Diet Renegade

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Archive for July, 2009

Ways to Save Money on Healthy Food Options!

Jul 22

Posted by Jason in Eating Naturally, Healthy Lifestyle, Making Food Choices, Nutrition | 2 Comments

Thinking of eating healthier, but the thought of potentially paying more for food holding you back? Healthy food doesn’t have to be more expensive than processed! Check out the following discussion about how to more efficiently use the food you buy, therefore resulting in less waste, and also check out the tips that follow about how to spend less on healthier food.

Calculate the percentage of food, if any, that you currently may end up wasting due to spoilage or other factors within your control. You may be wasting more food than you think! And don’t beat yourself up over it if you do! We all have wasted food. The goal is to realize this, and make every effort possible to minimize it.

But don’t think that you should go ahead and eat more than you should just because you don’t want to waste. That would defeat the purpose of trying to lose weight! Instead, it all comes down to planning out what is the right amount of food for you…

Plan out your meals carefully, and only prepare what you will reasonably eat in one sitting. If you’re cooking for two, then this means cooking for two! Don’t fall into the trap of having leftovers, because there is likely a certain percentage of time that the leftovers will go uneaten. All it takes is the proper planning.

Reduce the size of your recipes! Keep in mind that many recipes are designed to feed 4 – 8 people. Now if you’re cooking for 4 or 8 people, then that’s great! But what if you have found the most awesome recipe that you would like to try, but you will only be cooking for two (or a lesser number of people than what the recipe calls for)? All you have to do is proportionately reduce the amount of ingredients that are called for. For example, if you have a recipe that makes 4 servings, but you are only cooking for 2, then you can use half as much of each item that the recipe calls for. For another example, if you have a recipe that makes 6 servings, but are cooking for 2, then you can use only 1/3 of what the recipe requires.

Keep a close eye on your pantry and refrigerator, and be aware of what food is the freshest, and what may spoil soon. Rotate your meals accordingly. Try to first use up what will spoil soon, and then move on to the fresher items.

Plan ahead when grocery shopping, and buy a good variety of foods that will keep things interesting, healthy, and flavorful. This may entail attempting to plan out your meals ahead of time, and buying only the ingredients you need. Mix it up, so that the variety keeps things exciting, and you don’t get bored with what you buy, letting it sit in the fridge or pantry until it spoils.

Rotate your stock of food! When you buy new items, and when you may have a couple of the same item in the pantry, don’t put the new in front of the old. Instead, place the new in back of it, so you don’t end up eating the newest first, and then inadvertently letting the older food go bad.

These were just some ideas to help lessen the amount of food that gets wasted or goes uneaten and then spoils. If you are looking to purchase healthier food, like mentioned previously in the article, then the above ideas can help save some money on food in general, which can then be applied toward healthier options! Read on for some tips to make healthy food less expensive overall for you…

Buy fresh produce in season, and watch for sales! Typically, produce that is in season is cheaper, and many stores offer sales on these options during this time!

save money on groceries

Keep an open mind! With so many different kinds of fresh produce, there are some that are consistently less expensive than others. Consider trying as many different kinds as you can! Eventually, you will see that you and your palate may begin to like things you previously wouldn’t have even considered before! Rotate those kinds of items in from time to time. You will see that you can plan out your meal selections using the wide variety of produce available, and be able to save money on all these healthy options.

Check to see if there are farmers’ markets or actual farms that you can purchase from in your local area. A great place to start looking is localharvest.org. You can search by zip code to find options near you. Many farmers’ markets feature local growers who sell their products at a fair price, sometimes less than your local supermarket! Since many of them sell direct from their farms, there is no need for a distributor and retailer, both of which mark up the price to get their share of the profit. Without these two involved, you may be able to keep those extra dollars in your pocket!

Be willing to try new brands of healthy options. Now, of course, many of us won’t be eating only just fruits and vegetables. Some things may have to come out of a box or package, but luckily, there are many quality products out there with natural ingredients, and without a whole bunch of artificial ones. A lot of these brands you may have never heard of before! To take advantage of these great options, you may have to try a brand you are unfamiliar with. For some reason, advertising and conditioning make some of us think that only familiar brands are of good quality. That is totally not the case. There are so many high-quality items out there that are not widely known, and many times, they are much better than the name brands.

The same goes for multiple brands of the same kind of item. Say that you want to buy a box of green tea. The brand you usually get is not on sale, but another brand is. The tea inside is likely quite similar and tastes almost identical, so don’t be afraid to buy the brand that is on sale this time! You can save a lot of money by being willing to buy different brands of a very similar item.

If you have the time, try to cook from scratch as much as possible. You will save a good deal of money this way, instead of purchasing pre-packaged or ready-made meals, and most of the time, meals made this way can be much healthier, and without all the processing and artificial ingredients. Their components are usually much less expensive as well!

Consider kicking the soda habit, and make tea at home instead. With a 12-pack of soda running nearly $5 nowadays, this can add up if you drink a lot of it! In some instances, you can get a box of 100 tea bags for the same price! 12 servings for $5, or 100? I would opt for the latter option! You can even brew it up in an iced tea maker, and put it in the refrigerator for a nice cold beverage anytime!

Shop around. You may have been going to the same supermarket for years, even though there are several others close to you. Consider checking the others out to see if they have lower prices.

Try a natural foods store, if there is one nearby. There are large natural foods supermarkets in most urban areas. Although some items may be a bit pricier, many others may be drastically less! And there are usually healthy items galore at these places – many of which you may have never seen before. Remember, keep an open mind, because there are some tasty, tasty options out there!

