What’s your best diet? An interesting topic of conversation during a night out with the girls. The answer: It depends. Everyone has their own thoughts on what works for them – or at least what has worked in the past. Personally, what I’ve seen and experienced through my own journey, it actually doesn’t “depend”. It’s more about the amount of fear that pops into your brain with the dreaded “diet” word. Instantly, all kinds of excuses are poured into our brains why we do the things we do.
In the book I just finished reading (or rather, listened to), I can never stray away from that passionate researcher who lives inside me, the author discussed this very topic. The Obesity Code by Dr. Jason Fung is fascinating. The book mentions in the short-term any “diet” works, but few work in the long-term. I think most of us know this instinctually. Nowadays, we hear buzz words like “life-style” change to describe the effort that needs to be undertaken but honestly, if your brain isn’t ready – all you get is a diet.
So what’s the magic cure? It’s not calories in/calories out,. It’s not everything in moderation because really who does that work for after a margarita or 12? Dr Fung’s suggestion is an eating style that supports low insulin and a lifestyle to support low cortisol. Simply support your body the appropriate macronutrient mix that supports low insulin – and support your mind and soul with things that keep your cortisol levels low. Sounds easy, right?
Reflecting back on the conversation, imagine if we spoke in these terms. It would have been less about “I can’t give up this” or “I’m not giving up that” but rather about “I’m going to support my mind, body and soul in a way to nurture it after this vacation”. As I’m learning, this lifestyle is not about giving up things you love. It’s about balance – enjoying those times of celebration, but knowing when those end, we need to spend time loving and nurturing ourselves.
If you think about it, it’s how we’ve been programmed for hundreds of thousands of year. It’s our genetic make-up. We have times of feast and famine throughout history. It’s listed in every religious text on earth! But as humans today, we often feel entitled to eat whatever we want, when we want. We, then, wonder why we can’t lose weight, or look at a donut and gain weight.
What I’ve taken away from my journey is as much as I love celebrations, my body appreciates the healing that comes afterwards. I don’t need to “treat” myself every day – kinda takes away from it being a treat, and those treats keep my sugar dragon fully enraged. Rather, I nourish my body with whole foods, no alcohol and lots of water.
I liken this continual barrage of less healthy choice to a stress fracture from running. If you don’t stop, that fracture is never giving a chance to heal. Rest heals your body, your gut, your mind and your soul. The next time you think about a diet, perhaps it should be approached as a time to heal. Perhaps it’s best to stop running.