I have no idea who these people are. But this looks like the quintessential food-pusher, family picnic nightmare!
So, has the annual summer family reunion arrived?
For better or for worse, and usually a little bit of both.
And tightly woven into these family affairs seems to be the ubiquitous piles and platters of edibles not on your dietary plan. Am I right?
And the food pushers who peddle them. You know what I mean.
What a health-minded woman like you to do?
My client Janette (not her real name to protect her identity from curious web-surfing relatives) wrote a few days ago for some last words of advice before heading off for a week of family gathering. Actually, it seems more of my clients than not have had big family affairs this summer, the kind that usually present themselves only at Thanksgiving and Christmas!
Between you and me, I've waded through more than one landmine -loaded gathering of relatives myself, and had some words of advise for Janette. Here for your benefit – and Janette's permission – is our correspondence – along with some strategies for success.
Hi Everyone,
So the Costco trip is done, I have a refrigerator packed with food for 14 ready to load into coolers. DH and I start our week with our kids tomorrow by supplying the first meal (nachos supreme for them, beans rice salsa and veggies for me), breakfast the next day, and staples for the week.
I was not the happiest camper doing the Costco trip with my daughter as she efficiently added all the kinds of things we bought in years past – lots of SAD*. I kept thinking of which mason jars of grains I will take and I did slip in an extra jar of garden salsa as she frowned and said REALLY, TWO?? I said 14 people for a week? She said ALL EATING SALSA EVERY MEAL? I grinned "ya never know!" Hmmm…
Here is my dilemma. I had such a "recommitment" this past Monday and a good solid week of healthy eating, that I want to continue same all next week since I have been so psyched this week. Why not? Do I have a better time to blast through my 4 year plateau?
BUT… I don't want to set up a failure situation by being unrealistic about the challenges of being with my family and the challenges have already started. With 7 kids and SOs or spouses, you can imagine the undercurrents – ugh. And the margaritas! And the constant plenty! OMG!
BUT I don't want to drag my old tired stories (my family is so difficult re food for me) into a new day and not do the best I can do. Who cares about margaritas when everyone else is drinking them and they look so …special? Or when my son brings one over to me (as he did another year in the past) and hands me one and says "ok, time to toast this beautiful woman" do I not drink it? I don't have it in me to do that.
So yes I am going to go with the flow, it's my vacation, soak up all those impressions of my beautiful and growing family and let go of the 100 projects I run in my regular life – but where does that leave me with food? I have to plan! I don't want a week of anything goes! I also don't want to undo this week.
Ack! Any last minute thoughts?
Janette
Here is my reply to Janette:
Janette, it sounds like you are looking for the solid phrase that will keep you on your current trajectory and permission for margaritas at the same time. Of course! Universal dilemma!
Last minute thoughts:
1) Beware of food pushers, who have their own agendas that have nothing to do with you, your life, your preferences. When you change, it shifts things around you and can be unsettling to others. This very thing keeps women stuck year after year because they'd rather not upset the cart. So things stay the same.
2) I never walk out of Costco with LESS than 2 jugs of salsa, and there are only 2 of us! Granted, I don't get there very often. But what people might not get is for you it is a vegetable, not a tiny splash of red on the end of a chip. When I have a bowl of rice/beans/salsa (like yesterday late morning) there is just about as much salsa (as long as it's mild, which the Costco stuff is) as rice and beans.
3) Remember to avoid trying to explain and rationalize to everyone else why you're eating as you are. Enjoy all your mountains of food with gusto, make it look delicious and fun (which it is) – attitude is everything! And if asked, just say it's working for you, you're loving your food, have more energy and are having no complaints about trimming down.
4) Find one or two occasions to have a margarita as that sounds important. The sugar is far better than having piles of chips and dips! Decide which choices you will be making so that YOU are in control, rather than thinking "I hope I don't have any margaritas". See what I'm saying?
5) Family dynamics seem to have a life of their own. This is also why (as I suggested earlier) get as far into the week as you can before making exceptions, if indeed you are. If you start with a landslide, it's far harder to crawl back. This has been an effective strategy for me on more than one occasion. For example, the candy at Christmas. Visiting family, if I waited until day 3 to have a piece or two, knowing I was returning home on day 4, damage was minimal.
Have a wonderful time, remember the food is just part of the process and enjoy all the fun of being around your family!
Thinking of you,
Lani
In a nutshell? Plan ahead; don't leave it to chance! Pack more good, whole satisfying food than you think you'll need so you'll always have something nutritious, energizing, and slimming to eat. That's half the battle. And plan your indulgences so you don't find yourself grasping at the twigs on the slide down the calorie cliff.
*SAD: standard American diet
© Lani Muelrath image: jennaruthclark
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And the wildflowers persist well into July – my fave photographer (dh Greg!) has been going lens-wild and crazy! Note the colorful tiger lilies.I must get this newsletter issue out to you pronto. My web sites will be changing servers, new elements are on the way, and I need to get this in the mail before tech switches start toying with my email service!