Consider purchasing certain items in bulk. Now when I refer to “bulk,” I am not referring to the type of bulk that you may find at your local warehouse store. If you do have a large family, then you may consider purchasing fresh items from there, but the “bulk” that I am referring to is natural food options that are in the bulk bins. Many major chain stores offer these now, and you may find these at many natural food supermarkets as well. These are the open bins of everything from cashews to granola; flour to raisins; and then some! You know, the ones where you scoop it out, put it in a plastic bag, weigh it, and mark it! The prices on some of these items are remarkable, and you can buy them in as little or as much of a quantity as you want.

Consider starting a garden in your own backyard! You can’t get much more cost-effective than this, and it certainly can be rewarding to literally see the fruits of your labor. You get to see exactly where your food comes from, and get a side benefit of some extra exercise! Just do your research thoroughly first to make sure this will be right for you, as it can be quite an undertaking.

Well, hopefully these tips can help you get started with saving money on healthy food options! What tips do you have that I haven’t mentioned? What experiences do you have with shopping for healthy and natural food options?

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Why is processed food sometimes less expensive than healthier options?

Jul 21

Posted by Jason in Eating Naturally, Healthy Lifestyle, Making Food Choices, Nutrition | No Comments

It is possible to eat healthy and to not break the bank at the same time! Yes, at times, it seems that high quality or fresh food is a lot more expensive than its counterparts, but it doesn’t have to be that way! Just by planning ahead and being a savvy shopper, you can eat very well on a budget.

So when I say “counterparts” to high quality or fresh food, what do I mean? Well, this is the stuff that comes in a box and is loaded with a bunch of ingredients that may not be that healthy for you. For some reason though, this can be the food that is the cheapest!

I’ve had trouble figuring out the logic to this… I mean, there is a lot of packaging associated with these items which costs money to produce, as well as a lot of advertising involved to get people to buy the product, and “think” that it is great! So couple these extra expenses, and one would think that this kind of extensively processed and packaged food would be more expensive than the fresh produce that doesn’t even have any packaging or advertising at all!

Well, some of the equation that may explain this may be behind the scenes. Subsidies given to these corporations may be involved, bringing the cost down. These subsidies may be for ingredients that are mass produced and can have a wide variety of derivatives coming from them. Take the infamous and heavily used substance, high fructose corn syrup. You can find this as one of the top and most used ingredients in many cheap, packaged, processed foods.

We’ll do a whole discussion about this in the future, but for now, you can probably see where this is heading. These packaged and processed foods may be so much less expensive than their counterparts because they have incredibly cheap ingredients. Many of them are quite high in their calorie content and may be low in nutrients. They may also be some form of sugar or another, which in excess, is not good for the body. Furthermore, they may actually be synthetic chemical additives to enhance flavor and appearance, many of which we don’t know the long-term effects of, because they have never really been extensively studied.

And that’s not-to-mention that they may be devoid of any real sustaining nutritional value, so our bodies process them so rapidly, that we end up feeling hungry shortly after eating them! Think of bleached, enriched white flour, which is a major ingredient found in many commercial brands of bread. You almost might as well eat nothing, because in the process of producing the flour, the processing strips away almost all the nutritional benefits and aspects of a wheat kernel – most notably the germ of it. And I’m not referring to bacteria! The “germ” of a wheat kernel is where a large portion of the nutritional value resides. When you see the term “enriched” in an ingredient such as flour, this means that it has been artificially “enriched” with vitamins, essentially to replace the nutrients that were taken away through the bleaching process. More on this in a later post…

Anyways, yes, this kind of food may be less expensive, may be tasty, and may seem like a good value, but, as the old saying goes, you get what you pay for.

Unfortunately, these kinds of foods have been so mass produced, available, and widely advertised for so many years, that they may have shifted much of the public’s perceptions on food. We may perceive that these packaged and processed foods are normal and what constitute an average diet. And our palates may have been trained in that direction as well! It may now be time for some retraining! (More on this in a future post.)

The unfortunate thing about cheap, processed food is that it can be a large contributor to weight gain, since a good deal of it contains a large amount of empty calories. It can work against you in the battle to lose weight, and achieve an overall healthy balance.

Unfortunately too, many people may still end up eating these overly packaged and processed foods, because many times, they are less expensive than healthier options. But did you know that this doesn’t always have to be the case…

Come back tomorrow for some tips on how you can save money and eat healthier at the same time!

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How Stress Can Affect Eating Habits

Jul 20

Posted by Jason in Avoiding Traps, Healthy Lifestyle | 1 Comment

Ah, stress…that common thing that seems to be so prevalent throughout our modern society. This is not to say that it is a new thing to the human race. It has always existed in one way or another, but has manifested itself differently throughout the ages.

So what forms does it take today? In industrialized cultures, one common way is through people leading such busy lives. Many of us work full-time, and that in itself is a huge stressor. We also play our role within our families, and although the family is the most important thing, the responsibilities each role has can be vast. Some of us may go to school, which is something that can be quite demanding, especially of our time. Then there’s the house, the car, the bills, the appointments, the social life, economic issues, traffic, commuting, shopping, etc., etc., etc.

All of these things take up their fair share of time, and at the end of the day, we may feel worn out, tired, irritable, and frustrated, because it seems like there just isn’t enough time left for ourselves. It can leave us feeling tense and not relaxed.

