No More Rabbit Food
Weight Loss Tips For People Who Love Food
September 19,
2008
Issue 13
In This
Issue...
But here we have a more light-hearted look at life. Oh, and some advice and inspiration on weight loss and healthy eating!
So enjoy!
Feature Article
I could tell he was hoping we really would all be engulfed by a black hole emanating from a Swiss mountainside, which would lead to the intriguing result that Switzerland had produced the cuckoo clock, lots of secretive but extremely boring bankers, and the end of the planet. In his mind this would give him several days of a hedonistic teenage existence, unlimited computer and internet access accompanied by industrial quantities of sweets and fizzy drinks. After all, if the world is going to end, why be restrained.
That’s why teenagers have mothers - to stop them being totally stupid.
Without the license to behave irresponsibly he kept on doing his homework, eating sensible food, and living a reasonably restrained life. But this story illustrates how tempting it is to do crazy stuff when there’s the possibility that we might not be held accountable.
Isn’t that often the way with weight loss?
- Sneak that extra cookie because no one is looking.
- Have the chips rather than the salad because it’s Friday (and Saturday and Sunday).
- Eat the extra slice of cake you made otherwise it’ll go stale.
We pretend that these actions are justified. One extra cookie won’t count. I deserve a treat at the weekend. It’s not good to waste food. But what we are really doing is not being accountable. Not being accountable to your slimming club or your nutritionist or your loved ones. But above all not being accountable to yourself.
The world will not end with the Large Hadron Collider. (I can say that with confidence because if the world does end you won't be reading this newsletter.) My son has no excuse for not doing his homework because, however much he hopes for it, his maths teacher is not going to disappear into a black hole.
And you have no excuse for not eating well because however much you hope for it, excess calories will always turn into fat.
It’s easy to think "I’ll start the diet tomorrow" or "One cookie won’t hurt" or "Nobody will know if I have this snack".
But don’t let your mind become a black hole of excuses. Don’t let your digestive system become a black hole for food – engulfing everything it encounters. Don’t let a Swiss chocolate mountain end up on your hips.
Tell yourself – "The world will not end tomorrow but I’ll still have this excess fat. So I’m making choices today so I can be slim tomorrow".
And happy (and healthy) eating.
 Image of Liz
drawn by Helen |
This course will coach you through your journey to conquer emotional eating forever.
Go here to listen to this recording and sign up
for the Priority List.
About Liz
- Degree in Natural Sciences from the University of Cambridge (that’s where I get my biochemistry knowledge).
- Degree in Nutritional Therapy (that’s where the nutrition knowledge comes from).
- Module leader in Masters Level Module Tackling Obesity at the Centre for Nutrition Education & Lifestyle Management. On this module I lecture on the biochemistry of eating and starvation, satiety mechanisms, stress and obesity and emotional eating.
- Fifteen years experience as a herbalist and health coach.
- Practitioner level qualification in NLP, Coaching and Stress Management.
The information in this newsletter is not intended to replace medical advice. If you feel you need to lose weight and you have any medical problems please consult your doctor before starting a diet.
Weight Loss Success Tips
Are you stuck in a rut with your eating habits?
Improve your diet and reduce calories at the same time by having a colourful diet.
Here are some ideas:
White stuff – onions, garlic, and shallots. They’re anti-inflammatory ,anti-infective and may protect your heart.
Red/blue stuff – berries, beetroot, red apples, pomegranate and berries including bilberries, blueberries, blackberries, cherries, strawberries, raspberries and cranberries. The red/blue flavonoids are anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and are particularly good for your arteries. They may reduce cholesterol and lower blood pressure.
Red/orange stuff – carrots, oranges, melons, apricots, tomatoes, red peppers, sweet potato, pumpkins and squash. The red/orange carotenoids are fat-soluble antioxidants, provide vitamin A and may promote eye health.
Green stuff – lettuce, salad greens, spinach, cabbage and broccoli. Dark green veg are rich in Vitamin C and magnesium. They also have, hidden behind the green, the red/orange carotenoid pigments.
So go for green, orange and red on your plate each day. Add a new fruit or veg this week. You’ll get healthier and get a nutrient kick and that means you eat, enjoy, and eat less.
I spent the Labor Day weekend (not a holiday
here in the UK) in hospital with my daughter who was having emergency
surgery.
She’s now on the mend – what the medics called "an acute
abdomen" is now a cute operation scar. Who needs an appendix,
anyway?
After her op her digestive system shut down and she
couldn’t eat anything. But if you don’t eat you don’t have the materials
for repair and healing. Even fruit juice sent her system into
spasm.
I put my thinking hat on to work out what to give her. I
decided the most healing foods were natural bio yogurt (two dessertspoons
was all she could manage) and home-made chicken soup.
And it
worked! She was able to eat these foods without being in agony and very
soon her appetite was getting back to normal.
So although this
newsletter focuses on weight loss, I thought I’d pass this info on to you.
If you have a loved one who can’t eat try the chicken soup!
Read More Of Liz's Articles...
Give Something
Back
Take a
look at the work of the Circle of Women – Reach and Teach Across
Borders. A group of Harvard undergraduates have got together to
raise funds for a girls’ school in Afghanistan.
When so
many of us have benefited from education it’s difficult to comprehend how
limiting women’s lives can be without it.
The school
list is already oversubscribed and it’s not even built yet, so they need
your help! Take a look at their website. And give
generously.