Dear Our Lady of Weight Loss,  My friend told me that her friend’s friend ‘permanently’ removed 35 pounds just by eating healthfully and by eating half of what she used to eat.  Half portions, I guess, you could call it.  It sounds like a really simple plan to follow. Why can’t I do that?  ~ Molly M.

Dear Molly,   Good question, Molly?  Why can’t you?  Before we get to the ‘you’ in this weight loss equation, let’s talk about your friend’s friend’s friend, which I believe is 4 degrees of separation!

Since we don’t have first hand information, and do not know what she is eating specifically, what eating healthfully looks like to her, nor what she considers a half portion, it’s hard to say what she is doing that you can’t do.

What we do know is that weight loss is simple!  Yes!  Very simple!  I didn’t say it was easy; just simple.  If you eat healthfully (real food; not processed food nor junk foods), and you eat only when hungry and stop when no longer hungry, then the likelihood of your losing weight is great.

One of the challenges here is that people don’t know what that feels like – to eat until no longer hungry.   Generally, people go way beyond that point, past full, straight into stuffed.

While leading my “Our Lady of Weight Loss” workshop at Omega Institute of Holistic Studies, I asked the group, “How do you know when it is time to stop eating?  When do you put down the fork and move away from the table?”

Here follow some of the answers:

“When my upper lip is numb, I know it is time to stop eating ice cream.”

“When my plate is empty.”

“When I can’t breathe any more.”

“When I feel sick.”

“When I’m out of money.”

“When other people are done.”

“When my anxiety decreases.”

“When the bag is empty.”

“When the Biggest Loser is over.”

“When the Biggest Loser is over?”  I wanted to make sure that I’d heard this correctly.  A resounding “yes” from the crowd. One after the other these workshop participants boldly and courageously stepped forward and confessed that it is their ritual to gather the snacks and sodas before their beloved show airs, eat their way through the show, and when it is over, yes – that is their signal to stop eating. When The Biggest Loser is over they are “sated.”

I’m not surprised that we as an obese nation are more influenced by the environment, by external cues than whether we are actually hungry.

Most of the signals from our society tell us to eat and eat some more. I’m not shocked that the start of a television show means ‘start eating’ and that the end of the shows translates into ‘stop eating.’ But The Biggest Loser?

Anyway, Molly – to answer your question.  I don’t know ‘why’ you can’t do follow a healthy living plan and lose weight, but ‘why’ doesn’t matter.

What does matter is the ‘what’ of it all.  WHAT are you going to do about it?  What are you willing to do?  What does healthy living/eating mean to you?  Is it really ‘healthy?’  Too much of anything isn’t a good idea.

When will you put the fork down and push away from the table?  Now – there’s something to chew on!

Spread the word … NOT the icing!

Janice

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