A new meaning for the word “diet”
By Anja Christy
What if the word “diet” didn’t just refer to losing weight?
A radical concept, right? But consider this:
Diet comes from the Greek word, díaita- meaning “way of living”. Our culture has paired “diet” with deprivation and starvation. But it doesn’t have to be that way. You can lose weight and keep it off by developing a “way of eating” that you can live with for the rest of your life.
So I’d like you to start thinking of “diet” in a new way, as an acronym: Daily Intake of Essential Things.
Whether you have weight loss goals or weight maintenance goals or just want to live life to the fullest, consider the following Daily Intake of Essential Things:
• Food
• Water
• Sleep
• Relaxation
• Fun & Recreation
• Nutritional Supplements
• Exercise
This week let’s focus on food.
We use food for comfort. We have food at social events and celebrations. We eat food habitually- late-night mindless eating, snacks at the movie theater, etc.
Think about how your life would be different if you changed your perception of food:
• What would your world be like if you looked at food as fuel?
• What if you planned your meals based on the nutrient density of the foods?
Food is fuel for body, your energy and well being.
Listen to Jonny on CD #2, Track #5 in the Diet Boot Camp series—he talks about ‘factory specified fuel for the human body’. Here’s the summary: The ‘factory specified fuel for humans’ is anything that you can gather, hunt, fish or pluck. This is food that your grandmother would actually recognize as food. This excludes most foods with bar codes. It excludes almost anything that you order at a drive-through where you use the phrase super-size.
Here are some action steps you can take RIGHT NOW:
• Go back to basics. Eat only food that could have been gathered, hunted, fished or plucked.
• Avoid processed foods.
• Do most of your shopping on the outer perimeter of the supermarket. I’ll give you a hint: this is where the fruits, vegetables, meat, eggs, and dairy are located!
• Think of food as fuel.
• Be mindful of your calorie intake. Remember, a good easy formula is “target weight times 10” plus a tiny bit more if you exercise on that day!
• Balance those calories evenly throughout the day. Three or four meals is fine.
• Create a ‘way of eating’ that you can live with for the rest of your life!
It’s not just about the food. It’s about YOU. It’s about you choosing to create a lifestyle where you take care of yourself- mind, body, and soul.
Don’t forget: I’ll be conducting a FREE weight-loss teleseminar on Wednesday Jan 20th !! Watch the newsletter for details!
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