Real People Real Results - Understanding how food, fitness and mental attitude affect weight loss
Eating when read in a dictionary refers to the consumption of food for nutrition. Consumption yes but at an intense rate. Once again, our lifestyles dictate what food we are consuming but also the amount of time we consume it in.
Let me tell you about the ‘ah ha’ moment I had today.
It came to me while I was out doing an errand and at of all places, a food court and discreetly watched those around me “eating”.
Ever hear yourself say,
I was starving; I didn’t even taste the food. I inhaled it!
At what cost are you denying yourself the nutrients, vitamins or nutrition your body needs? Is gourmet coffee or those lottery tickets keeping you from eating more nutritious foods?
Ever gone to the grocery store and substituted for something you wanted because of the price or because it wasn’t on sale? Then, you go out of your way to indulge in the $5.00 cup of coffee. C’mon, raise your hand.
Spending money on essentials such as food is something our bodies need us to do and if you make healthy choices, you can do it guilt free!
Eating on the “cheap” can save you money but it can also cost you thousands of dollars on prescription drugs, time away from work, valued time with your family not to mention a lesser quality of life. How do you want to live your life?
Everyone wants to maximize their dollar and groceries are no exception especially if you have a family or are self supportive. It’s no surprise that obesity is on the rise with how easy it is to buy high calorie, processed foods, manufactured foods at low cost to the consumers. Take a look at the flyers that are delivered daily to our homes and it’s easy to fall into buying because it’s a great deal! For example, 2 for $x or 3 for $x and don’t forget the dollar specials that are now common yearly specials for the major supermarket chains.
The reasons for eating breakfast far outweigh the time saved walking out the door on an empty stomach. My recent 5 pound weight loss after adding this simple habit got me curious about the benefits of eating breakfast.
Breakfast is simply ‘breaking the fast’. We have not eaten since evening and expect our body to be fueled and blood sugar to be replenished for the day without food is unrealistic. Think of your stomach like the gas tank of your car. You put gas in the tank of you car so that it runs, why wouldn’t you do this for your body? Think of it as a ‘jump start’.
In Canada alone, forty per cent of Canadians do not eat breakfast and an alarming one half of them are women. The inconvenience and minutes it takes to make breakfast is outweighing its benefits!
1 A better attention span, focus and better productivity at work, school or at home. More strength and endurance. Studies on those who work at labor type jobs have shown that those who do not eat breakfast are unable to work as hard until lunchtime and studies on children reveal that they are unable to complete school work.
2Maintaining a healthy weight. People who skip breakfast are shown to choose less nutritious and convenience foods to curb their ravenous appetite. Poor eating habits lead to eating throughout the evening and calories are stored the evening hours as the metabolism slows down. Calories stored equals fat.
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When I was growing up, breakfast consisted of arguing with Mom and telling her I wasn’t hungry. I was told to sit there and eat every Shreddie until the bowl was empty. Her family lived hand to mouth and many times their family had very little to eat. To this day, I feel nauseated at the thought of breakfast cereals.
Two weeks into my new eating plan and I’m eating 3 eggs with coconut oil, tea, Bob’s Red Mill Hot Cereal and my Sunrider foods. For those non breakfast eaters like me, that is a LOT of food!
The result? I’ve dropped 5 pounds of fat!
“This brings me to this point.. right here, right now. This is my choice. I am ready to change. I want to be healthy and I want to live my life. I want to participate in my life!”
On a summer day in August I was surfing the Internet and was frustrated with one of my many attempts at weight loss, I came across a Weight Loss website. Within the website and blog itself, a forum. It was then that I quickly realized that this was a community of people who were knowledgeable on many different health related topics. A friendly group who was non judgmental, supportive and many of whom, had been where I was currently at. I quickly felt a connection to some of the forum members including Rob, Michele, Blush and frequently communicated with Photogirl67.
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