Then we wake up and do it all over again, but without letting enough pressure off from ourselves to recuperate our energy levels to a healthy balance. This constant state of feeling tense and stressed keeps us feeling a bit tired and frazzled, and we may begin to cut corners to make it seem like we’re “freeing up some time.”

A lot of the time though, the first corners we may cut make be in regards to taking care of ourselves.

One of the major areas where this may be true may involve how and what we eat.

This can affect our overall balance and weight, and can be an impediment to our success in these areas.

We may begin to eat fast food options more often, and may end up replacing healthy meals with less healthy ones. Why might this be detrimental?

There can be several reasons. First of all, most fast food lacks the nutrition that other, fresher options which contain whole grains, fruits, nuts, and vegetables do. Without a good balance of foods with these nutrients, we can be more apt to feel less energetic, more tired, and generally more run down, which can only make the stress worse.

Fast food is easy to eat, and packs a lot of “empty” calories. It is generally more caloric than other foods, and can take more to feel “full.” As a result, you may end up eating more than you think you are, as a burger that doesn’t seem to fill you up can contain almost 1,000 calories. And with the portion sizes of fries and sodas going up, even a small fries and drink can add on another 600 calories to the burger – and that’s just one meal!

We may “eat on the go” and pay little attention to sitting down, taking some time, and enjoying a meal. When we do this all the time, we are not eating consciously, nor are we slowing down to fully separate eating time from other activities. This can throw us off balance, because we may scarf down our food so fast, that we end up eating more than may be beneficial for us.

Our negative emotions may fester, as the building stress sometimes doesn’t allow for them to naturally release, but instead can cause them to build up. As a result, we may end up eating emotionally to help alleviate them, sometimes without even realizing it. We may be stressed out, tense, and frazzled at work, and the candy bar in the snack machine may just seem to be an outlet which can make us feel better. So we may give in and get one, even when we are not really hungry.

We may feel tired all the time, and the body may send us hunger signals in an effort to compensate for the lack of energy. And as a result, we may eat more!

This lack of energy may hinder us from getting the proper amount of exercise. When we can barely muster the energy to keep our eyes open, then going for a long walk or hike may be completely out of the realm of our mind’s consideration!

Prolonged and excessive stress can also breed other detrimental habits or conditions. Some of us may end up drinking more alcohol, smoking more cigarettes, and other detrimental habits. Prolonged and excessive stress can also make us feel depressed, can affect our overall health, and can even lead to some serious and chronic conditions.

Wow, I didn’t mean to try to scare us by listing these things! Instead, I wanted to spark some discussion about how stress can affect us, and hinder our goals of weight loss. Being aware of and understanding how stress can affect you can be a good foundation to start to minimize the amount of it you experience.

And there are many ways you can do this! It’s something you have the power to change as well, just by adjusting some of the ways you think about and approach certain things in life. Minimizing stress can lead to better eating habits, and a more balanced life.

Check back soon for an ongoing discussion about tips you can use to relieve stress, and please feel free to comment about any things that help you minimize stress in your life!

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On managing portion sizes…

Jul 19

Posted by Jason in Avoiding Traps, Dining Out, Eating Naturally, Making Food Choices | No Comments

As we believe there is a huge psychological component to the overall action of eating, we wanted to briefly discuss how portion sizes, especially those served at many restaurants, can, over time, influence the average portion sizes you tend to consume on a regular basis.

It kind of goes along with the old saying “you have eyes bigger than your stomach.”

At many restaurants, you order an entrée, and the plate comes out completely packed full of food.  As this is the norm at a large majority of restaurants, you may feel that these must be portions that are normal for a person to eat.  Furthermore, couple that with something you may have heard as a kid:  “Don’t leave anything on your plate!  Remember, there’s starving people in China!”

Now we’re certainly not advocating the waste of food.  But what we are saying is that it helps to be conscious of when you physically feel full, and of how much food is the right amount for you to eat in a sitting.  When you are conscious of these things, portion sizes that fit a healthy intake for you can naturally result out of habit.  This can positively affect your decision as to how much you serve yourself at home, and what you may end up ordering at a restaurant.

So keep in mind that what is put on your plate at a restaurant is likely the result of a formula that was devised to make the restaurant more money.  Even though the portion may be huge for an $11 plate, making it seem like a good value, the larger portion at the slightly higher price may be proportionately making the restaurant more profit.

An easy rule to remember, which may be a reversal from what was ingrained in you as a child, is that just because it is on your plate, doesn’t mean that you have to eat it!

Here are some easy tips that may help you better recognize when you are full:

Eat slowly. When you savor the flavor and pause a bit between bites, you can, as stated in as simplistic terms as possible, let your brain catch up with your stomach.  If you scarf down your dinner really fast, without pausing or taking a small break in between bites, then you may consume food quicker than the brain can produce a natural feeling of satiety.

Find a sense of being “full” that feels healthy for you. At some point, many of us may have defined “full” as being completely stuffed, which may mean not being able to physically consume any more food without feeling a bit of nausea or indigestion.  That may not be the type of full that is healthy for you!  A healthier sense of being full may instead be a feeling of being satisfied, content, and no longer hungry, but not so much so that you feel like taking a nap!  Like I mentioned before, it may help to try to be very conscious of how you feel while you are eating, and establish a reference point that you can readily recognize where you feel satisfied, and not hungry again in just a few hours.

Once you have established these reference points, or “cues”, try to size your portions accordingly. With practice, you should be able to recognize what portion sizes it will take with just about any kind of food to get to this point.  Prepare your meal or order your selection accordingly.

