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Just as I love classic cars, I love classic TV. One of my favorites is Perry Mason. His job was, more often than not, to prove premeditated murder committed by one of the suspects. The planning and execution of the crime reminds me of how I eat and how I counsel my clients to plan their eating regimen…but in a good way…
I call it “premeditated eating” and it truly is just that.
I always make it my lifestyle to eat purposefully. I have to think about it because it’s in my best interest to do so. It helps me continue to keep my depression at bay and helps me control my weight.
Maintaining an ideal weight is important for everyone. Some want to become healthier while others want to look good in the latest fashions. It’s important to consider all the factors in your body type and lifestyle to help you maintain your desired weight.
You need to understand various ways of pinpointing exactly what it is that will help you overcome a defeatist mindset when it comes to losing weight. It’s important to find new ways to think about your weight and to implement a plan that won’t leave you frustrated and back to square one in a few weeks.
Weight Loss Is More Than Aesthetics
It’s great to think about looking in the mirror and seeing the newer, slimmer you. But it’s not always about looking good in a new pair of jeans. The bigger picture includes your long term health and how those extra pounds affect your body.
Gaining a better understanding about how obesity can destroy your health should be a major incentive in helping you reach your weight loss goals. Major health problems such as heart disease, cancer, strokes, diabetes and depression can take over when you’re overweight or obese and not eating to sustain a healthy body and mind.
The good news is that when you lose the weight in a healthy manner, you can greatly reduce the risks of developing these life threatening issues. Your weight and your health really do combine to create catalysts for a healthy life or an ailing life. You have a lot of control over the outcome.
People with weight issues are far more likely to develop depression or experience negative impacts on their lives, which keep them from achieving what they’re actually very capable of doing.
Excess weight can affect all parts of the body including neurological problems such as headaches, vision loss and stroke as well as depression and eating disorders. You may also develop respiratory problems such as asthma and pulmonary hypertension when you carry around a lot of extra weight.
In the gastrointestinal area of your body, reflux disease, gallstones, colon cancer and fatty liver disease may develop. Within the urological region of the body, excess weight may lead to diabetes and diabetic kidney disease, and the pancreas may develop pancreatitis or cancer.
The circulatory system of the body may run into such issues as hypertension, high cholesterol and blood clots, while excess weight also causes back issues and joint problems. In women, excess weight can create issues with reproduction, while men may develop prostate problems or erectile dysfunction.
It’s alarming to realize that excess weight can cause all of the above problems, but knowing what you’re up against can be used positively as a catalyst for losing the weight and developing healthier eating habits.
Depression, mentioned earlier, is another result that people who are overweight often experience. Some become socially isolated and others may drown their sorrows by eating more or developing eating disorders. Depression can lead you into a downward spiral of negative mental mindset and changes in your brain chemistry. You may also see levels of cortisol (a stress hormone) increase, leading to fat accumulation in your stomach area known as visceral fat.
Resorting to medications to help with depression caused by overweight often exacerbates the problem as a side effect of many antidepressants is weight gain.
One of the most devastating problems that can occur with obesity is diabetes. Those who have a family history of diabetes are well advised to be extra careful about weight gain. Health care providers have even come up with a term for diabetes and weight gain called “diabesity”. The first time I heard that term was from one of my favorite health gurus, Dr. Mark Hyman.
If a high blood sugar level remains uncontrolled, you may also develop kidney failure and blindness – or the necessary amputation of limbs. Diabetes is a major health problem resulting in obesity; it claims too many lives each year!
A shorter lifespan is another result of being overweight. When moving around becomes a problem, other issues set in and health declines. The fact is that excess weight can not only ruin your health, but also cuts years off your life.
Rather than thinking of the aesthetics of losing weight, think about the issues that can occur if you don’t lose those extra pounds. Make a plan now to lose the weight that’s been keeping you from living the life you’re meant to live. Learn to practice “premeditated eating”.
To that end, I want to invite you to check out my newest project for you.
http://TheHealthyEatingClub.com is designed to guide you to a place of better health, both mental and physical through healthier eating. I hope you’ll check it out. It has been created as a vehicle to reach the largest number of people in the shortest amount of time. I am dedicated to sharing how I was successful in transforming my life and my health, both mental and physical. You can read about it here: http://TheHealthyEatingClub.com
Please let me know if you have questions. I am always happy to hear from you. You can email me at: Cheryl@thinstronghealthy.com.
This article was originally published on: https://thinstronghealthy.com/premeditated-eating/
How may I serve you in your quest for optimal mental and physical health?
Cheryl A Major
Cheryl A Major lives in Westford and is a Certified Nutrition and Wellness Consultant. Her TV show, Thin Strong Healthy, airs on WestfordCat and is an offshoot of her blog http://ThinStrongHealthy.com Cheryl offers ongoing information, live and online courses and personal health coaching to help you feel better and be healthier. Follow Cheryl on Twitter @CherylAMajor. She is also a full time residential Realtor with Coldwell Banker with more than 25 years experience.
Cheryl’s book, “Eat Your Blues Away” is available this fall in select Whole Foods Markets!
