“You’re not eating enough to lose weight.” Say WHAT?? This statement can sound so counter-intuitive to what we hear on Instagram or read on Google. In fact, you may even disagree with it. That is totally fine. I want to introduce to a new concept of thinking. Let me start by asking a couple of questions. How is the diet you are on working for you? Is reducing your caloric intake having any impact on your physical changes? Are your joints stiff? Do you wake up finding it hard to get out of bed? If you answered I don’t have any problems, GO YOU! That is a huge win; one to celebrate.
If your answer is not too well or I am not seeing anything different and it’s been ________ months than perhaps it’s time to entertain a new way of thinking. Let’s first start with “The Other 23 Hours.”
If you are going to the gym for an hour workout what does the rest of your day look like? If you walk the dog for an hour out of the day what happens with that walk in the winter? There is more to exercise than one hour out of 24 hours. The body is looking to maintain homeostasis. If we have the thought of less calories to the point of just the minimum plus copious amounts of exercise in a week we teach the body to just survive. I don’t know about you but I want to thrive!
Starvation suppresses metabolism. Why is that important? Well think about a car. It needs gas to run. Oil is to keep the parts cranking away. If our gas tank is low we fill it up. Regular oil changes are critical for long-lasting engines. If we see gas as the food and oil as the metabolism in the body then perhaps we can have a better grasp on this exercise thing. If we run out of food we run out of energy. If our metabolism is not regulated often and consistent, much like an oil change, our bodies will not perform well. Therefore weight loss will be slow to nearly nothing.
It can be overwhelming to look at food. I get it. Start small. That’s what I have done. Have you had your blood tested recently? If not, start there. What someone else is eating may not be the best thing for your body. In fact, it probably is not. Have you had a nutrition deficiency test done recently? Perhaps that’s a route for you to take. What about those greens we all know we should have more of but never do? Find a new, easy recipe. Try it!
The better handle we have on our metabolism the better our bodies will feel and look.
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