Bottom line – you know what the right portion is for yourself.  Don’t let someone else condition you into thinking what it is.  Restaurants usually put the same amount of food on their plates for everyone, but do you think everyone has the same appetite?  Don’t be afraid to take home some leftovers, or to leave a little bit on your plate.

Check back soon for some related topics!

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The Importance of Establishing A Work-Life Balance

Jul 18

Posted by Jason in Active Lifestyle, Healthy Lifestyle | No Comments

An overall balance within one’s life can really make a positive impact upon one’s well-being.  Conversely, an imbalance can have a negative impact upon it as well.  We feel this is especially relevant in terms of achieving and sustaining a healthy weight.

Over time, we will cover many topics related to this view.  Today, we will discuss a bit about how important it can be to establish an overall work-life balance.

Many of us may feel overworked, and indeed, many of us are!  So what can we do when our bosses or employers seem to demand more out of us than we may be reasonably be able to supply?

Let me start by stating this:  These are just our views about this topic.  We are not recommending that you not follow the direction of your employer or shun their policies.  It is up to you to figure the balance that works right for you and your employer.

Anyways, let me start to answer the previous question in this way.  It may be of benefit to ask yourself some questions about how you approach your job.  Here are some examples:

How many hours per week do you work?  Is this amount of hours mandatory, or is it voluntary?  If it is voluntary and over 40, do you work overtime because you can’t seem to get everything done within a 40-hour week?  Or, is it because you repeatedly get asked to work overtime and have a hard time saying no?  Could it be that you are paid on an hourly basis and need the money?  Do you find that this overtime is negatively impacting your life or that it is excessive?

If you answered yes to the last question, it may be one sign that your job is negatively affecting your work-life balance.

So what can happen as a result if you feel overworked?  Well, there are many possibilities…

One of the biggest impacts can be elevated stress levels.  Stress can affect many aspects of your health in a detrimental way.  One of them can be poor diet.  When you feel stressed and that you have little time on your hands, you may opt for less healthier options like fast food, cheap snacks, soda, coffee, etc.  You may also feel so exhausted in your free time that you don’t feel like doing much except sleeping or sitting on the couch.  This can result in a lack of exercise.

Also, it is very important to think of the impact that stress can have on your psychological state.  It can exacerbate depression or cause you to feel anxiety because of the overwhelming demands.  You may not get adequate sleep, which also can affect your emotions.  The lack of sleep makes you feel drained, so you may end up eating more to compensate.  Also, the fatigue makes the days seem harder to get through, which affects your emotional state even more, increasing your stress.  Due to a lack of time on your hands, you may neglect to take care of yourself as good as you could.  This can have a subconscious effect.  All of these factors can affect each other and your emotional state, giving you motivation to turn to food for relief…

And all of this because maybe your job “demands” it!  Maybe you can’t always sacrifice your well-being just to please your employer.

Again, I am not advocating that you start calling in sick when you feel too tired to go in or that you begin to take less interest in or a lackadaisical approach to your job.  You will always want to have respect for your employer, and to follow within their guidelines.

But you also want to make sure that respect is mutual and that unreasonable demands are not being placed upon you by yourself or others.

There are many questions that you may want to ask yourself to see if there are areas where you can alter your approach to your job in a way that will potentially result in you working fewer hours, but also you getting more done.

Are there tasks that are wasting your time that may not be necessary?

Can you delegate anything to someone else who has a lesser workload?

Do you have trouble drawing the line between work and home?  In other words, do you always have your Blackberry on, and do you find yourself responding to e-mails and inquiries immediately, even during times when you are off work?

Do you have trouble saying no to voluntary assignments or working hours?

Could you be more organized?

Could you spend less time traveling on business, or opt to teleconference instead?

Is it possible for you to telecommute more often, thereby saving yourself time and money by commuting less?

You see where I’m going with this.  There are many aspects of your job that you may have control over that you may not have really thought you did.  If you can change these areas, and still generate the same quality of work and productivity, all-the-while working less hours, then not only can you spend more time away from work, you may be able to achieve a healthier work-life balance.  This can put you just one step closer toward reaching equilibrium for yourself, and the accompanying optimum weight and health.

Stop by periodically to learn more about ways you can work toward achieving a healthier work-life balance.

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Equilibrium

Jul 17

Posted by Jason in Finding Your Way, Healthy Lifestyle, Inspiration, Sustained Weight Loss, Views On Dieting | No Comments

So we keep referring to the term “equilibrium” of mind, body, and spirit…

What exactly do we mean?

Although this will be an ongoing topic, we would like to present to you an overall summary, so that you can get the gist of it.

Equilibrium means balance. But it also can mean something a bit different for everyone.  That’s why we don’t really advocate a one-size-fits-all approach to achieving personal harmony, and the resulting weight loss.  This is because, bottom line, everyone is not the same!  What one considers equilibrium and balance, another may think otherwise.  For example, if someone feels still bright, energetic, and cheery after a 60-hour work week, and another feels drained after a 40-hour work week, then the former person may be able to achieve balance while working so many hours, whereas the latter person may need to (if they are able) decrease the time and energies devoted to work a bit in order to achieve their balance.

