It always amazes me when I think about how the weight loss has turned into an “industry”.
And, despite what we may be led to believe this is nothing new.
The weight loss industry has been alive and profiting since AT LEAST the late 1800’s .
You don’t need to look any further than the story of Bernarr Macfadden as told in “Mr. America” for proof that NONE of this is new.
From the benefits of the all milk diet to the miracle of high protein,….it’s all been recycled multiple times.
Somehow, at some point, we convinced ourselves that in order to lose weight, eating LESS is not the answer.
Instead, we’ve decided that the key to losing weight is discovering the secret foods that MAKE us lose weight.
I think this concept works so well because it “FITS” with life.
It fits with our current addiction to purchasing and consuming.
In today’s reality “taking away” is an answer that just doesn’t seem to fit*.
*(unless you have embraced a minimalist type of lifestyle)
We would much rather “add”.
As an example we would rather believe that grapefruit juice is better than apple juice at causing you to lose weight…
Sure, this keeps us as good little consumers, and keeps our never quite satisfied taste buds happy…but a quick look at the stats reveals that it certainly doesn’t make us any leaner (or wealthier).
In fact, the opposite is happening. We keep consuming and, as a population, we keep getting bigger.
So here is my solution – Instead of worrying about which green tea to buy, and what specific type of grapefruit you are going to eat, whether or not you should use cream or coconut milk in your coffee, and which fast food is “healthiest”, do your best to try this technique.
Limit the amount of food your purchase outside of the grocery store.
I don’t mean steal.
I just mean don’t buy anything extra that day.
So if you have a hypothetical grocery budget of 100 bucks a week, give yourself a non-grocery budget too.
After all, for many of us this it’s this extra mindless consuming that we don’t remember.. that adds up on our waists and empties our bank accounts.
We already know that just because you are hungry, it doesn’t mean your metabolism is slowing down, or that you are breaking down muscle (If you don’t know this, you should read Eat Stop Eat, it would probably help a lot).
So, for the most part, hunger simply means you ‘really want to eat’.
So forgo the snacks in the car, and the coffee stop on the way into work (unless it’s in your budget).
The bottom line is this:
Getting control over how much you eat is the answer to your weight loss goals. The issue for some people is often not knowing where to start.
They get caught up in counting calories and trying to eat ‘the rights foods’.
A more effective and realistic approach is to measure with your wallet.
I’m sure that if you can avoid buying any extra food for an entire month, you will see significant weight loss. Despite all the gimmicks and trends, simply eating less is still the best, most effective answer.
Give it a try, but take a positive approach. Go into this experiment thinking that you do not need to buy extra food. That you will not feel bad, or sluggish. That it will not affect your workouts or your stress level. Stay positive, and avoid purchasing anything other than your groceries and your budgeted ‘extras’.
Still eat the foods you normally eat, just let the all-mighty dollar be the limiting factor in HOW MUCH you consume.
Hopefully this will help you get a leaner body and a fatter wallet.
BP
