Body, Mind, and Mouth

Abbott Press

Contents

Foreword...................................................xiIntroduction...............................................xiiiEat Anything, Not Everything...............................1Three Magic Words..........................................9What's in It for You?......................................21Your Inner Dialogue........................................31Eat What You Like; Learn How to Eat It.....................39And ... Action!............................................51Find the Time..............................................61Now, the Science...........................................75The 10-Step WEIGH to a Healthy Body........................79Cooking Tips for Lower-Calorie Cooking.....................83Let's Go Out to Eat........................................85Epilogue...................................................87

Chapter One

"Tell me what you eat, and I shall tell you what you are." —Jean-Anthelme Brillat-Savarin(1755-1826) Author: "The Physiology of Taste", Published 1825

You are not overweight because you eat. You are overweight because you over eat. There is a fine line between eating and overeating, but it could be difficult to discern because of your relationship with food.

Is food a friend or foe? Do you reward or punish yourself with food, or do you allow food to nourish your body and nurture your soul? Think about what food really means to you, the eating habits you have, how they were created, and where they are leading you. Food is meant to nourish your body and keep you healthy. Many of the foods we eat neither nourish us nor keep us healthy. They are full of artificial ingredients, coloring, chemicals, sugar, fat, and sodium. People put these ingredients into their bodies every day. These ingredients wreak havoc on your health and internal organs. The resulting excess body fat and ill health could show up during your lifetime.

When babies are born, parents are instructed to feed them every three to four hours. They are never told: "Give them a bottle when they feel happy or sad. When they are bored, feed them. If someone is mistreating them, offer them a bottle. Always give them one when they are watching television. Then, every time you take them to the movies, super-size their bottle." Babies cry when they are hungry or when they are wet. If they are crying because they are wet and are offered a bottle, they spit it out with dissatisfaction.

Look at the animal kingdom. They eat on instinct. Put soda in your dog's water dish and see what happens. He won't touch it! When your dog is tired, he doesn't eat, he sleeps.

On the other hand, we are taught to eat for any reason and every occasion. We no longer know what true hunger feels like, and we are afraid of it. Our bodies have been designed to eat every three to four hours throughout our lives, and we condition them to eat more often.

On a recent cruise, I was sitting on deck near the buffet waiting for Chris to arrive to have breakfast together. A mother and young daughter of about three or four were sitting near me. I overheard the mother speaking with her daughter. She told the little girl that she must attend the children's camp today. The little girl began to cry, and she said she didn't want to go. The mother explained that Mommy and Daddy needed adult time, so she was going to have kid time today. The little girl continued wailing that she didn't want to go. Finally the mother said, "After Daddy and I pick you up this afternoon, we'll get ice cream." Bingo! The tears immediately stopped and the little girl told her mom what flavor she wanted. This tiny little person had already learned food and treats are the answers and rewards.

Food should be your friend, but somewhere between our first days and our last days we learn to abuse food and, in turn, abuse our bodies.

There should never be a food that is off limits, but there should be limits on food. If you are eating foods that bring down your mood and destroy your health, you are abusing your body with food. If you eat foods that nourish your body, they will nurture your soul and mind, making you a happier and healthier person at any weight.

In any daily situation, function, or party, rate the foods offered from one to ten, ten being the foods you love most, regardless of what they are. Eat your eights, nines and tens. Leave out foods that are mediocre! Don't waste your time or calories on them.

For example, I love ice cream. What I've learned is I don't love all ice creams. Some flavors are a ten, while others are a four or five rating. Non-fat or low-fat ice creams are a three or four and frankly not worth my time. When I truly want ice cream, I go out to a local ice-cream parlor, order a serving of a flavor that I rate a ten with a topping that's also a ten! Then, I sit down and enjoy every bite. Now, if I did this every day, I would gain weight. However, ice cream is a food I don't keep in my freezer. If a half-gallon of my favorite ice cream is in my freezer, odds are it will not be there at the end of the day!

Cashews are another food I don't keep in the house. I like them too much and have a hard time controlling the quantity I eat. I will eat them at a party when other people are present. You may find hard-to-control foods easier to control-and more enjoyable-in the company of others. I'm not saying you can never eat these foods, I'm just saying that you need to learn to eat them so they don't work against you.

Identify what foods you rate as an eight, nine, or ten and find ways to enjoy them. High-fat foods like cashews and ice cream will derail your weight-loss efforts if there are no limits. Eat what you like; learn how to eat. Make your food work for you, not against you.

A number of my clients had followed a carbohydrate-free diet. They lost weight quickly, but once they reintroduced their beloved carbohydrates, they regained their weight almost as quickly. When you eat what you like, and learn how to eat, nothing need be deleted. You will train yourself—and it can become automatic for you—to eat items at the most effective time.

Eat for a reason, not an excuse. A client told me she was taking her kids to a local amusement park. She was concerned about how she was going to eat that day. I asked her what she found so challenging about it. After some thought, she said, "It's not really that the food itself is so tempting. I just really enjoy having ice cream with my kids." That's eating for a reason. Her reason was she wanted to enjoy time and ice cream with her kids. Her excuses could have been: "I'm going to the park, where all kinds of different foods are abundant, so I'll just eat them like I always do," or "I went to the park yesterday where I blew it, so it doesn't matter what I eat today." She could have followed her past patterns of overeating. However, after she thought about her plans for the day, she realized that having ice cream together was essential to attending the park. Having excess food was not.

Excuses are everywhere. Just pick one out of the air! Reasons are different than excuses. Ask yourself: "What do I want most?" Be specific with your answer: Better health, less chronic pain, fewer medications, a smaller clothes size, or maybe the ability to tuck your shirt in comfortably? You have to decide. One never really knows what weight loss...