Pay attention to your emotions, and creatively try to manage them the best that you can. This is why we talk about understanding and recognizing what’s going on inside of you.  Paying close attention to yourself, recognizing the times where you are starting to go into a funk, and developing strategies to help divert yourself away from the vulnerability that results from unchecked negative feelings is a major step in the right direction toward equilibrium.  Getting to this point can be hard work, but anyone can do it.  We want to help you get there by constructively discussing subjects like stress, depression, addiction, self-esteem, conditioning, self-worth, among other areas.  In our culture, for some reason these are subjects that don’t seem to be talked about too much in the mainstream, like we’re all supposed to be ten-feet tall and bulletproof mentally – like we come out of the womb as perfect prototypes that are supposed to automatically have everything perfectly mapped out, and if we don’t achieve those things as planned, then we must be weak, lazy, or something.  Forget all of that and realize that everyone is unique, and all of our paths are a bit different.  It’s what you make of your current state that matters – forget about the past and all the societal “norms” that make you think that you have to be a certain way.

Harness your passions. Everyone has some sort of creative passion or outlet.  And it doesn’t have to be something that you traditionally think of.  Just think about what you enjoy the most – something that is healthy for you.  If eating treats, drinking alcohol, smoking, or any other habit which can be detrimental comes to mind first, than think harder!  Those don’t promote balance!

And it doesn’t have to be complicated either.  You don’t have to be an artist, musician, or something of that sort either (although you may be and not even know it)!  You could really enjoy listening to loud music, but can never seem to make the time.  Reading may be quite enjoyable for you, but you seem to end up in front of the TV instead.  Walking through the woods may be something that you feel is just fantastic, but it’s tough to get yourself out the door to do it!  You remember enjoying the sense of community that you would feel when going to the religious services of your tradition, but somehow fell out of touch due to a busy schedule.

Whatever it is for you, it can be a healthy outlet that can help you achieve your equilibrium.  Consider reinvigorating it and remembering the importance of devoting some time to yourself.  Immersing yourself into a healthy hobby, pastime, tradition, or leisurely activity helps you reset, rejuvenate, and focus your mind on more positive energies.

Take care of yourself! Negative emotions, addictions, obsessions, or other negative energies can have a side effect of self-destructive behaviors.  A person who feels unworthy or depressed may tend to almost unconsciously neglect to really take care of himself.  This could involve not sleeping properly, eating poorly, neglecting good hygiene, good housekeeping, using substances, and other destructive habits.

This is an area we will cover extensively, so we won’t go too far into it here, but you should get the gist of it.

Create a healthy work-life balance. Is your job taking more than its fair share of your life?  Do you find it hard to say no to increased workload or schedule pressures, even if they’re not mandatory?  Do you feel completely dragged out by the end of your work week?  If you answered yes to any of these, you may benefit by working toward adjusting your approach to work and allow yourself more room to breathe, so that you don’t end up burning yourself out.  And you can keep your same job while you’re at it!  There are many ways to help balance out this area of your life, so that there is more time left for you to enjoy your own life.  Check back periodically for an ongoing chat about this!

Enjoy your time with your family to the fullest! Do you find that family time seems to consist of a small time watching TV, and the rest of it seems to be a bit detached or distant?  Make an effort to try to strengthen bonds and nurture your relationships, in whatever way may work best for you.  The time that you spend with family, and all the smiles, laughter, and love than can result, just helps reinforce an uplifting mood and sense of positivity.

Learn about a balanced way of eating, and shifting toward it for life. Again, everyone’s “way” can be a bit different, but there is generally a common theme and food elements that it consists of.  Learning about all of the components of food, and about nutrition in general, can help guide you toward making and adjusting to food choices that are the most nourishing and healthy for you.  And let me assure you, flavor and enjoyment will not go by the wayside!  The typical American diet leaves out many awesome flavors, so you may actually be missing out on the good stuff!

Obviously this will be a huge focus for us as well!  Look forward to a robust series of discussions about this over time, and even some great recipes and meal ideas!

Keep yourself moving. Most of all, this means learning how to not be sedentary, but instead keeping yourself active doing things you enjoy.  And this doesn’t necessarily mean going to the gym (although if you enjoy that, then go for it)!  Don’t forget that there’s emphasis on the word “enjoy!”  You can find things that you enjoy that certainly can count as exercise!

Nurture your beliefs, nurture yourself, and nurture your confidence. Ignite that spark that is always within you!  Light up your feisty, sassy self!  This can mean engaging in stimulating conversation with friends.  It can mean nurturing those strong values that you have and directing them toward good works.  It can mean having an open mind.  It can mean letting go of societal conditioning.

Oh, here we go with the whole societal conditioning thing again!  Really, we feel this is so important.  There are so many things around us that we have been ingrained to think are “normal”, that really could use some re-evaluation.

So I guess what this part can mean it to not be afraid to be yourself!  Don’t be afraid to speak up!  Don’t be afraid to go against the grain!  Don’t be afraid to harness your strengths!  Don’t be afraid to show your confidence!

So this is what we feel is equilibrium, and one of the great side effects can be sustained weight loss. To us, weight loss is just more than exercise and eating right, although those are important aspects.  What we mean by this is that hitting the gym for a couple hours a day and eating less will likely help a person shed some pounds, but it is the achievement of an overall balanced lifestyle which can help keep it off for good!  But even more, you can get to enjoy a more peaceful, content, and healthy life while you’re at it!

That’s what we mean by equilibrium!  Check back often for an ongoing discussion!

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Establishing Your Self-Worth

Jul 16

Posted by Jason in Attitude, Confidence, Feeling Beautiful, Inspiration, Motivation, Negative Emotions | No Comments

Do you let others or society be the ones who determine your self-worth?

Think about this question deeply for a few moments.  If you happen to be a person who feels that you have low self-esteem, or tends to feel inferior, unworthy, incapable, or just generally down on yourself, then ask yourself why?

