In the mood for food: Meal suggestions to live by
By Pam Vos 10/16/2008
In the majority of my conversations this week, the topic of food has come up quite a bit — from one woman who can’t stop thinking about food to a young married gal who can’t think of what food to prepare for dinner to a woman who doesn’t have an appetite to eat at all. Food is a huge issue. For those struggling to lose weight, it can become an obsession. The more you try to not think about it, the more you focus on it. It’s the pink-elephant-in-the-room syndrome.
So today I am in the mood to write about food.
First of all, let’s look at what the purpose of food is. Its purpose is to fuel your body. Not to make you feel better after a hard day of work, or to reward yourself when you accomplish something, or a pastime to indulge in when you are bored or stressed. So much of our lives revolves around food. In part, it’s how we were brought up. When Junior was made fun of at school, dad took him for an ice cream cone. When there’s a birthday, we celebrate with a big cake. When sis cried because she skinned her knees, she was given a lollipop. Getting the picture now?
If we can look at food for what it is designed for, perhaps we can stop running to it to appease our emotions and use it to fuel and energize our bodies.
Your body needs calories just to keep you alive (and get you through your tough workouts?). If you don’t eat enough calories, your metabolism will slow down. This occurs because low calorie dieting causes a loss of precious muscle tissue. Slowing your metabolism down will also cause a drop in energy. When I have a new client complete a profile, a section on the form has them list a typical day’s meals. Upon reviewing what and when they eat, a decrease in energy is almost always found during a time when they go 4-5 hours without eating. (For most, this is generally the afternoon). Therefore …
Secondly, you need to fuel your body several times a day. That means breakfast (MOST definitely), then a mid-morning snack, lunch, mid-afternoon snack and dinner. Keeping the calories between 300 and 400 calories is a good general rule. This is not a diet; it’s just common-sense healthy living. Five smaller meals throughout the day will bring you noticeable improvement quickly. It will keep your energy level up, blood sugar stable and prevent hunger (which generally leads to poor food choices and overeating). Not to mention, overweight people will see their weight go down with these simple adjustments.
Balance is another important component in your meal planning. Be sure each meal contains a lean protein, whole grain and/or veggies and healthy fats. You will be satisfied, and your body will thank you with good health and energy for years to come.
Pam Vos, Wellness Coach, owner of Forever Fit Pilates Studio and author of “Healthy Habits 101: Essential Tips and Advice for Living Your Best Life,” (Available on Amazon Oct. 15). Pam coaches individuals and has developed a 12-week program entitled “Forever Fit Living” that she teaches for small groups and Corporations. E-mail pam@foreverfitliving.com with questions and comments.
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