Don't Do It!

This photo just popped up on a memory notification, but I don't want people to get the wrong idea. I was not exercising hours a day (broken foot so couldn't exercise). I wasn't buying expensive pills, food, or shakes (simply enjoying delicious fat-free probiotic protein shakes with regular food). I wasn't starving myself (eating more frequently and saying "if it isn't good for me or taste good then I am saving room for more pie").

I have been thinking a lot about people beating themselves up, especially at this time of the year. I want everyone to not fall into the worldly trap. DON'T DO IT!

I just want people to be balanced, healthy, and happy.

First off you are loveable just the way you are. You don't need to compete for Heavenly Father's love or look like the photo-chopped images in the media (even the models don't look like that as they enlarge their eyes and stretch their legs and remove natural imperfections/character that we all have). If you were not around there would be an unfillable void in the universe. You are important to others and don't need to compete or be better than others to be loved by genuine people/family.

I wish my Mother had realized that. She was Miss USA and a genius in the arts and academia (basically super amazing, intelligent, beautiful...) but she was still always hard on herself (as were others who were really just jealous and insecure). That worldly trap (comparing yourself to the impossible media ideal) had her beating up herself her entire life and ultimately may have contributed to her death. I know we all would rather she was still around and wasn't so concerned about how she looked (before my youngest was born my Mother passed on Tax Day nearly 8 years ago - she was always a great multi-tasker as she did both inevitable things on the same day - death and taxes).

I want you to be healthy and happy and stop putting off your happiness in pursuit of some impossible lie!

Below are 10 things to try and find balance in your life. I call it the 10 UnDiet (talk to your doctor before making any changes in your diet or exercise...).

10 Un-Diet

Have you tried all the fad diets, weight-loss trends, exercise products/programs...? Do you torture yourself every New Year(or every week) with some exotic or expensive diet or exercise program? How would you like to be like a young kid again and eat whatever you like and feel energetic, light, clean, and fun? First off remember you are amazing and lovable just the way you are. Don't try and be like the photo-chopped lies you see in the media. That is impossible (can you enlarge the size of your eyes or make your legs inches taller?! Well neither can those “models” that look normal before they photo chop them up to impossible-to-achieve looks).

To be healthier and happier, here is the Un-Diet that is based on proven principles. Best of all you still eat what you like and eat way more often. There is no product to buy and no exercise program (no ulterior motive, just your happiness). Just start acting more like a kid and enjoy the benefits. Make a change in your life so you are heading in the right direction and don't worry about how fast. Try it for just 10 days and see if you don't feel the best you have in years. Stop torturing yourself and start enjoying life.