And yes, why is it that some people must feel this way?  Why does there seem to be something that could be likened to a caste system with regards to the way people feel “classified?”  There’s so many judgments and stereotypes that permeate our culture.  Many of these can be described by adjectives like pretty, ugly, fat, skinny, smart, stupid, rich, poor, mean, nice, black, white, young, old, fast, slow, and on, and on, and on.

And if you are one who associates with the feelings above, maybe it’s time to recognize really what sort of nonsense these stereotypes and labels really are.  Maybe it’s time to work on a way to give these connotations absolutely no meaning or relevance in your own mind.

First of all, you are not defined by what someone else thinks or what society says.  Majority does not rule your perceptions – you rule your perceptions, and they can become even more clear and unadulterated once you strive to extract the years of conditioning and influence that may have shaped some aspect of your persona.

Let’s look at it this way.  Were you ever told that you weren’t good enough to fit into a certain club, class, team, job, or something of that sort?  All of us have at some point.  How did you take it at the time?  Did you feel that maybe they were right?  Did you tell yourself that maybe you really aren’t that good, because otherwise, you would have been accepted into whatever it was that you tried to become a part of?

That right there is an example of how another’s opinion or bias could have been affecting your perception of yourself.  Perhaps this happened repeatedly over time, which just seemed to reinforce the notion.  So over time, you began to associate yourself as being unworthy or undesirable, just because others may have made you feel that way.

Could it be that you have been letting others determine your self-worth?

In our society, there is a large focus on externalities.  There’s a sense of endless striving and competition with regards to external status or achievement.  The newest gadget comes out, and you’re almost made to think that you just won’t be “cool” unless you get it.  The latest fashion comes out, and you feel like you can’t even be caught dead in the new top you bought only six months ago.  You may drive an old car that is reliable and was paid off long ago, but you feel inclined to buy a new one just to keep up with “the times.”

With regards to appearance, you see the skinny models on the runway, and you may feel inferior to them because you don’t weigh 95 pounds.  After all, they’re the ones on the runway, so you may think that they must be the epitome of perfect beauty, right?

That’s what “they” may want you to think.  But who are they to try to dictate who you are and how you feel?  They are not the authority on what makes a person beautiful.

You create your own reality, so if you work toward extracting all of these old, ingrained thought patterns from it, you can start to break free from this kind of subconscious oppression.

That’s why we feel it’s so important to keep an open mind about everything.  Many times we were taught to not ask questions and to do as we were told.  But why can’t we ask questions?  After all, that’s how we can establish our points of view and the things that seem to make sense to us.

And that’s one way how you can start to enhance your self-worth and confidence – by questioning and scrutinizing those negative feelings about yourself that you may have been bound to.

You say you feel unworthy?  Unworthy of what?  Why do you feel that way?  What have you done to cause you to give yourself this label?  Is it because of others’ opinions?  Who are “they?”  What sort of authority are they?  Do they hold a status in society higher than you that gives them the capability to infallibly declare that you are unworthy?  Where did these feelings originally come from?  How long have they been there?  What may have reinforced them?

There may be nearly endless questions that can help you analyze what may really be behind these feelings.

There may be many that you don’t even have an answer to – and that’s okay, because that could be just another reason pointing toward how it is unnecessary and how there is no reason for you to feel bound to these thoughts.

Okay, this has gotten a bit deep, and you may be a bit wary to chart these waters any further at this point.  And that is okay.  The intention of this was to spark some thought and to help you start to question, recognize, and really think about some of the negative ideas about yourself that you may have associated with yourself for so long, with the end result of realizing that they are just totally inaccurate and can eventually be disposed of.

Part of the evolution of life involves learning more about yourself.  Don’t be afraid to really look deep within, even if it seems a bit frightening at first.  The great thing is that you will see just how wonderful, intelligent, talented, compassionate, and beautiful you really are.  You just need your own clear eyes, and not the distortions created by others.  You will love what you see, and will realize that you are worth more than you could ever imagine.

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Strength and Focus

Jul 15

Posted by Jason in Avoiding Traps, Compulsive Overeating, Emotional Eating, Food Obsession, Negative Emotions | No Comments

On the topic of strength…

One way that you can use your inner strength is by creating and maintaining a focus on the benefits of utilizing and maintaining the plan you can develop for yourself to achieve an overall healthy, balanced lifestyle.

One thing that I mean by this is being able to pay close attention to your thoughts and actions regarding food, and watching out for the tricks that your mind can play on itself.  Essentially, it means being in control of these thoughts, instead of letting them control you, and your decision-making about eating in general.

Here’s an example.  Say that you absolutely love eating chocolate.  It is one of the foods that you totally crave all the time, and end up binging on.  This is one of those foods that is dangerous for you, and one that you may have determined you must avoid in order to reach your equilibrium.

The reasoning?  You may feel powerless around it, that it brings you emotional comfort, and is something that you feel tempted to overly indulge in when given the chance.  At times when eating it, you feel like you just can’t get enough, and have trouble stopping the consumption of it.

And then the wave of guilt and remorse comes.  After gorging on it, you feel horrible, and then the emotional spiral comes where you beat yourself up all over again and end up right back where you started.

But it’s almost like it has this strange power over you, because even with all that guilt and shame, once the wave of it washes away, you may end right back up in the “danger point” – the thought that comes to mind where you think about eating some, because it is oh so good, tasty, and emotionally soothing.

That danger point is where the problem, and the solution resides.

