Get Fit

Wednesday, September 22, 2010

What do you really need to know?

I'm not sure how to write this particular post because it's partly a question I'm posing to my readers and a bit of witnessing, odd combination for a 'diet' blog.

I get a lot of questions in no certain order

1) What are you doing to lose weight? (insert various wording for the same question)
2) How do you know what to eat?
3) How much can you eat?
4) What times do you eat?
5) Are you counting calories?
6) Is it a modified Atkins/South Beach/Mediterranean etc...diet?
7) You're counting carbs?
8) Do you exercise?
9) What kind of exercise?
10) How long do you exercise?
11) Do you use a personal trainer?
12) Do you go to a gym?
13) Are you starving yourself?
14) Are you a vegetarian?
15) Are you taking supplements?
16) What kind of supplements?
17) Are you taking diet pills?
18) Are you on Jenny Craig/Weight Watchers etc..

And the list goes on and on and on

My answers are as follows:
1) I am paying attention to what I eat. 
2) I use common sense.  For example: I know cheeseburgers have a lot of calories, so I do what I can to eliminate the calories without sacrificing the cheeseburger itself.  Second example : Those 2 for a $1 Fried pies by little Debbie are loaded with calories.  One of my co-workers made a comment as she picked up several "I'll get a couple of these to snack on tonight they're not too fattening."  I asked her if she was serious about dropping a few pounds, she said yes, so I asked her to read the calorie label on the box to me.  "Four Hundred OH MY GOD! Four hundred fifty! In that little thing!"  She promptly put them all back.  "I don't care how cheap they are, they aren't worth it!"  I apologized for ruining her snackage to which she replied "NO, no no, I want you to do stuff like that for me.  I didn't realize . . . I wasn't paying attention . . .450 calories in that thing . . . good grief!"
3) How much does it take for you to feel satisfied?  I'm not the food police.  I don't want to tell you how much to eat.  Another co-worker thought he had the answer "I know how to do this, I want to try one of each dessert so I'll only eat a little of each."  True he wasn't consuming as many calories, but, as I pointed out "I still adds up."   A lot of us are moms, or cooks, or both, so we do a lot of stealth eating.  You know finishing off what the kids didn't eat, 'taste testing' whatever we're preparing.  There are calories consumed in everything that crosses your lips (not counting zero calorie drinks.)
4) I don't have set times to eat.  I eat in the mornings, afternoons and evenings.  Whenever I feel hungry.  The 'don't eat after 6' rule doesn't apply in our home because I work until 9 pm sometimes and the hubby doesn't come home until 8 pm sometimes.  so I don't have a hard fast set time to eat.
5) Not really counting calories.  I try to keep in mind that the better I like something the more calories it has in it so I'd better be careful!
6) no.  I use items from each that I like but I don't adhere to any one diet program over another.  It's mine.
7) Nope.  Too much trouble.
8) I do, no particular set in stone routine.  I prefer Pilates and walking with a little bit of jogging, but nothing too taxing.  Just enough o keep a decent tone.  I'll never look like a Sports Illustrated Swim Suit model.
9) Pilates, a little yoga, walking, jogging, some resistance band and stability ball.  sounds like a lot, but usually less than 20 minutes a day.  Jogging/walking takes longer, but it's a pleasant distraction.
10) Less than 20 minutes sometimes every day  sometimes every other day.
11) Nope. They're expensive and I dont' have money and I prefer to think for myself.
12) Nope for the same reasons above, and I dont' want anyone else to see me making an idiot of myself (refer to previous posts where I've lost my pants etc...)
13) No.
14) I eat a lot of fruits and veggies, but I'm not a vegetarian because I also eat a lot of lean cuts of all types of meat.
15) Yes.
16) Refer to my 2nd or 3rd post.  I take a lot of supplements.
17) No.
18) No.  Those are tremendously expensive programs.  You can do what they do on your own with some willingness to re-learn what you already know.

And God gave you the good sense to know what is right and wrong for your body.  Remember Daniel and his friends who refuse to eat the rich foods the king ordered them to eat? 

I'm disturbed by the sheer number of people who are hungry for the knowledge they have locked inside their own heads and not just on lifestyle changes or that bad word 'diet'.  Just plain common sense.  Why do you need someone to tell you what to do?  Have you buried your talents instead of using them?  I understand people want leadership.  I'm not a leader.  You want to follow an example? Pick up your Bible.  Your leader is God and he is willing to show you the way. I'm just a tool he is using.  I try to adhere to what the people in the Bible ate, nuts, berries, poultry, fish (and loaves I dont' recall butter being mentioned anywhere but I do recall oil and meal being mentioned in the Bible), vegetables, whole grains, fruit, fatted calves!.  Jesus didn't break a rib eye and tell his disciples to feed his sheep an Angus steak with a giant loaded baked potato, buttery garlic cheese toast, and chocolate pecan pie.  He broke bread. They drank wine, not Pepsi.  They drank WATER, not a Margarita. Okay, okay I can't stand water, but I don like LifeWater!

Ask yourself what it is you're truly after. 

Why do you need someone else to lead you where you should already know your way?

If it's just another lose weight fast scheme, I'm not your gal.  If it's a slow not so very methodical program, I might be your gal.  If you're hungry for something a bit meatier, more soul deep and satisfying, God is waiting on you to ask him.  He's more than willing to show you the way. Ask. Open your Bible.  Then listen quietly as you read.

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