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Is it possible to nail the diet strategies that point to weight loss success, over and over again?
And by success, we're talking "lasting" weight loss.
A recent article in my International Dance and Exercise Association (IDEA) Journal revealed four commonalities among those who successfully lose weight – and keep it off.
Yes, there are more than just four. But these four were featured as they stand out among from the rest as solid hallmarks of lasting weight loss success. Here are the findings as reported in the IDEA Journal. Along with my points and counterpoints from years and years of experience coaching women to successful, lasting, life-friendly (make no mistake, VERY important!) weight loss.
4 Things People Who Lose Weight And Keep It Off Have In Common
1) They Monitor Their Weight and Track Their Food Intake
Weighing yourself regularly, as previously reported here in Does Monitoring Your Weight Help With Weight Loss, helps you stay on top of the numbers – and your weight. No more room for denial! They also had a habit of jotting down records of what they were eating.
My points and counterpoints: If you are "afraid" of the scale, get over it. And don't fool yourself into thinking an 8 lb gain in a month is "solid muscle". It's darn hard to pack on even 2 – 3 lbs of muscle in that much time, and that's with a very muscle – challenging workload. Yes, weight will shift with hydration and macronutrient content, but overall, and noted once or twice a week, can tell you the trends. Also, keeping a food journal – even intermittently – helps you keep a reality check on food intake.
2) They Eat 4, 5 Or More Meals Throughout The Day
When and how often one eats may determine weight. Studies show that eating four or five small meals/snacks throughout the day is associated with lower energy intake and reduced or no obesity risk, and eating less or more than this may actually increase the risk of obesity (Forslund et al. 2005; Ma et al. 2003). In addition, skipping breakfast is associated with a higher body mass index and increased obesity risk (Ma et al. 2003; Choet al. 2003).
My points and counterpoints: You may be getting the message from media that we should go hours and hours between meals to keep insulin in check. Insulin is released when we eat – it's how our body's way to process the incoming energy, shuttling it into storage for use. Thus, the popular idea is that by keeping insulin out of the game during several hours, glucagon kicks in and we start "burning" stored fat.
But that's only part of the picture. Large meals overstimulate the release of insulin, creating all kinds of problems, bodyfat storage, and insulin resistance. If you're not supposed to eat for 5 – 6 hours between meals, how the heck can one not eat a large meal? It builds in an entirely new problem!
When you eat whole, real foods, you can trust your body to eat the right amounts to keep you slim. Just like the squirrels outside my office.
3) Portions Are Controlled
My clients prove that you can eat all you want with a balance of high fiber starches, vegetables, legumes, and fruits, and lose weight - without hunger
My points and counterpoints: Portion control is just another way of saying reduced calories. This can be done in one of 2 ways:
- by weighing and measuring. However, with a Standard American Diet IMPOSSIBLE to sustain without hunger. Minimal long term success. Not recommended if you want to satisfy hunger.
- by body-controlled portions. This is what I do, and it's kept those extra 50 lbs off of me for 12 years now. It's easy to achieve when you are eating whole, real, low fat foods, because the bulk, calorie density, and satiety do the work for you. Your body can totally be your guide on portion control when you eat in this fashion. This is the approach that I successfully coach women with in my Booty Camps and FitDream Fusion Membership.
4) They Fill Up On Less
Increasing intake of nutrient-rich foods like fruits and vegetables is a positive strategy for controlling portions. Studies show that reducing energy density by boosting intake of low-caloric- density foods is associated with weight loss and improved diet quality (Ello-Martin et al. 2007; Ledikwe et al. 2007). Thanks to water and fiber, low-caloric-density foods offer larger portions with fewer calories, so you fill up without filling out. Examples include fruits, vegetables, beans and soups. High-fiber foods also slow digestion and absorption and stabilize blood sugar, which helps control hunger and further aids weight loss. (McCreary, Beyond Energy Balance, 2010)
My points and counter points: This is exactly what I'm talking about with body-controlled eating (see #3 above). It has been found that adding certain foods helps people lose and maintain weight loss, AND feel satisfied physically -and emotionally – satisfied. For example, by implementing this crucial strategy, study participants report consuming more food by weight, while reducing energy intake (Ledikwe et al. 2007).
And guess what?! They also report feeling less hungry (Ello-Martin et al. 2007) which is essential to long-term weight management. You can't fight the hunger urge. Don't even try. And in this study, the strongest correlation to weight loss was lower calorie density coupled with increased dietary fiber. See My Big Plate Trick for Staying Slim.
In a nutshell? High fiber + low fat + careful observation of compliance + body-controlled eating = sustained weight and fat loss. They all go together.
© Lani Muelrath All Rights Reserved image: stayhealthier
Filed under Blog, Boot Camp, Diet & Nutrition, Fiber, FitDream Fusion Inner Circle, Meal Timing, Plant-strong diet, Weight Loss by
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