I can’t believe that for decades I thought the only way to lose
weight and keep it off was to do cardio three times a week for no less than 30
minutes each session and of course don’t pig out too much. I knew there were
two trains of thought on weight loss and weight maintenance, diet or exercise.
People seemed to pick one or the other. I knew from watching others and from my
own experiences that diets didn’t work. As soon as the diet was over and a goal
was attained the dieter always put the weight back on. I didn’t know anyone who
went on a diet and kept it off. Working out seemed to make so much more sense. Burn
off the calories (make room for more). For many years it worked, a little.
Despite eating not so well I never really blew up to an unmanageable weight.
There were times I was a size eight and other times I would spike to a size
twelve, sizes I considered pretty good…and still do. I rode this rollercoaster
of gaining and losing the same 15-20 pounds over and over again because my
weight was directly tied to how often I could work out and there were many times
when life was just too busy to get to the gym at all. Maybe you can relate to
the fact that I had two sets of clothes, my larger clothes and my smaller
clothes. I never got rid of my larger clothes when I would slide back to be
smaller sizes because I always knew eventually I’d need my bigger clothes
again. I kept them side by side in the same closet, waiting for my weight
pendulum to swing the other way. So I continued this way for a long time. Still
eating all the foods the average person eats and doing my cardio…some weight
training too. I kept riding the roller-coaster.
Cardio is great for
you- it’s vital that you exercise your heart and burning calories is a good
thing too (especially when you take in too many) but I learned the hard way
that it is only a tool in your health and fitness tool belt. I use the term “tool
in your tool belt” a lot because it’s this approach to health and fitness that
works. Just like in order to keep your car in good running order, you need many
different types of tools, fuels, fluids, and maintenance programs; your body
needs the same kind of attention to run efficiently and for a long time. I was
doing great with cardio and I think my heart really liked all the attention it
was getting. I recall being hooked up to a heart monitor just before I went
into the procedure room where I was to have a colonoscopy. I recall the nurse
marveling at my resting heart rate. She told me I had the resting heart rate of
a marathon runner. She was perplexed that I was there, a 34 year old, with the
resting heart rate of a marathon runner, having a colonoscopy. I was perplexed
as well. I couldn’t figure out why my digestive system was so messed up. I had
my Gall Bladder removed just a few years prior and now I was having problems
with my colon. I knew I was heavy. I had managed to put on a lot of weight
after my son was born and even with intense cardio couldn’t get below 170 lbs,
at 5 foot 3. This was eye opening for me. My heart showed signs of being happy
with me but my digestive system, in my doctor’s words, was “pissed off at me”
(gotta love a doctor that tells it like it is). My body was actually pissed at
me and taking its revenge. At 34 years old I had developed diverticula in my
colon. My doctor told me that diverticula were small pockets that formed in the
colon and that most people eventually get them…when they are elderly. The
causes were not clearly understood although he believed diet played a big role
in the formation of the diverticula in me. These diverticula don’t go away and
because waste gets stuck in them fairly easily, you end up with a lot of bad
infections in your colon, like I did. The GI doctor told me that if I’m not
careful a severe infection could lead to the removal of part of my colon.
Careful meant changing what I eat, avoiding fatty, processed foods, nuts and
seeds. I wish he had expounded on that or sent me to a nutritionist because it
took me a long time to figure out what he meant. I didn’t eat a lot of fatty
foods. I actually thought my diet was better than most people I know. I got the
“being careful of nuts and seeds” part, but I think I glossed over the
processed food warning because I really didn’t know what he meant by that. It
wasn’t until I came across an article about “clean eating”, just by chance,
that I started to get it. As I read, I realized “Clean eating” is exactly what
the doctor was talking about. “Clean Eating” is all about eating food in it’s
most natural state. Clean eaters eat real unprocessed or very minimally
processed foods. It’s a simple concept. In fact, simple is what it’s all about.
Some examples of this would be, clean eaters eat real chicken breast (natural) instead
of chicken patties (processed), real whole wheat bread (I say real because
there are a lot of imposters) instead of white bread, drink water and tea
instead of unnatural sodas and sports drinks. I read everything I could on this
topic and embraced it. What happened next was so cool. As soon as I started
eating this way the pounds started to drop off of me slowly and steadily. The
best part was that even though I had made adjustments to what I was eating, I
never felt like I was on a diet. I was almost never hungry. I actually ate more
and exercised less. It’s not a diet, it’s a lifestyle. It felt natural and it
should because my body was designed to eat food this way. Before I knew it I
was stunned to find myself in a size 6!!! I had never been a 6 ever in my life.
As it turns out diet AND exercise were the key to health and fitness and diet
ended up being the biggest part. But it isn’t the weight loss program kinda
diet that you need. It’s the types of food that you eat diet that works.
Am I a perfect clean eater, NOPE. I cheat and completely advocate occasionally
giving in to an indulgence. If you don’t allow yourself a treat from time to
time, you’ll suffer, and when you suffer, you give up. The key is to start over
new and get back on track the next day. The funny part is that when I do cheat
now I don’t feel so good the next day. My body likes the clean food so much it
gives me grief when I put garbage in me. It’s nice that my body and I are
talking, and finally understanding, each other now.
It’s been three years… the weight is still off and most
importantly no more serious digestive issues. I encourage everyone to try clean
eating themselves. Try it for a month and see what happens. My guess is that
you will start feeling great and will experience the only side effect of this
lifestyle… great health and the body you always wanted.
I'm not perfect but I'm trying! Thanks for letting me share this experience with you :)
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