Restrict Calories + Exercise More = Guaranteed Weight Loss. Only, It Doesn’t.

You’re restricting food intake, killing it at the gym, even doubling up on spin classes and, still, the scale won’t budge. Why?  Because the Eat Less + Move More weight loss model is flawed, and worse, it can lead to disordered eating, over exercising, guilt, shame, and feelings of defeat.

Here’s the truth:

Weight loss is not a mathematical equation, and not all calories are created equal. A 100 calorie snack bag of pretzels is going to have a very different effect on your body than a 100 calorie snack pack of raw almonds or a tablespoon of peanut butter and celery. The pretzels will be metabolized and broken down by your body into sugar, which will trigger a spike in blood sugar, insulin, hunger hormones and fat storage. The Peanut butter with celery or 100 calorie snack pack of almonds, on the other hand, will supply the fiber, protein, and healthy fats needed to keep your blood sugar stable, your appetite in check, burn calories and trigger weight loss.

Limiting calories and exercising to lose weight, without being mindful of the kinds of calories you are consuming, is a total set up. I’m not bashing exercise. I love working out and moving my body. I love the way it makes me feel. I love the way it clears my mind; decreases my stress, and makes me feel strong, healthy, happy and fit. Exercise is a fundamental part of a healthy lifestyle, and has a positive impact on brain health, cortisol levels (#stress), inflammation, cellular aging, metabolic rate, and your body’s ability to fight disease. But, it’s not your one way ticket to weight loss.

So where does all this leave us?

While you can’t exercise your way out of a poor diet, regular exercise, combined with eating lean protein, healthy fats, and lots of non-starchy veggies and leafy greens, can help elongate your blood sugar curve, turn off your hunger hormones, control your appetite, and trigger your body’s natural ability to burn fat and lose weight. Putting both these habits into play on a regular basis will empower you to flip the switch, burn calories, lose weight, and have a positive, healthy relationship with food and exercise. It will also lay a solid foundation for all your other wellness goals.

Why Resolve Isn’t Enough, and What You Can Do About It.

January is finally here, and with it a flurry of New Year’s resolutions, big and small.  

We want to:

·   Lose weight

·   Declutter our homes

·   Get fit

·   Spend time with friends + family

·   Find our dream job

We’re filled with optimism, yearning for positive change, and excited to get started.

But by Valentine’s Day, nearly 80% of us abandon our bright, shiny resolutions and return, heads held low, to old habits and stale ways of operating.

What can we do better in 2019? How can we stack the odds in our favor, and increase our chances of creating the life we want?

Here are some helpful tips that may just carry you over the finish line, and put you in the company of the 8% of people who reach and maintain their stated resolutions:

• Plan ahead and think about how you will achieve your goals. Like any destination, reaching goals requires a roadmap. Saying you want to eat more meatless meals is one thing; knowing how to do it in a way that’s healthy, satisfying, and actionable is another.

  Stocking your fridge and kitchen with plant-based ingredients and pantry staples, along with researching what it means to put together a nourishing plant-focused meals, sets you up for success. Planning keeps stress, frustration, feelings of deprivation and, in this case, hunger at bay, making it far more likely you’ll stick to your goals and press on.  

• Share your resolutions with a trusted family member, friend, therapist or wellness coach. The goal here is to pick someone who truly has your back, and wants the best for you. Frenemies need not apply!  Research shows goals are easier to achieve when we open up, and discuss them with others. It gives your goal weight, and builds in accountability as well as support.  Yep, it really does take a village!

• Create some wiggle room for slip ups. If resolutions are too rigid – like eliminating entire food groups overnight or ditching alcohol when you’ve been enjoying two glasses of wine with dinner for as long as you can remember - you’re more likely to back-slide, feel discouraged, and lose motivation. Bad days and bad decisions happen. Knowing you can pivot and reset your intentions is powerful. Each day, each meal, each interaction, each moment is an invitation to reboot and move the needle forward.

• Create goals that really resonate with you! This one’s big! If you don’t feel hyper connected to your New Year’s resolution, likelihood is it’s not going to take. Think about it. Going vegan for a partner is far less likely to stick than going vegan because it’s something you deeply believe in and want for yourself.  

The last bit of inspiration I’ll leave you with is this: Measurable, lasting change takes time, patience, and persistence. Habits aren’t broken and seamlessly replaced with new, upgraded behaviors in 21 days, even if self-help books lead us to believe they do.

So, be gentle with yourself. Speak kindly to yourself. Remind yourself why you made the resolution in the first place, and then tell yourself you are capable and worthy of ALL the good things that will come from following through on your New Year’s promises.

Full fridge, full heart? Well, kind of.

To explain — the happiness I feel waking up to a refrigerator filled with the prettiest Organic Pharmer organic cold pressed juices, infused nut milks, smoothies, soups, and prepared plant-based snacks and meals is palpable. Yes, it means I’ll be fueling my body with high quality, nutrient dense foods for the next five days, but it also means disrupting the endless, sometimes stressful, cycle of food shopping, cooking, clean-up and decision making around food. It’s estimated that we make 200 food decisions each and every day? Sound crazy? It’s not. Just take a look at all the energy that goes into thinking about your morning brew. Will you have coffee or tea? Will you have it hot? Iced? Maybe a latte? Will you add Milk? Soy milk? Nut milk? What kind of nut milk? Maybe you’ll take it black? How much will you drink? Will you have it at home, take it on the road, or grab a cup at work? All this energy expended, and we haven’t even addressed breakfast yet! It feels really good to take a mental break from food decisions, yet know you’re still eating in a way that supports your health.

What does everyone want to know when they learn I am doing this 5 day program?

How is the food?

How am I feeling?

Are you hungry?

Obviously, none of it works if the food isn’t good, or I’m feeling hungry, stressed and unsatisfied. The good news is —

The food is delicious, generously portioned, filling, and there’s enough variety to keep you excited about what you’re eating. We’re talking about big Greek salads with almond milk feta; house-made coconut yogurt and granola; Mushroom & Kale Frittatas, Spring pea and basil soup, kale and cauliflower Caesar salad; cacao chia pudding. I’m also a fan of the cold pressed juices and infused nut milks on the program.

I’m feeling energized, and excited to be eating well and taking good care of myself. It feels really empowering to start the day with a refreshing, all greens juice, and end it with a warm, calming nut milk.

I’m not hungry at all. In fact, yesterday I forgot to have the bridge snack between lunch and dinner. Oops.

Yes! I’m off to a strong start. Thankful for this little self-imposed intervention. I’m feeling more grounded here on Day 2. Hope you continue to follow along this week!