1. Pig-Out before 10 a.m.: Stop torturing yourself! Be smart and eat what you want just do it more frequently and at the right times. Why starve yourself all day only to lose will-power and pig-out late at night (absolute worst way to pack on the pounds). Start your day right by intentionally eating the junk before 10 in the morning. Then you have energy all day and are in a better mood. You will also burn those calories throughout the day rather than having them all stored as fat while you sleep. You will also have much better self-control throughout the rest of the day. One study found that people who ate more in the morning lost 50% more weight than others even when having the same amount of calories each day!
2. Eat foods you rank as a "10":BE SMART - Would you rather have a cola/soft drink or a piece of pie or two pieces of pie without the crust? Also, why eat junk that you really don't like. For example, why eat the dry, lard-filled pie crust if you really only enjoy the filling. Eat the "10" pie filling and don't eat the "3" crust. Why order a salad with fried chicken, fried tortilla chips, fat/oil filled dressing &/or ... on top if it has more calories than a Big Mac). Why not get a $1 salad and a pie instead (pies are probably better for you than fries anyway and who says you have to have a slimy "hambooger" anyway). Or get a chicken sandwich meal and trade out the fries for a small side salad... and still come out ahead. It takes about a minute of exercise walking to burn off one Calorie (think 1 Calorie = 1 Minute Exercise). So I would rather just not eat a piece of white bread than exercise for an hour. To me a brownie isn’t worth 5 hours of walking so I will save the room for something I like better. Also, just because you exercised on a 30-minute walk don’t “reward” yourself with a plate of brownies that would take days of walking non-stop to burn off! Be smarter not work harder. Weight loss is done in the kitchen while the gym is good for fitness and will power.
3. Stop eating when no longer a "10":After the first number of bites food doesn't taste as good so why keep eating and waste the calories. Get the benefit of the first number of bites (& rotate flavors with healthy food to enjoy the variety) then STOP EATING! Drink a tall glass of water after a sensible meal or snack to Fast Forward to Full. Save the rest of your favorite foods for later and enjoy several times rather than waste in all in a binge. Try and figure out what your body wants or needs. If you are craving proteins or fats then target the craving rather than eating half a cake because you want a spoonful of fat/frosting. If you are craving chocolate then you don't want to eat a plate full of brownies to get satisfied. If you want salt you don't have to eat a week's worth of calories in a bag of slimy chips or sugar-laden, white-flour, pasty snacks to satisfy the salt craving. Target the craving wisely and give your body time to register (see 10 min rule). Or maybe kill the craving instantly with a small spoonful of straight oil or sugar or salt to let your body register the fat/sugar/salt and say "enough" (rather than sneak in way too much with deceiving junk food).
4. Leave 10% on the Plate: Never eat everything on the plate or "Clean the Plate". It is  MORE OF A WASTE ON YOUR WAIST THAN IN THE WASTE BIN – just take less next time. Build a habit of consciously leaving food on the plate to overcome bad programming that "good kids eat everything on their plate". Leave the empty calories that don't provide you enjoyment or are not good for you (e.g. filler food, white breads, white pasta, white rice, any food that won't benefit you or extra amounts over what your body needs...). In a restaurant ask for a to-go container before you start eating and save half the food for your next meal before you start eating. Taste each bite of the food. Are you enjoying the food or just eating to try and satisfy an addiction or fill an emotional void? Be smart with your eating and you can eat whatever you like and still lose weight!
5. 10 Minute Rule: It takes time for food to reach your stomach (why you feel so gross if you eat until you feel full and then all that extra food finally hits your stomach and you feel like you are going to explode!). Only get what you feel you should eat on your plate. Slowly eat that and then drink a tall glass of water to push the food to your stomach (Fast Forward to Full) and so you can feel full and kill cravings then move on to another activity. Simply tell yourself you have to wait 10 minutes before eating anything else. After moving on for 10 minutes you can always come back and try again with sensible serving and then wait another 10 minutes before eating more. You will find that this will give your body time to realize you have had enough and to turn off your hunger and then it doesn't take as much will power to say no to seconds, thirds, binge eating... Never eat non-stop until you feel full because by then it will be too late and you will fill gross, bloated, over full... Slow down and enjoy the food and eat smaller bites. Give your stomach and body time to catch up with the food.  Gradually become better and better each day. Remind yourself you will be eating again in an hour or two anyway. Remember - Daily progress in the right direction is the key, regardless of the speed. Crawling in the right direction is better than sprinting in the wrong direction. Every day should be a step in the right direction (even if just 1 less bite of junk/filler food or 1 more push-up).
6. Eat 10 times a day: Eat a small hand-full of nuts or other protein (stays with you longer and keeps you from feeling hungry) to have at least 10 snacks/meals a day. This boosts your metabolism as you 'Eat More Less' (eat more often and less at each snack/meal). You will become like a kid and always snacking throughout the day. You will have more energy and naturally shed the pounds as your body doesn't have to store up fat for when you starve yourself and then finally binge. 
7. 10 Glasses of Water: Drink at least 10 glasses of water every day. You need water to survive. In winter you don't realize you are losing even more water with every breath (signs include chapped lips, dry skin, dry throat...). Finish each snack or meal with a tall glass of water because it will also help your stomach feel full faster and flush food through your system. This one thing alone can really make a massive difference.
8. 10 Feet: Don't allow snacks or food within 10 feet of where you sit, work, read, watch TV... You can't have food to eat why you are distracted or stressed or you will eat a whole bag or box of food (days' worth of calories) without realizing it. Many junk food companies intentionally make the snacks trick your body into not feeling satisfied or full (so you will buy more of their products - calories dissolve in mouth and don't register with your brain). Make yourself get up to get a snack (e.g. handful of peanuts) and then go back to your activity (or inactivity:-). If you want more then make yourself get up again and get another handful of smart, enjoyable snacks (use your laziness to fight against your cravings). I will get up as many as 10 times during a movie to grab a hand full of popcorn or nuts or other snack (remember that nuts and dried fruit are very energy dense so you may want to do 2 cups of popcorn instead of ¼ cup of nuts or 2 cups of grapes rather than ¼ cup of raisins).
9. 10 Good Foods: Eat at least 1 serving of FRESH/FROZEN FRUITS/VEGGIES AT EVERY MEAL. End up having 10 servings a day of fruit, vegetables, nuts, fresh whole grains, fresh probiotics/yogurt/kefir... You want a variety of bright colors/nutrients/vitamins and not some old canned foods (degrade within hours of being processed yet frozen mixed veggies are cheap/easy and super healthy - and only seconds away if have a microwave or eat frozen). Remember protein, fiber, bran... all help you feel satisfied/not hungry for longer. Scientists are still trying to figure out why fresh whole grains don't give you belly fat like other foods. God knows how to make delicious, healthy, healing... food.  As you eat smart you will naturally start to avoid most fried, oily, fatty, slimy, processed, excessively salty/sugary (including soft drinks).... so called "foods". You can also enjoy the natural flavor of foods. You will start to feel light, clean, energetic, excited, in control... HAPPY!
10. Take 10 Seconds in the Right Direction: The first 10 seconds of anything good is always the hardest. Tell yourself you will just do at least 10 seconds every day in moving the right direction. For example, with exercise just do at least 10 seconds a day of whatever exercise. Read a good book every morning for at least 10 seconds. Work for 10 seconds to get to bed on time (sets up the entire next two days for success - target 10 minutes earlier each day until you reach the smart time - then it is like you can sleep-in every morning because you are getting to bed on time:-). You can do anything for 10 seconds! Just start and do it for 10 seconds and you will change your entire life (and bless the lives of everyone around you too). Just remember slow and steady in the right direction will win the race. We are in a marathon and not a sprint so don’t burn yourself out. Don’t set crazy hard resolutions to only burn out in a few days or binge after only a few hours. Rather just do 10 seconds additional each day in each area you are working on. 

Try it for just 10 days. See if you don't feel the best you have in years all while not starving, suffering, wasting money, taking dangerous drugs... Stop torturing yourself! BE SMART and BE HAPPY!