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No Miracle Diet for Food Addicts

Feb28

There are diets for everything–the bikini-by-summer diet, the lose-all-the weight-you-want-in-thirty-days diet, the just-get-me-into-my-wedding-dress diet, and myriad other weight loss diets discovered daily.

At best, the majority of weight-loss diets are temporary. And why? Because dieters have been programmed to expect temporary results. Most sensational diets over-promise and under-deliver.

Once all the weight magically falls off, if that ever happens, you can go back to your regular life.

As long as the right words are in the advertisement–it’s not your fault, eat normally, or without dieting or exercise–the sales rack up.

It seems that diets, health supplements, weight loss systems and the like have one thing in common. One size definitely does not fit all.

And as far as eating normally, well where does that fit into the lives of food addicts, emotional eaters and the obese population in general? The extreme eating habits of food abusers are a big part of the problem.

Extremes have caused us to view everything in the blackest of blacks and the whitest of whites. There is no flexibility. It’s all or none. No room for moderation and no understanding of it.

Moderation would require self-discipline and the “I want it all! I want it now!” philosophy promotes the illusion of “no consequence” behavior.

The only problem with that is that food doesn’t work that way. And neither does anything long-term. Sooner or later the piper must be paid.

Why does a health supplement or a healthy eating program have to be either a miracle or a scam? If it doesn’t work immediately, it’s no good. If it does, it’s a miracle and everybody should try it.

Again, one size does not fit all. A diet is an over-used name for an eating plan. Plan is the operative word.

Your uniqueness and your willingness to accept yourself as a whole and worthy person will go farther to rid you of the need to stuff down your feelings with food than any miracle pill on the market now or in the future.

And the really good news is that knowing who you are will still be working after every quick fix and miracle diet has failed.

It is up to you to uncover within yourself what it will take in terms of commitment and perseverance to achieve your weight loss goals.

There is no miracle diet for food addicts. You are the miracle.

It’s Never Too Late to Be Great! ®

Healthy Snacks

Feb21

Is there such a thing? That depends on who you listen to. Healthy doesn’t mean it has to be a vegetable, or taste disgusting.

After all, it’s the combining of foods from the food pyramid that creates the energy we need to get us through the day.

Miniature carrot sticks and broccoli are not healthy when served with a dip that has 13 grams of fat per serving even though it’s better than 35 grams of fat in the most popular after school snacks companies pay millions of dollars to advertise all over the place.

I was talking with a friend of mine this evening about snacks. She runs a program for children at a school in the Midwest. As part of the national effort to combat childhood obesity, some changes are being made.

She told me that in her school, they will not be allowed to give the children certain snacks that were formerly acceptable. Birthday cakes will no longer be allowed. I didn’t even want to ask about ice cream.

Chocolate milk can now be served only one day a week, and the same with juice. Popcorn can be served but with no butter or seasoning of any kind. She says the kids refuse to eat it. Gee, I wonder why.

As a former trainer of child care providers in Family Child Care Homes and Day Care Centers, I was surprised. Why the drastic changes?

And what’s this about serving only skim milk or 1% milk? Milk that has a 1% or 2% fat content should be adequate. And no cereal except shredded wheat and similar cereals?

I forgot to ask her about Cheerios, long recommended for little ones yet very high in sugar as healthy snacks go. Why not include puffed rice? It’s sweet enough without all that added sugar.

It seems like regulations go from one extreme to another. For decades, schools pushed sodas and vending machine snacks, even had contracts with the soft drink companies, and now juices are condemned as if they were in the same category.

Vegetables are healthy when prepared in healthy ways, but they aren’t the only healthy foods. There are fruits like plums and bananas; apples with peanut butter make a great snack–if peanut butter’s still allowed.

And what about mini-smoothies? Mix equal parts of apple juice, pineapple juice, orange juice and water. You can use two juices but apple juice should be in the mix.

A scoop of whey protein powder, add a banana and it’s better than a milk shake. It’s healthier too, even if you leave out the protein powder.

An amazing number of children like yogurt and their digestive systems would certainly benefit from all that friendly bacteria.

Celery sticks are very good with peanut butter or a cheese spread. Frozen peaches are a great snack as are melon cubes. There are all sorts of healthy and delicious crackers on supermarket shelves.

The truth is, with some imagination and initiative, plus a little input from your audience, you can come up with some very delicious, nutritious, and economical snacks.

Recommended for children of all ages.

What if I Only Like Addictive Foods?

Feb8

Sometimes you need to know how things work before they can become important to you. Food and food addictions are like anything else.

There’s good stuff and bad stuff. A little education goes a long way.

Here is a quiet little video that tells you what food can actually do for your body. It doesn’t have to be an addictive junk food diet to taste good.

Don’t let the good stuff get away.

How Much Food Does a Food Addict Need?

Nov16

Not only is it important to eat on time, but it is also important to consider the amount of each food in your meal. There is more to a meal than a hamburger and fries.

So how do you know how much food should go into a meal? And how is it all supposed to fit together? What do you eat that makes you feel like actually doing something afterward instead of just sitting in front of the TV or computer like a blob?

For instance, how much salad do you eat with how much chicken? And how much rice or potato should you eat with a meal? When do you eat fruit? Do you combine the same foods for a meal as you do for a snack?

There is a way to combine foods so they will work for you in terms of energy and fat-burning potential. When you get it right, you won’t need pills and you won’t have to cut calories or go on diets, or binge and purge, or skip meals. And no more food addiction feelings and cravings.

Finding that formula can be challenging but it is worth it. For me, I think that Michael Thurmond’s program is the best program for real life eating, or should I say, real living.

It is customized for men and women, definitely not a one-size-fits-all-doomed-to-fail diet. In my case, a meal might be 2 ounces of turkey breast, 1-2 cups of a vegetable and half a baked potato. A snack might consist of 2 ounces of  chicken and a piece of fruit.

If I am really hungry at a meal, I might want an extra ounce of protein. In that case,  I have to add enough extra starch and vegetables to keep the formula intact so it will still be effective.

This is where it’s really easy to mess up. If you change the proportions, you won’t get the result you want. Your body will know something is missing and the cravings and anxiety will set in. So, when you eat, remember that foods have to work together to make a meal.

It’s up to you to figure out the rest. If you’re really serious about getting fit, I recommend that you check out Michael Thurmond’s program. It will take you by surprise–in the best way.