How to Think Thin Blog

I think most people will find my weight loss tips a bit unconventional, but they do work. So, to continue…

Weight loss tip #6: In my last post I suggested that you say a prayer before eating, in order to to remember that food keeps you alive. This probably seems silly to a lot of people, but the lack of conscious awareness is, in my opinion, one of the biggest reasons for our current obesity epidemic. In fact, I’ve written an entire book on keeping your commitment to weight loss by recovering your awareness of what you eat.

I’m also convinced that you can regain at least some of this awareness by growing some of your own food. When I suggested that food is sacred, I realized it’s often pretty difficult to believe. What’s sacred about a supermarket shelf, or a package of pre-mixed, adulterated calories? Many people rarely make the connection between what they eat and the land it grows out of, because that land may be hundreds or even thousands of miles away.

To reinstill your sense of connection to the land, and thereby reawaken your awareness of the importance of food, grow some yourself. Even if you only start a few lettuce seeds on your balcony, it will help. And be sure to include your kids in the project, too.

Weight loss tip #7: Speaking of kids… Most of us try to lose weight because it will make us look better or feel better. But some studies involving pets have shown that people tend to stick with their exercise programs far longer if they get out and walk for their pet’s health instead of their own. If you have children instead of dogs, the same rule should apply - if you’re setting a bad example (and many people do without realizing it), you could be reducing your child’s lifespan and quality of life.

I once knew a woman who needed gastric bypass surgery to stop gaining weight with each passing week. Soon after her surgery she took her beloved dachshund to the vet and was told that her indulgence and treats were killing him. The shock of knowing that she had been “loving” her dog to death completely changed her attitude towards food - both his and hers - and it made it much easier for her to stay on her post-gastric bypass diet.

An overweight dog can lose as much as two years off his life because of chronic diseases related to obesity. Overweight children run the real chance of adult-onset diabetes, and that gives them a risk of heart disease and early death.

Most people who own obese dogs don’t realize the dogs are overweight, and studies have shown that parents of obese children are unaware that their kids are carrying too many pounds. So, if you have either dogs or kids, your best chance of losing your own extra pounds could come when you make a trip to the vet or pediatrition. Pay attention to their advice, and notice if your own eating habits are contributing to their poor health. You will all be healthier if you do.

Weight loss tip #8: I once read that most people who lose lots of pounds simply regain them - but there is a group of people who don’t regain their extra weight. These folks have two things in common - they switched to a vegetarian diet, and they became obsessed with their health.

Note that I didn’t say they became obsessed with their weight. That can lead to the dangerous mental illnesses of anorexia and bulimia, and is certainly not healthy. But an obsession with health can lead to a much longer, more fulfilling life.

My great aunt Edna lived to 103, and was alert and active up to the end. All her life her family had laughed at her obsession with her diet. Although she wasn’t a Seventh-Day Adventist, she had adopeted the dietary suggestions of their founder, and like most people who do so, she remained healthy throughout her life. Her obsession grew out of watching her mother die of diabetes, long before they had any medication that could make her mother’s illness easier to manage. Her fear of this illness led her to making wise, conscious choices about food, every day of her adult life.

I suspect that it helps to switch over to a completely new way of eating, as well. If you stop eating meat and other animal products for health reasons, you’ll need to learn how to eat in an entirely new way. Kids who stop eating meat for political or moral reasons tend to eat badly, by eating far more noodles and bread, but still not enough veggies to stay healthy. But a switch to this diet for health reasons requires reading and commitment, two things that can be powerful incentives to losing weight and regaining your health. So this tip is to become obsessed - with health, not weight. The pounds will melt off naturally as you begin to eat better, healthier food. The Savvy Vegitarian blog can get you started.

Since I tend to blather on far too long, this post will need to be continued another day. (And besides, I need some time to think up the last two tips…)

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