Think Yourself Thin

There are lots of things at work when it comes to the way you view food and how you crave it.
The main thing that is in process all the time is your brain. It is a well known fact that you can retrain your brain to eat better.

The brain or the spoon!
Our mind even though as we age we get wiser is still much like a little child. I want what I can't have. If you tell yourself you can't eat cookies, then you just want it more. In a university diet study done, the subjects were shown really enticing pictures of forbidden foods and other coveted objects such as Mercedes and perfume. The study showed that the responses were stronger toward the forbidden foods, much stronger if the participant had dieted in the last year. They had higher cravings and guilt associated with the food items. The Study concluded that, "Dieting appears to make a difference to how people perceive food. Instead of eat more healthily and cut down on products which are bad for their health, the negative effect induced by dieting appears to have the opposite effect in that it can increase the desire for the actual foods they are trying to avoid.

You are what you eat!
In another study done people were asked to think about their last meal they ate before snacking on other things. While keeping in mind the food they ate prior, in this case it happened to be a large lunch. They participants were less likely to snack. I have said to keep a food journal and I promise it does help. I keep a running total of the food I eat regularly. This keeps my caloric intake in check as well as helps me decide on better options while keeping in mind the nutrient content in the foods I consume. The food journal is also awesome when I work out. When I see a food that has just as many calories as what I just burned at the gym, my answer to that food is usually a resounding OH HELL NO! (that would be a waste of working out which is something I don't love to do!) If it is too hard to do just write down the snacks you eat or what sweets you had. That way you can monitor even if it isn't every single thing you eat. **By the way I don't keep track of every ketchup packet or shake of salt, my diary is general foods plus I try to stay away from those extra's as much as possible.

The big picture!
The main point is to get you to think about the future. The 80/20 rule, and everything in moderation is always a great way to think about things. You can have anything you want, but do you really want? Be more accountable for the choices you make and you don't have to eat every little thing someone offers you. I used to work in an office where for everyone's birthday they all used to eat cake. I swear this was happening once a week. I decided I would only eat it once per month. Small changes and thoughtfulness about what you eat keeps your long term goals in focus. (plus that theory works in life also :)) We are a total instant gratification society, keep the focus!


XOXO
-Ari
For more of my diet advice visit me athttp://theskinnychic.me
Find me on facebook and instagram. theskinnychic

Diet is a Weight Thing, Exercise is a Shape Thing!

Diet changes your weight. Exercise changes your shape.
I hear people say, If I could lose this or that they feel like they would look different. But it just isn't true. To be toned you have to exercise, to change the way your waist looks you have to exercise, to change the way your butt looks you have to exercise. Losing weight is not always the answer. I am bottom heavy, it runs in my family there is very little I can do about it, except work out. I have to do squats and leg lifts to shape my bottom half. Cutting calories and dieting will not change how I gain weight in this area. So what is it that you really want? Do you want your teachers arms to disappear? Eating a Twinkie instead of a salad will not change it. Exercise will!!

A word about your BMI.
You should only use BMI as a guide. I think that BMI is not a cure all. It is used as a guide in most cases. Nothing in the BMI calculator accounts for body type, or body composition. My BMI says I am borderline too skinny and this is not the case. George Clooney is technically obese and Brad Pitt is over weight. Looking at them they look healthy. Keep in mind muscle weighs more than fat and I find shorter/taller people tend to have a harder time with being in range for this measurement.

Be realistic and work with specific measurements.
Waist circumference is the best indicator of obesity. Waist is also where most visceral fat collects. Visceral fat is the strongest indicator of cardiovascular disease among other things. So watch your belly fat. Eating better is great but doing cardio is really helpful when you are trying to drop excess weight in this area also. So, as Mr. T would say, "Do work son!"

Here is a link to go to find your BMI. http://www.webmd.com/diet/calc-bmi-plus
I like this one because it has a few more fields which are more specific to you and to your waist hip ratio.

XOXO
-Ari

Find me on http://theskinnychic.me and on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/theskinnychic.me