Ok, you recognize there needs to be a change. There’s something motivating you to get started doing things differently. For most of us, this simply is “I need to lose weight.” This statement gets brought up when we look ourselves in the mirror, or when we feel exhausted and we haven’t really done that much, when the cloths are feeling tighter. The list of reasons we tell ourselves we need to lose weight for can go on and on. Though these are valid reasons to want to lose weight, there’s often something else at its core that got us here in the first place. It’s often something that goes ignored, or completely unnoticed. So why do you want to lose weight? Let’s dig a little deeper……
I get asked on a near daily basis “What did you do? How did you get started?” Besides coming to the conclusion that something needed to change, and given my past history of weight loss and weight gain, it was time to take a different approach. Learn. Read. Listen.
While already making some changes to what I was doing, such as exercising, carb cycling, and eating fewer sweets, it was time to do more research into myself. Why was I feeling so terrible even after eating “healthy” foods? I let that question linger on much longer than I should have. For years I went day to day eating pretty much whatever I wanted to, but certain foods in limited quantity, and just chalked up all the gassiness of “a sign of a healthy digestive track”. You know, cause that’s what I’d heard before. I suffered through the uncomfortableness (as did others in the same room as me), and all this time I’m telling myself this is normal. This is just something that comes with age, oh it’s the protein, oh it’s the “this”, oh it’s the “that”. I put up with it all until things started to take a turn for the worst.
My problem? First, I was completely ignoring all the signs my body had been giving me for…..well, really as far back as memory serves. But, other problems started to surface and become a major roadblock in my daily activities. After every meal came heartburn (acid reflux), and, often a short time later, a trip to the bathroom. Heartburn, bloating, GI issues, pain, fatigue, cloudiness, all led into depression. All the hard work I had put in to losing weight and keeping it off went away. The weight came right back on….and fast too!
Thanks to the persuasion of my family, I went to my doctor. Low and behold, after months of testing, and with some help from friends, it was discovered that I have a lectin intolerance. Lectin, for those who are unfamiliar (and I was one of these individuals up until very recently), is a protein in many foods that we eat. “Healthy” foods, like fruit, vegetables, legumes, grains, and nightshades. We’ve all heard of Gluten, right? Well, Gluten is just 1 of thousands of different types of lectins. Upon this discovery came an entirely different approach to how I was eating. So many foods that were a regular staple in my diet have now been stripped!
Why am I telling you all this? Because, before you can do anything to make yourself better, you need to understand what’s wrong in the first place. There’s a reason you gained weight in the first place. There’s a reason you feel tired all the time. There’s a reason why your stomach is bothering you, or you feel pain in your joints. Everybody is different, my needs are going to be different from your needs. My issues are going to be different from your issues. What works for me, may not work for you. That is why it is so crucial to educate yourself as much as you possibly can to better understand the path that is right for you.
Here’s my advice on getting started. Log your food. Logging your food will help you keep track of the foods you eat should there be any reaction, you can easily look back and narrow down any potential problem foods. If there is, see how you do with something similar. If you experience the same reactions, e.g. bloating, heartburn, hives, upset stomach, etc.., then there likely is something in the makeup of those foods that you have an intolerance to.
Also, logging your food is a great way to get a clear visual of the macronutrients you’re eating each day. It’s important to stay in the macronutrient range that is best suited for you, and everyone’s is going to be different. Before you go and figure out what those are supposed to be, be sure you have a clear understanding of what your goals are, and, know what foods you should be avoiding. Prior health conditions can play a major role in this decision as well, so, make sure you’re having this conversation with your doctor before you jump into something with both feet.
One thing that I feel is important to note here is many people go into weight loss dieting with the calories in vs calories ou mindset the wrong way. Calories are your bodies fuel. It needs it function normally. The biggest mistake one can make here is depriving your body of that fuel. What happens if you go from a standard 2000 calorie a day diet and reduce it in half? Will you lose weight? Sure. What also happens? Loss of energy, weakness, feeling lethargic, induced stress, just to name a few side effects. This is, again, why it is important to know exactly what your goals are, and, what the proper nutrition in your diet needs to be, ahead of time.
Log your physical activity. I do this both electronically and by writing it down on a calendar. The calendar is great because I can quickly look over the past month and see exactly which exercises I have done on what days, weight fluctuations, and rest days. Electronically, I have a Fitbit that will automatically track and sync to my food logging app. This makes it nice to have everything all in one location to quickly reference my macros, calories in, and calories burned. Having your physical activity logged helps to keep yourself accountable and motivated. If there’s several days where there is nothing logged, why? There is even things one can do on the “rest” days. A stretch, a walk, light cardio, yoga or Pilates…something is better than nothing.
Pay attention to your body. If something doesn’t feel good, stop! This applies to both diet and exercise. It’s important to listen to the signals your body sends you so you don’t cause further damage. Too many times I ignored the clear signals and paid a price for it. The times that I listened, I was able to take preventative measures to avoid injury or discomfort.
Accept that fact that you won’t always get it right. Remember, you don’t want this to be short term thing. The changes you’ll be making are to better your health for the rest of your life. I don’t know of anyone who just wants to be healthy for a couple of years and go back to the way they were. We’re not always going to get it right, and there will be days we slip up. Be willing to accept this and adjust things accordingly. As we get older and our bodies change, we need to be willing to change our diets and exercise right along with it.
Lastly, continue to learn and be open minded. Think of it like continuing education for your job, except it’s for your health. Read, watch, and listen. There’s many viewpoints our there. A lot great advice, and some not-so-great advice. Be cautious and fact check. One thing that I always do is check multiple sources, see if they all come to the same conclusion. If there’s conflicting information, perhaps it’s something to best avoid until you can find something truly conclusive. As I’ve mentioned before, some of the best reads I had while getting started, and have even gone back and referenced to again, I’ll mention once more.
The Obesity Code by Jason Fung, MD
The Plant Paradox by Steven R. Gundry, MD
&
The Keto Reset Diet: Reboot Your Metabolism In 21 Days And Burn Fat Forever by Mark Sisson & Brad Kearns
I hope this helps you on your journey to a better you.
Cheers!