Are You Trying to Out-Work a Bad Diet?

Have you ever heard the saying," You can't outwork a bad
diet."? It's true! (although I got by with it a lot in my late teens and 20's!) Don't you just loathe those people who can eat whatever they want, not gain an ounce and still look lean? Trust me when I say those people are definitely the minority.
When I became interested in nutrition my eyes were opened up to the amazing benefits of a healthy diet - not just on the scale, but also with respect to energy, mood, sleep and overall well-being. I can't tell you the last time I've had an afternoon lull and wanted to take a nap!

Most people think starting an exercise program is a magic pill. They declare," I'm going to workout five days a week." The problem comes when they are consistent with their program and really don't notice a whole lot of difference. Yes, they are getting in better shape. They can most likely run faster, lift more, and the like (which is great!) but they will begin to get discouraged when the scale doesn't move and their clothes don't fit differently. So what's the solution?

Let's digress and do some math for a moment. Let's say you decide to exercise 5 days a week (because 7 days a week is unrealistic, who has that kind of time, and yes, you do need a rest day!). You only have to make that choice 5 times per week. You throw on your workout clothes and go for a walk, go the gym, pop in a video, etc. On the nutrition side, let's assume you eat 3 meals per day with a mini-meal or snack added in several days a week too. The total times per week you have to CHOOSE what to eat is 25! Five times more than the amount you have to exercise! So is nutrition five times more important than exercise? Let's put it a different way.

To get the results you desire, success is
80% nutrition and 20% exercise.

I know this statement is not what you want to hear, but it is absolutely, 100% true. If you have made the commitment to exercise and are not seeing the results you want, it's time to analyze your food. It's also time to ask yourself some questions:

What are my goals ? Be as specific as possible.
Why do I want to change? (get more energy, sleep better, improve blood work.
Am I willing to cook more often?
Are my daily vices ( chocolate, cereal, fast food, etc) really worth how they make me feel?
Am I using food as a substitute for something else and/or is it filling a void in my life?

Answering these questions is a crucial part of moving toward success. It will help you assess your readiness to change and empower you when faced with those 25 meals per week.

Confused on how to eat healthy? Here's a great place to start. In his book The Primal Blueprint Mark Sisson developed the primal food pyramid, which is vastly different from the USDA food pyramid. The USDA food pyramid is definitely NOT the blueprint for good health, but that's a whole other post! You can also check out his blog , Marks Daily Apple, for a wealth of information including recipes, research, and success stories.

Made to Crave

I have to share with you an amazing book I recently finished. It's called "Made to Crave" by Lysa Terkeurst of Proverbs 31 ministries. I literally devoured it in 3 days!

Lysa shares her lifelong struggle with food and how diets never work. I'm sure this resonates with a lot of you. Her revelation came when she finally decided to look for her "WHY" - Why did she want to lose weight and why was she always battling with it? What a great question!

Lysa realized that just wanting to fit into a pair of skinny jeans was not a good enough reason to keep her motivated or for her to maintain her weight loss.

I've worked with many people over the years who have met lofty goals, only to see themselves slide right back into their old habits. Why does this happen? Maybe they were trying to fit into their wedding dress, or look good for their class reunion, or prepare for an upcoming race, or lose weight they had gained while they were pregnant. Numerous reasons abound for making a change (either losing weight, getting in shape). The problem comes after the event and you find yourself saying,"What now?" The satisfaction you feel from reaching the goal fades and the old habits creep back in. Sound familiar?

When Lysa decides she is ready to tackle her weight and health once and for all, she realizes she must find the "why" and the "want" in this battle. Here is an excerpt:

The book you hold in your hands could be the missing companion you've needed with every healthy eating plan you tried and cried over. I believe it will help you find your "want to." In addition to helping you find the desire to conquer your unhealthy cravings, it also holds the key to something very significant for most of us women - spiritual malnutrition. We feel overweight physically but underweight spiritually. Tying these two thing together is the first step on one of the most significant journeys you'll ever take with God.

You see, being healthy and/or losing weight is not just about looking good in the mirror (but is a great benefit!). It's feeling your absolute best so that you can do the things you were called to do. It will make you a better mother, father, partner, friend, employee, sister, daughter, son. You'll have less lethargy so you can play with your kids, clean your house, and stay alert at your desk. You'll have more mental clarity to plan your day, focus on your client, listen to your spouse,and help your child with their homework. The benefits are too numerous to list and go way beyond fitting into that size 6!

So how can we shift our focus? Lysa describes it as "Tying our happy to the wrong things"

Tying my happy to the wrong things is partially what caused my weight gain in the first place. There were too many experiences I enjoyed primarily because of the food that was attached to them. The movies were tied to popcorn. A birthday party was tied to cake. A ballgame was tied to a hot dog. School parties were tied to cookies. A morning meeting was tied to gourmet coffee. Getting gas was tied to snack crackers and a soda. Watching TV was tied to chips. A summer outing was tied to ice cream. A winter outing was tied to hot chocolate.

Tying my happy to food, skinny jeans, or anything else sets me up for failure.

If any of this resonates with you and your struggles, I encourage you to get this book. Lysa opens herself up and exposes her struggles with raw honesty - the kind of honesty we need to have with ourselves to really have lifelong, impacting change.