our office can be a retreat for you to find comfort and peace for your weight journey.
If you live outside of these areas, Dr. Graves would be honored to Skype or phone consult with you in regards to your goals, hormonal testing, and a holistic health care plan moving forward.
Contact us now at (303) 688-6698 or click here to schedule to stop obsessing and start living.
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