“By prioritizing and savoring our meals, we feel more satisfied and release extra weight.”
Luxurious Weight Loss – Part 1
Hello Beautiful,
Usually weight loss is regime of restriction. We feel we must eat less of our favorite foods. We endure a constant feeling of deprivation. Then we are expected to accept that in order to be our healthiest and loveliest, we must become accustomed to living that way forever. It’s no wonder that most diets fail! I want to offer a completely different approach and I think you are going to love it.
Make enjoying your food a bigger priority in your life.
You heard me right. After years of working with people who are seeking to loose weight, I have observed an interesting pattern. Most people put too little priority into the actual enjoyment of their food. They are eating in the car, while watching a show, or standing in the pantry. They are furtively inhaling what they feel a little bad about even having around—almost in the hopes that if they don’t savor it, the calories may not fully register.
Alas, the truth is, that if we sit and savor whatever it is we are eating, we will enjoy it more and feel satisfied sooner. Try it. Commit to eating only while seated and doing nothing but enjoying the food bite by bite. The average person eats 15% less just by doing this. That slight reduction results in loosing about a pound per week…simply by enjoying your food more consciously.
Focus on upgrading and eating your favorite foods.
Make a list of your top 10 favorite foods. Focus on single ingredients like bread, peaches, goat cheese, chocolate, or steak. First, do a little research and find the healthiest, freshest, highest quality versions of each item.
If you love ice cream, try my favorite dairy free/fiber rich/lower sugar option Vanilla Nada Moo. If you love bread, find local organic sourdough, Out of the Bread Box gluten free/vegetable oil free breads, or whole grain rye. If you love chips and guacamole, try Siete brand chips, and make fresh guacamole. If you love steak, buy a portion of pasture raised meat. Enjoy your favorite foods regularly.
Only eat at mealtime.
The average American eats 16 hours per day. First thing in the morning and last thing before sleeping, a little something is had. Decades ago experts touted the benefits of eating every few hours to keep blood sugar regulated and metabolism firing. Over the past decade, mounting evidence shows that on both counts, the snack all day philosophy is 100% wrong.
Grazing all day keeps blood sugar bouncing up and down, conditioning the body to burn glucose rather than be able to toggle between fat stores and glucose seamlessly for even energy burn. It also slows metabolism by reducing mitochondrial function. We do better off eating 2-4 times per day.
You can eat a brunch and early dinner or you can try 3 meals per day. You can also eat 3 meals and a snack. If you are currently eating throughout the day, or on no particular schedule, start by setting times for 3 meals and a snack and only eating then.
At first, it may feel difficult. Make sure you are getting a good balance of fat, fiber, and protein so you stay full and satisfied until your next meal. After months on that regime, you might feel up to dropping the snack. And from time to time you might give your body an extra boost by dropping a breakfast or a dinner and just having 2 meals that day.
By prioritizing and savoring our meals, we feel more satisfied and release extra weight easily. I hope you will invest in your pleasure, your health, and your quality of life by trying these strategies.
For more support in making peace with food and gracefully feasting down to your trim and gorgeous weight, check out my course Developing a Healthy Relationship with Food which I am offering at a 20% discount this month with code “summer 2022”.
Cheering you on,
Rachel