I was hideously overweight for much of my life. I went from one diet to another. And from one exercise “gadget” to another. But none of it worked. And even when it did, it wasn’t sustainable.
Then I came across some information that helped “deflate” my weight situation considerably. And that is to find out that Red Meat, Processed foods, Salts and anything with artificial ingredients (the stuff that usually takes hours to pronounce) contribute to weight gain.
So, I got rid of nearly everything that came in a Can, Box or Bottle with any tongue-twisting ingredients. I even had a farewell party for all my Processed foods and anything that had any sugar or flour it in. And by making that one simple change, I was rewarded with a considerable amount of weight loss (over the course of several months).
Then I hit a ceiling.
Even though I had lost a considerable amount of weight, the tire manufacturers that had their plants set up around my waist were still open for business.
But I didn’t let that phase me. After years of trying out a whole bunch of “exercise routines” and gimmicky foods, I finally found the answer. And it’s quite simply this:“if we eat and live as our Creator originally intended us to, then all our weight and health issues become a thing of the past”.
To clarify my point, let’s go back to the beginning for a second, way back to when leaf woven clothing was the hottest fashion statement around. Our ancestors in those days didn’t have any hunting equipment and they certainly didn’t have any retractable claws, fangs, fires to cook with or even a simple microwave to warm up the occasional pizza.
No claws meant that they couldn’t hunt down anything more than a confused rabbit. And no fangs meant that even chewing on a rabbit’s foot was no walk in the park.
Despite the drawbacks, what they did have access to is ..Mother Nature, which meant that they had to settle for Fresh Fruits, Vegetables, Greens, Nuts, and water.
So there you have it. Stick to just those food groups and consume them in the proportions that they had been given and you pretty have a weight loss meal plan that works every time. Now, in terms of proportions, the highest emphasis on consumption would go to Water, as it’s clearly the most abundant, followed up with leafy greens and veggies. The least emphasis would, therefore, go to fruit, nuts, and seeds.
But no weight loss plan is complete without exercise. So, you can top this off with a daily workout or two and you’ll be as slim as a Giraffe before you even know it.
Actually.. It would take a bit more work to graduate to Giraffe status. But you would see a dramatic change in your health, energy, weight and even your hairstyle in as little as 6 months.
Now, that doesn’t mean I just drink water and chew grass all day. I make it a lot more fun by having these in the form of egg salads (seasoned with spices, pumpkin seeds, seaweed and sesame oil) and smoothies (made with fruits,veggies, and nuts). I even have a giant mug of coffee early in the morning (made with fresh milk and honey).
But what I really love about this slim but not shady lifestyle is that I can afford to have more “small” but regular meals, much like our prehistoric ancestors. No one really sat down for long hearty meals back in those days, because they always had a habit of being cut short by a giant hairy claw or two.
So, keeping in line with this “dine and dash” tradition, I have an egg salad or smoothie every 2-3 hours (whilst making sure to sneak in some nuts or healthy oils with every meal to keep those hunger pangs in check). I also make it a priority to drink at least one glass of water every hour. I think it’s safe to assume that Water is a huge deal, given that the CEO of the Universe went through the trouble of filing up 70% of our fuzzy blue planet with it. Drinking plenty of water regularly not only prevents a majority of the “common illnesses” but it also prevents the body from mistaking thirst for hunger.
So that’s pretty much what I eat and drink for 6 days a week. But on Sundays, I go nuts and eat and drink anything I darn well please and whenever I please. I do however make it a point to not carry anything over to the following day.
Now, even though this whole “rabbit food regiment” is as awesome as the Creator himself, the transition will take some doing. So don’t make the mistake of diving in with all cylinders (unless you are completely fed up with your current health/weight situation and desperately need a break). Diving in boldly may sound heroic, but it’s rarely sustainable because our minds and bodies are wired to grow slowly and progressively. Otherwise, we would see a whole bunch of preschoolers prepping for their finals in College and even see 3-year-olds competing at the Olympic Sprints.
This slow and progressive growth is what we call Kaizen. So, in order to lose the weight and become insanely strong, sexy and healthy, the Kaizen approach must be incorporated into your eating plan as well as your exercise regiment. It is the composite of these two that creates the Fusion, that allows you to not only achieve your goal but also prevent you from ever going back. It’s a bit like clapping. You need both hands to make it work. Otherwise, it might not be as effective.
So on the Health and Nutrition side, start by swapping just one tantalizing food item with something “healthy” on the first week and on the second week increase that to two items and so forth until all of your “evil foods” have been completely vanquished from the household. If one week feels a little too much, break it down into monthly increments instead. But don’t feel for a second like you’re getting behind because it’s better to be an Eagle that builds it’s muscled properly and sours steadily into the sky than to be one that crash lands every hour. Also take to heart that once you wave goodbyes to a gremlin (i.e one of your “evil foods”), you never invite them back in again.
On the exercise side of things, start out with a simple 10-minute walk around the block and increase the duration of it over the coming weeks. And once you’ve reached the 30-minute mark you can start alternating your walking speeds. So you would walk for about a minute on full throttle with a very constipated look on your face, then slow down to a snail pace and recover. Then go all out again for another minute and slow down and so forth. Finally when your legs start running off on their own switch to something a little more fun and intense like P90X3.
Be progressive in your growth but if you feel overwhelmed at any point, slow down your progression. If you take it slow but continually push your boundaries one millimeter at a time, and thank God every single day for giving you the strength and courage to fight the good fight, you will soon be living the life that you truly deserve.
Now young Earthling, go forth and prosper!
