Keep the fire in your body burning
Where there is no wood, the fire goes out…
Prov. 26:20
Food should be seen as fuel first and entertainment second. Much of the eating and drinking we do in America is done to make us feel good, not feel better. There is a big difference. “Feel good’ food is largely based upon immediate gratification. Let’s face it; we all love to eat! It is a joy and even a reward to sit down and dig into our favorite food. Physically speaking, there is a certain enjoyment when the food is being consumed. It can even bring us a certain amount of comfort. Who hasn’t indulged in a quart of their favorite ice cream, or devoured a slab of cake. Can you tell I have a sweat-tooth?
There is a certain high we experience when indulging ourselves with food. But the high is short lived. Not long afterward we can feel groggy or even guilty. The food that once made us feel good did not help us to feel better. In fact we can feel worse. If not immediately, certainly after weeks and months of poor nutrition or over eating.
It is better to see our food as fuel for the body. Everything in life is about energy. Energy from “feel good” food is short lived while energy from “feel better” food is long lasting. Especially if eating nutrient rich food becomes a part of your lifestyle. This does not mean that you have to become a food fanatic to enjoy a good quality of life. I certainly enjoy my indulgences from time to time. However, I do govern my diet better than most people and this allows me the freedom to splurge when it really counts.
So here are a few helpful hints to change your lifestyle and get you on the way to a healthier happier you…
1. Try to eat five times a day.
I recommend 7:00am, 10:00am, 1:00pm, 4:00pm, and 7:00pm. Do not eat after 7:00. This is when people sit around and take in lots of unneeded calories as they watch TV and sit at their computers. That might seem like too much but trust me, all the healthiest people eat frequently. This should be good news for you. Starving yourself is counterproductive. It trains your body to hold onto the fat you’ve stored, not release it for fuel. When you eat only a couple times a day your body goes into “survival” mode and stores fat for future use, which you never use because you are not eating and exercising properly. This is how people get overweight. Not only is their body working against them but also they cannot keep up this self-denial and soon they go back to eating out of control. By eating consistently, you actually increase your metabolism.
Think of it like a campfire. If the flame is but a flicker and you put a big log on top, it is going to take forever for that log to be consumed. But if the fire is stoked hot with consistent wood, it will consume just about anything. Keep the fire burning by eating five times a day.
2. Eat just enough to get you through the next three hours.
The portion of your meal is important when eating this often. That is the beauty of this plan. Instead of over-loading because you are not going to eat for half a day, you eat small meals more often. This one change in your daily routine will pay huge dividends over time. You will look better, feel better, have more energy, and be in control.
So see your food as energy giving fuel and not entertainment. Let your food make you “feel better” over time not just “feeling good” for the moment. Remember the old saying, “A moment on the lips, a lifetime on the hips”. Keep the fire burning.