Weight Loss: It's More Than Just the Lbs- You Are How You Eat

The initial set of posts in this series focused on what I like to call "pre-weight loss," sometimes there are internal issues that we need to take care of before we even begin to think about losing a pound. If you missed that section of posts you can revisit it here, the next sections of posts will focus on lifestyle changes that I made that resulted in improved health and weight loss. 

You Are How You Eat!

Many people are continuously trying to lose weight but are not seeing any results. That's because many of us have horrible and counterproductive eating habits. Let's examine a few of them and identify the proper way we should be eating.

1.Skipping Meals

This is a big, huge NO-NO if you're trying to lose weight. Some people think "If I eat less, I lose weight," others simply become busy and don't make time to eat while others don't get hungry as often as they should. Whatever the case may be, if you are trying to lose some lbs, you're going to have to eat. When you don't eat frequently enough your body gets the idea that it should go into starvation mode. Starvation mode is a protective measure that our body takes to combat starvation. This results in the body conserving fat and calories instead of burning them as it usually does. 

You may also notice that there are some people who can eat all that they want and still remain "skinny." That's because they have a metabolism that works quickly to burn off the calories that they consume. Not all of us are fortunate to have this quick metabolism but one thing that can help speed up your metabolism is eating smaller portions more frequently during the day. I went from eating 2 meals per day to eating 4-5 meals (3 main meals and 2 snacks) One thing that helped me was scheduling my meals. I know this sounds anal but I know when I'm supposed to eat, so hungry or not, I get my meals in. And my meals are planned for each day so even when my day is jam packed I have already set aside time so that I can get in my required meals. For those who don't get hungry throughout the day, getting on a schedule will help you to train your body and soon you will naturally get hungry when you're supposed to.

2. We Eat the Wrong Size Meals

The picture at the top of this post is an illustration of how your body can look based on how you eat. In this country, we often skip breakfast, we may or may not eat lunch, and then we have a huge dinner right before we go to bed. This is an extremely unhealthy way to eat. It is important to start the day with a good breakfast filled with healthy fats and calories. This is the first meal of the day and gives energy to help sustain us through the various tasks we have to complete. Next is lunch which should still be a good amount of food. Lunch plays an equal role in giving us energy for the day. DINNER SHOULD BE THE SMALLEST MEAL OF THE DAY. Re-read this 3 times. By the time you eat dinner you are done most of your physical activity for the day. You won't be walking, running, or moving...you'll be sleeping. You don't need to build your energy and you don't want to fill your body with calories and fat that won't be burned off as efficiently as those you consumed earlier in the day. Bonus Point: If you really want to lose weight don't eat within three hours of going to bed. That means if you go to bed at 12AM, you should not eat anything after 9PM, and so on. 

3. We Eat the Wrong Portions of Food

In America we consume too much food, point blank. Our potions our way too big which leaves us consuming way more calories than we are able to burn in a day. This chart from guardyourhealth.com shows how we can use our hand to measure how much food we should be consuming. Most people's initial reactions are "I'm going to need to eat more than that." You're right! At this point in time your body is used to consuming a certain amount of calories and will feel unsatisfied if that amount is significantly reduced. But, losing weight is not just about going down a few numbers on a scale; it's about creating discipline. Initially you may feel hungry and like you need to eat more, but we are training our bodies to consume what they need not what they want. As you train your body it will fall in line with the new, disciplined way of eating that causes it to look and feel better. 

How are your eating habits? Do you think it's too hard to change these habits? Do you think it's worth it? These are just my thoughts based on my experiences but I'm eager to hear from you. What are your experiences? What do you think?

"No discipline is enjoyable while it's happening. It's painful! But afterwards there will be a peaceful harvest of right living for those who are trained in this way"~Hebrews 12:11 ESV

"I don't find it a struggle to maintain a healthy diet now as my palate has changed. I don't crave rich foods"~ Jennifer Ellison

Are You A Reactor or A Responder?

Source: Dailycaring.com

It's 8:00AM, your alarm was supposed to go off at 7:30, it never did. You put your clothes in the dryer last night but never pressed start. On your way to work someone cuts you off, almost causing an accident. When you get to work the one co-worker who always cracks jokes says something to tick you off even more. You give them the death stare and open your mouth to respond.  

Everyday life happens to us; the good, the bad, and the ugly. When I was in grad school I had an awesome supervisor (shameless plug), Jay Lappin, and he taught us the following equation: E+R=O. In this equation the E stands for an event, R stands for the Response, and the O stands for the Outcome. The Event is what happens to us. The sequence above gives examples of events. The Response is how we handle the event when it happens. The Outcome is the end result. In this equation we can't control the Event but we can control the Response which then impacts the Outcome. The question is are you a Reactor or a Responder?

A Reactor gives an immediate emotional reaction to the content of the Event. Many of use have a natural, internal reactions to the things that we experience in our lives. Both the big issues and the tiny incidents elicit an emotion, a thought, a feeling. Reactors allow the naturally occurring, internal thoughts to freely come out without a filter. Reactors don't give thought to how their words and actions will impact the Outcome, they only think about how the Event is weighing on them. A Reactor in the example above feels frustrated and annoyed and these feelings are being intensified by the co-worker. A Reactor then goes in on the co-worker; yelling, screaming, cursing, or insulting them. After the dust settles, the Reactor usually regrets their reaction. They feel guilty, sorry, embarrassed, ect. The result is an undesired Outcome; the Reactor usually has to pick up broken pieces and fix things as a result of their reaction. 

Responders, like Reactors, have internal emotional responses to their Events. Unlike Reactors, Responders don't automatically act on their internal thoughts and feelings. Instead, Responders take time to process what they are experiencing and how they are feeling. This processing could take 30 seconds, minutes, or hours. A Responder understands that their Response impacts their Outcome and they don't want an Outcome that they will regret, or that will cause them even greater problems. In the above example a Responder would take a moment to validate their feelings of frustration and impatience. They would identify the various things that have happened throughout the morning that led to these feelings. This brief assessment leads to the conclusion that although the co-worker may be annoying, they are no different than they are on any other day. And every other day the Responder laughs along with the co-worker or rolls their eyes. The Responder comes to the conclusion that the co-worker is not intentionally trying to frustrate the co-worker and therefore does not deserve to be the container for their frustration. Instead the Responder explains that they are having a bad day, walks away to be  by themselves, or takes some time and later addresses the co-workers "annoying" behaviors in an appropriate and emotionally healthy way. Giving clear thought about how to respond doesn't undo the Even but the Responder can walk away knowing that they did everything they could to create the desired Outcome.

It is not easy to be a Responder instead of a Reactor, especially if you're used to responding instantly based off of feelings. It takes time to change thoughts and slow yourself down enough so that you avoid making the immediate reaction. But, in the end it is worth it. Instead of having to go back and fix things, you know that you did your best to appropriately handle the situation. Imagine how different things would be in the world if more people would be Responders instead of Reactors.

Are you a Responder or a Reactor? Do you think that it's better to respond or react. How would things be different if more people were Responders? This is just how I see things but I'm eager to hear how you view this issue. Thanks for stopping by and be sure to share your thoughts below.

"My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry."~ The Bible, James 1:19, English Standard Version