Want to try something exciting? Try to get healthier. Try now. Start today.
In order to start you have to ask yourself the following questions. Be honest and contemplate your responses. Be sure you are being honest. It will help, I promise.
So, lets go.
Just Do It – Starting on the Path to Wellness
What would you give up now to be healthier in the future? Would you stop eating so many desserts if you knew it would pay off?
Discipline is so much easier when the pay off is guaranteed. How can we make it guaranteed? The first step is to choose a goal that fits your biggest desire. So, let’s choose one.
Choosing a weight loss goal
When it comes to choosing a goal I usually like to speak with my patients about a few different metrics and review what they mean.
The first is standard weight. Is it 10lbs or 20? Should we go based on BMI or subjective feeling. It depends.
If you know when you felt your best start there. If not, it’s Body Mass Index. “But, I heard that wasn’t accurate” they say. Completely agree, if you are a bodybuilder. Which we aren’t.
With a normal amount of muscle mass this is a very helpful metric. It is helpful because if you are in the normal BMI category your risk of chronic disease is less than those of the overweight or obese category.
Go to an online BMI calculator and figure out what weight you need to be to be healthy. That is your goal.
The next choice is waist-hip ratio. This is an important metric. This allows you to quantify how that feeling of your clothes fitting better is actually evolving. Often when the scale doesn’t change this does.
Healthiest outcomes occur when women are less than 0.85 and men less than 0.9 (simply divide waist and hip using the same units).
Finally, relative fat mass is an excellent measurement. Message me for this one (or sign up to the DAMY Lean). This is a metric you can calculate using your waist and height. It tracks body fat % accurately.
Now that you have a tracking device only assess it one to two times per week. Don’t overdo it. Focus on it and go for it.
Choosing what to give up
After we have a goal we need a plan to get there. I’m here to suggest that not eating before bed is an important habit change we can all make that provides a ton of benefit. Even if your weight doesn’t go down the health benefits will be there.
You could also cut carbs, move more or actively reduce your stress. What do you think?
This is so personal. I recommend having a coach help you decide.
This really should be something nutritional. If you are overweight it is highly likely that you are overeating and need to reduce. That is okay. Do not worry about it. Often something external is contributing to the overeating.
Here at DAMY we are obsessed with the holistic approach. We know weight loss is not only calories in versus calories out. At DAMY we think about stress, hormones, digestion, inflammation and sleep. Our approach looks at genetics and macronutrients while still trying to keep it simple.
In this category we should start with diet. We should cut something. It might be a grain in the evening, saturated fat, alcohol, etc. Anything contributing to the maintenance of weight.
If you are looking for someone to tell you what to do here is a good example to follow: Fast for 13 hours every night. Do this for 6 months. Don’t judge your efforts. Just avoid food every night.
Choosing a technique to maintain discipline
Now that you have a goal and something to cut how are you going to keep it up? You are just going to do it. You are going to do it every day.
Do you want the evidence that it works?
The issue here is that moving the scale down a few pounds takes weeks. Your metabolic set point needs to change. In other words your body needs to get used to not having the fuel to maintain your current weight. It can hold on for a few weeks. Then weight starts coming off.
Stick with it.
Now, you are fasting nightly. This is called discipline. You have it within you. You can do this.
Let the success of this habit forming practice bleed into other activities. Start moving your body every day. Eat more veggies and less grains. Stop emotional eating. Apply your rule daily – 13 hr fast (or whatever you choose).
Here is the technique to use to maintain this life choice – just do it. There is nothing to lose. If you simply fast at night or take your carbs down a bit or exercise a bit more or whatever it is… keep it up. Do it daily. Try 6 months.
Thank you for reading this all the way through. I think you are going to do it. Be sure to follow through and hold yourself accountable – start now.
Dr. David Duizer ND
