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What if I were to tell you that in order to lose weight, you need to slow down. Would you believe me?
Marc David, in his book, The Slow Down Diet, talks about this very topic. In this culture, we are so used to being like the energizer bunny (it keeps going.... and going... and..) but we really need to be more like the Tortoise in the popular fable The Tortoise And The Hare. He was so slow at first while the Hare, by nature, went really fast. However, he quickly ran out of steam and had to take a nap. So we all know what happened next.... “slow and steady wins the race.” The Tortoise caught up and beat that Hare.
I love that story because it reminds us that it really is good to be slow. Now, I am not talking about teaching our children to take 10 minutes just to put their shoes on (can you tell we have experience that? lol) or driving 30 miles an hour on the road ( forgive me, but slow drivers is a pet peeve of mine- yes, I know I need to get over that).
What I am talking about is making a conscious effort to be aware of your present surroundings, to take a deep breath, relax and really savor and enjoy that moment.
Let’s go back to the Tortoise and the Hare story.... why did that rabbit run out of steam? He did not pace himself. I would compare that to today’s typical busy mom... we chauffer our children from one activity to the next because we have become conditioned to believe that it is good to be extremely busy. We end up eating very quickly and not really taking the time to savor and enjoy our food.
In the end.... this constant busyness becomes really detrimental to our health! When we are super busy, we are naturally stressed and our cortisol levels shoot through the roof. (Cortisol is our stress hormone) Cortisol can increase our appetite, as well as add unwanted pounds to our belly area, which, in turn can increase our risk for heart disease.
So, going back to weight loss... what happens when we eat quickly is our body does not have time to properly digest our food. When we do not stop and appreciate our food and how it nourishes our body, we end up tricking our body into thinking we didn’t eat at all! So then we end up craving more and more food.
Marc David talks a lot about relaxing and giving our body the proper messages. Being thankful for our body.
You can eat all the brown rice and spinach in the world, but if you are still stressed, you are not going to lose those last stubborn pounds.
Tips:
1.Take deep breaths before you eat. Get your kids involved if they are eating with you.
2. Show gratitude for your food.
3. Chew S-L-O-W-L-Y .
4. Focus on the taste and texture of your food. Put your fork down half way during your meal and ask yourself how full you are.
5. Eat at the table, with your food on a plate (not at the computer or TV)
I know a lot of these things sound so simple but they are easier said then done! Just remember, that it takes time to start a new habit and there will be good and bad days. I am not perfect either! But staying mindful of our food and our body can really help us to learn how to slow down... which helps increase our health and maybe even aide in losing those last 10 pounds. :)
Need support in this area? GOOD NEWS! I am starting a Virtual Support Group called “Body Aware”, featuring Marc David’s book, The Slow Down Diet. Included in the program are the book, handouts and recipes, 4 group phone sessions, and two private sessions with myself!
I will be talking about this new group at the end of my next Teleclass!
Join me for A FREE TeleClass on Mindful Eating 101!
Register HERE to reserve your spot. Thursday, April 11th from 12:00 p.m.-12:45 p.m. The call will be recorded but you must register to receive it!
Kellie McGarry
Certified Health Coach
www.nourishedandnew.com
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