For many of my clients, spring heralds the beginning of the dreaded “shorts season” or “bikini season.” The weight loss resolutions of January have come and gone, and the imminent arrival of warmer weather brings on the regret: too many skipped workouts, too many holiday goodies, not enough healthy foods… and a winter weight gain that hasn’t been lost yet.
It’s early enough to do something about it! We still have time, at least up here in the Northeast. While the ice has thawed and the snow is gone for good, we still have weeks before the heavy coats are gone, and months before we’re wandering around in tank tops.
I always take a multi-faceted approach with my clients to work on many aspects of their lifestyle and create a custom plan that works to reach weight loss goals. Obviously, that’s beyond the scope of a blog post, so today I’m going to focus on the number one thing to address healthy weight loss: clean eating. This means ditching the processed, factory produced stuff we call “food” that really isn’t food: chips and crackers and cookies, “processed cheese food,” all that chemical laden junk that’s keeping you from attaining your goals of weight loss, a healthier body, increased energy and stamina, decreased pain… so many great aspirations!
In general, we all know what to do: five servings of fruits and vegetables per day, drink water, lean proteins… the same stuff we’ve heard since childhood, and the same tough realization that vegetables will never taste as yummy as chocolate chip cookies or nachos or whatever your favorite go-to junk “food” is.
Thinking of what we’re going to miss out on, or starting a diet and depriving ourselves of our goodies, is a recipe for perhaps some amazing weight loss stories, then the typical putting-on-more-than-I’ve-lost weight gain. Break the cycle!! Let’s call this “spring cleaning” and go over some tips for a more gradual, longer lasting lifestyle change.
First, think of spring cleaning your house. We open windows to bring in that fresh spring air, get out the cleansers, scrub and polish, vacuum out what’s settled in the corners, purge whatever “stuff” we’ve accumulated over the winter that we don’t want or need anymore, maybe even move the furniture to deep clean the rooms.
Now, let’s reframe that and look at the traditional failed January weight loss resolution and typical fear-of-bathing-suit-season diet. This would equate to taking the glass out of the windows, taking the doors off of the frames, purging all of the furniture, and bringing in a high pressure fire hose to wash out all of the rooms. Now that we’re down to bare walls, empty cabinets, and huge gaping spaces where windows and doors used to be, we let the water dry and start our “diet”: bring in some folding chairs, one table, and a mattress. We can eat, sleep, and use the bathroom. Our basic needs are met. The house looks amazing! No clutter, nothing to tidy, super easy to clean! BUT are you happy? Can you sustain this lifestyle? For how long? And at what point do you sit in that uncomfortable folding chair and decide that you’ve had enough? Then go out and redecorate your home with ALL the things you love, and even treat yourself to stuff that wasn’t in the home to begin with, but certainly after all that work you deserve to get yourself something nice!
I’m sure you see the ridiculousness and excess of that scenario, but we get so caught up in the latest diet craze, especially when we see the “magic” results of those diets, either on social media or with friends, coworkers, or family members who have had great success with a particular diet or exercise plan. But think about how they have “cleaned their house,” and whether that’s something that you can do and sustain. Also, how healthy is that kind of approach in the long term?