When that thought of the ever-alluring chocolate comes into mind, it’s almost like your brain is presenting you with an illusion.  The pleasure and the reward center of your brain may be generating the desire for a temporary sense of euphoria.  This can seem so alluring, and it can seem to be something that can soothe the bad mood you have been in, or the emotional void that can make you feel empty, unworthy, and lowly.  So it keeps saying “come on, this will make you feel better,” and it can flood your conscious thought with the warm and fuzzy sensation that the first bite of chocolate can produce.

It is that temporal sensation that can seem so wonderful, even if just for a split second, that it can create the illusion that it will solve your problems, and relieve the psychological state that you are in.

So this is where, with good practice and determination, your strength can be called upon to help smash that illusion, and look past the sense of instant gratification that gets you in trouble.

This strength can help you to see clearly and realistically, overcoming the power and the gratuitous recall of the warm sensations produced by the chocolate, which delude your rational self.

So how can it work?  Well, it is actually quite simple.  When the craving for chocolate comes to mind, and the flood of associated thoughts that try to convince you that the pleasure of the chocolate binge will be greater than what comes afterward, the strength that you can consciously draw on will eventually become so ingrained that it can become the new habitual thought, and the positive outcome of resisting the binge can become more satisfying than the chocolate, and the craving for it may eventually wane away and diminish.

But “diminish” is different than “disappear,” because the cravings and positive associations of chocolate may never disappear, so that’s why it’s so important to never lose sight of what the strength provides.

So a simple method to draw upon it can work like this:

The next time you have a chocolate craving (or craving for whatever is your “danger” food), look at that craving with clarity.  Look at it as a deceptive tool that your mind is throwing at you to fall for the illusion that the gratification and “satisfaction” of the chocolate is going to outweigh the self-torture that comes afterwards.  Look at it clearly and through past experience.  Turn those illusory thoughts upside-down and look at the flipside instead.

The strength inside you can keep the focus on that realistic flip-side – the fact that indulging in a binge of chocolate may feel great for the first ten minutes, but the next ten hours that follows of berating and shaming yourself is pure hell, and is certainly no way to soothe the emotional hurt that your brain may be trying to convince you that the allure of chocolate will assuage.

Take that to heart the first time, and then see how you feel when the craving passes – and it will pass.  It’s almost guaranteed that you will feel empowered and proud of yourself.  By doing this, you can regain the hours that you would have lost to self-torment and loathing that could have resulted if you would have binged on the chocolate.

Doesn’t the repossession of your sanity and well-being sound better than a chocolate bar?

When that positive association is reinforced through practice of this, you will likely feel much more empowered when the cravings strike, and over time, the weaker the cravings can become, allowing you to open up more room to help you shift toward the equilibrium that can bring about a healthier life, and the associated weight loss.

You have the strength to focus clearly upon those danger points, and the strength to change their outcomes.  All it takes is one try, and you can build upon that success!

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You Can Do It In Your Own Way and Succeed!

Jul 14

Posted by Jason in Attitude, Confidence, Finding Your Way, Inspiration, Motivation | No Comments

If you are a person who is struggling with achieving weight loss or fighting a constant battle against overeating, you may think there are a few options:  go on a super-disciplined personal training program, take diet pills, check yourself into a food disorders rehab, get surgery, or strictly follow the next “miracle” diet.

As good as these may work for some, reality is, they may not work for you.  And that may be exactly the thought running through your mind.  You might be thinking:  “Why even bother?  I just can’t do it?”
But that may be your brain just trying to trick you one more time.  The simple fact is…

You can do it.  Everyone can do it.  It’s just that the “it” that may be slightly different for everyone.  Let me explain…

There is no reason why you, yes you, can’t become a healthier person who can lose weight and reach your personal balance.

Now I’m not saying that the weight loss options mentioned above are not good or should never be used by anyone.  What I am saying is that many people may not even get to the point of embarking on the gradual road to true success because they feel they just can’t do it.  In other words, they may have lost the will to try new things, because diets or strategies past just did not work.

But could it be that maybe one reason they didn’t work was because you were applying someone else’s strict plan to yourself and trying to fudge your way through, instead of developing your own plan and making it work?

If you’re as stubborn as I am, you may not like to do things someone else’s way.  You don’t want to be told that you have to follow this plan, step on that scale, go to this meeting, check in to that place, or eat that meal bar.  It may subconsciously make you feel fat, diseased, and like an outcast from society.  Now I’m not saying to sugarcoat your potential issues and neglect to realize that there may be some things within you that need fixing.  Instead, I’m saying that sometimes having to be treated “special” or like an “addict” can sometimes weigh on your psyche, because you just want to be treated normal, like everyone else.

Now there are some situations where the options mentioned above are a person’s only choice, so I can’t stress enough that I am not demonizing these types of programs.  I am just suggesting that if you are having a really tough time with getting yourself aligned with one of them, then there may be some things to think about…

There is a strength within us all that can guide us through the toughest of times toward a light at the end of the tunnel.  The form of this strength may be different for each of us, but it is there.  And it may not be anything you can concretely define.  It is just a driving force that keeps us going full speed ahead on the path to victory and joy.

So where can you find this strength?  It may be elusive until you really start to recognize it.  Some of us may not even realize it until we start to reflect toward our inner selves.

Even though it may be hard in some instances, try to take some time in the very near future to be still and think about one of the most challenging situations you have ever faced.  There are some things of which you may not wish to go back to, so if so, then maybe think of situation that may not be depressing, but instead empowering.