Instead, let’s do a spring cleaning. Go through your cabinets and purge what isn’t serving you: half eaten bags of chips that weren’t your favorite flavor, the cookies that have been there for a while- they’re an ok snack, but not what you crave. The candy that’s there as an emergency stash, probably been there since Halloween… all the things you have around but can live without. Check the fridge for leftovers that have hung out in the back for a few too many days, the off-brand replacement you bought because the store was out of what you like, and now no one really wants it… you get the point. These are the unhealthy foods that you have on hand, that you’ll eat in a moment of weakness, or an after dinner “grazing” session, or a quick meal because you really don’t want to go through the trouble of making something. These are also the foods that you won’t miss, that you won’t feel deprived of. Calories that you’ll consume because they’re there, but won’t truly enjoy. Get rid of the temptation! Also get rid of any pantry ingredients that are sitting there because one day you’ll get around to making the great recipe you found months ago and bought those exotic ingredients for when you finally get around to cooking it (for me it’s a bag of dried beans that will – one day- make a super healthy meatless gourmet… something. I had a great idea and a recipe back in October!!! Can’t remember where I found the recipe, and right now the thought of prepping dried beans makes me want to just order takeout LOL!) That’s emotional baggage that will weigh you down. Pitch it! You’ll never miss any of these things. And those calories you threw out will not be consumed and added to your hips, thighs, stomach…
Now let’s look at your pantry staples that you can replace with a better alternative. Don’t go pitching everything that you know is “unhealthy” then go out and buy three heads of broccoli and think you’re going to finally eat everything you should. You know that broccoli or $20 worth of fresh vegetables is going to rot after a day or two when you don’t want to grab a vegetable, and then you’ll order out a double bacon cheeseburger or ice cream sundae or whatever floats your boat. Find a suitable substitution that won’t leave you feeling deprived. Do you have white rice? Use brown rice (if that sounds yucky, mix a small amount of brown in with your white, maybe instead of a cup of white rice use ¾ white and ¼ brown, then slowly over time you can mix in more brown and less white). Or try another whole grain like quinoa or amaranth or barley or whatever looks interesting and palatable. And do it slowly, mixing in a small amount of grain with whatever you are used to eating. It makes the switch easier, more palatable, less scary, more sustainable. And eventually you’ll eat just the whole grain and not miss the white rice (seriously. It happens with my clients all the time. And they doubted this in the beginning, too!).
Look at your staple meals- everyone has like 6 meals or so that they make all the time, or in a pinch, or when they don’t have time to think about what to cook. Allocate some time to review the ingredients, and see where you can make a healthy swap that is do-able and not too scary. Spaghetti and meatballs? Mix some whole wheat pasta in with your current choice, throw some not-too-scary veggies in the blender and mix a little into your sauce/gravy. Choose a leaner beef for the meatballs, or bake them instead of frying, or use a healthier oil in the pan, or add some chopped veggies to the meat mixture. Taco night? Find a whole grain tortilla, or choose a leaner beef, or shred some cheese instead of using a packaged queso, or use romaine lettuce instead of iceberg lettuce, or even use the same fillings but make each taco with less meat and more salsa, lettuce, tomato.
Now let’s think about what you really love or crave. What can you just never live without? For me it’s cheesecake. I need it. I can’t imagine living life without a slice of cheesecake somewhere in it. For my sister it’s Cool Ranch Doritos. For my husband it’s brownies. Make room in your eating plan for this necessary food item. And schedule a frequency and time to eat it. For me, cheesecake is bought when we have a weeklong camping trip (a slice on night #1 is a celebration of vacation), also on my birthday, and any time my husband takes a trip without me – that first night of alone time means cheesecake for dinner! I plan for it, buy ONLY ONE SERVING, and eat it without guilt. Actually, with great pleasure and enjoyment. I dedicate time to eat it mindfully (see my post about mindful eating HERE), and thoroughly LOVE every bite. Then I’m done until the next time. I’m not buying an entire cheesecake, not outfitting my next week with cheesecake dinners, not going overboard. It’s a nice treat that I look forward to, and there’s no excess. Eat what you LOVE. But plan it. Eat only one serving. Enjoy it without guilt. Plan when you’ll get your next opportunity to relish your treat. And then let it go until the next planned time.
Try to do some spring cleaning in your home this week. Spend some time finding food swaps that will work for you. Putting these changes in place now can yield great results!
Having trouble figuring out where to start? Does it seem overwhelming? I can help!! For a gentle nudge in the right direction, schedule a “quick question” 15 minute session to get you started. Want a complete overhaul and a programmed approach that’s customized for you, your body type, your preferences, your needs, and what will work for YOU? That’s my specialty! Schedule a consultation and get a custom weight loss plan that’s designed just for YOU!! I’m always here to help you on your journey.
Blessings,
Melanie