For example, if you were an honor student in college who pulled off a 4.0 average during the pursuit of a Masters degree, all-the-while working full-time to put yourself through this education, then look back at that astonishing achievement.  Obviously, that is not a simple task to pull off.  Not only did you have an enormous amount of responsibility on your shoulders – responsibility that took incredible self-discipline – you ensured that you succeeded to the absolute best of your ability.  That success was measured and rewarded by the 4.0 grade average and the accompanying designation of Honors.

When you look back, can you distinctly recognize the strength that kept you going?  Probably not.  But what you can recognize is that it exists, and it was there.

Now you do not have to be a college graduate to have this kind of strength.  This was just a random example.  Let’s look at another one.

Were you ever a smoker and quit for good?  For many people, this can be quite a triumph which takes a great deal of strength.

Can you draw upon that past experience?

What about anything else you have worked very hard for?  Did you work your way up in your company, without getting the same education as your counterparts in similar roles?  What sort of things did you do to make such a remarkable achievement?

Have you raised children?  Have you volunteered for difficult assignments for charities or other rewarding avenues?  Have you seen the difference that you made in people’s lives?  Do you struggle with depression or a chronic affliction, but still muster up the energy and strength to keep yourself going and living a productive life?

There are countless examples of how the strength within us can, and is, harnessed.  Look for those examples within yourself, and you will certainly find it.

So when you find it, what can you do with it?

You can apply it to be the source of your gradual achievement of overall equilibrium and balance.  In other words, it can be the driving force that keeps you on the path.  It can be what helps form the transition away from negativity and its associated unhealthy habits, and on toward a healthy balance.

It is what you can harness to develop what works for you – a plan that integrates well with your unique situation and persona.  It is something you can feel good about, because it feels right for you.  It allows you to see more clearly, and can wash away all the feelings that muddled your outlook.

This strength within you can do anything.  Harness it, and you will succeed.

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But I’m Not Addicted to Food!

Jul 13

Posted by Jason in Attitude, Compulsive Overeating, Emotional Eating, Food Obsession | 1 Comment

The word “addiction” can bring up some pretty harsh connotations.  When some think of this word, the idea of a skid-row heroin junkie or an image of a crystal-meth addict scratching away at open sores on his skin may be the first things that come to mind.  So when you’re reading about food addiction or obsession, you may be left in a bit of disbelief, because you know you don’t fit into those descriptions, so you may be thinking that this whole idea of being addicted to food is just a myth.  After all, how can you become addicted to something which you need to sustain yourself?  Food is a necessity, so you can’t just “quit” it entirely like other substances.

So let’s start by saying first of all, it can be wise to get rid of any labels or negative stereotypes that may have been placed upon the idea of addiction and the people who are afflicted by it in one way or another.  Yes, the previous examples are pretty extreme, and yes, people in those sorts of situations may have gotten themselves in too deep.  But to label them as “skid row bums” or “a waste of space” does no good.  Instead, it may only reinforce these notions, and can help bring about feelings of worthlessness, inferiority, weakness, and a myriad of other connotations.  If you feel certain kinds of food may be presenting a problem for you, then try not to let these labels influence your self-opinion or esteem.  Potentially damaging it even more by blanketing stigmas can only set you back.  Each person and his or her circumstances are different, and no one can make a sound judgment about you and tell you what you are, except for yourself.

One thing that you will see often throughout this blog is how we feel about labels and societal stigmas.  We feel these tend to work against people, and are unnecessary forms of negativity and distraction that stem from ignorance, apathy, misinformation, among other things.  We suggest trying to put them outside of your realm of consciousness the best that you can, so that you can try to approach any challenges or goals with your own personal clarity and confidence, without these pointless distractions getting in your way.

Anyways, now that it has been said, let’s continue on…  Many people may feel quite weak or vulnerable around certain kinds of food.  They may feel nearly powerless when they see a piece of chocolate cake, and when they start eating it, they just can’t get enough.  It consciously and subconsciously may fill them with a sense of comfort and well-being unmatched by other things in life.  They may begin to feel dependent on such a thing to fulfill a sense of consolation or warmth that helps assuage certain emotions, moods, depressive tendencies, or a wide range of other negative or distressing patterns.

As time goes by, they may begin to develop habits and even rituals around obtaining and consuming these certain kinds of food that they feel help to prop them up.  These foods may actually bring about a sense of euphoria or elevated sense of well-being upon their consumption.  They find themselves consuming more and more, and may begin to plan their daily activities around them.

It’s almost like they can’t fully get thoughts of these certain kinds of food out of their mind.

So let’s focus on the aspect of “certain kinds of food” instead of “food” in general when talking about food addiction or obsession.  And this is the important differentiation to consider when forming an answer to the question presented earlier:

“After all, how can you become addicted to something which you need to sustain yourself?  Food is a necessity, so you can’t just “quit” it entirely like other addictions to substances.”

Although you can’t “quit” food entirely, we feel it is important to address the certain kinds foods that may present a problem for you.

It’s another primary point to evaluate when thinking about the concept of food addiction or obsession in general.  Food in a general sense, meaning the realm of all kinds of edible material out there, is usually not the root of why some people become addicted.  Instead, we feel it is certain kinds of food.  These certain kinds of food, like the chocolate cake used in the previous example, are what seem to be the vehicle for dependency – not the entire realm of food in a general, all-encompassing sense.

When this point is taken into consideration, it may offer a more clear cut definition of the things that, along with the internal emotions and thought patterns, can be focused on as the elements to work on while traveling on the journey toward equilibrium. Understanding this may help clear up some confusion, and can help guide you toward a heightened understanding.

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