The Nourished Body pt 1: The diet merry-go-round
Here’s a little secret about NOURISHED fat loss…we are making it TOO COMPLICATED.
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The general consensus is that we just need to do MORE.
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Exercise more.
Diet more.
Have more willpower.
Suffer more.
Lose MORE.
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This mindset is setting us up for failure, not to mention completely depleted health. When the single goal is to SHRINK, all other health markers cease to be considered.
Here’s the cycle:
Severely diet and exercise —>
Lose weight (not just fat, but muscle, water, and minerals too!) but also increase our stress hormones —>
Which damages our metabolism —>
Causing us to gain weight easier when we got back to eating enough food (bc we can’t sustain severe restriction for long) —>
Which means we will go back on said severe diet and exercise regimen —>
Thus further imbalancing our hormones and damaging our metabolism.
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It’s pretty bleak and honestly, MOST women are stuck in this roundabout and we aren’t given any clear options for getting off! In comes the shame for not having more willpower, in comes the binge sessions because we are depriving our bodies of vital nutrients, in comes the hopeless feeling of being at war with our bodies.
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Let me give you another way. Instead of focusing ALL our powerful feminine energy on shrinking, what if we focused on THRIVING. Eating to nourish our bodies to the fullest, moving to get stronger, gaining vibrance and gumption rather than losing weight. The funny thing is that this will actually work BETTER in the long run to get your body in a happy place all around.
Your body will feel nourished and cared for —>
Your stress hormones chill out and create a safe environment in your body —>
Your body no longer needs like it needs to prepare for a famine (by storing FAT) —>
You can eat and move without the goal of depriving and your body will use the energy appropriately —>
Your body will recomposition into a healthy ratio of fat and muscle —>
You’ve found your happy body!
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This is a looooong game which is pretty unpopular these days. Everyone wants the 30 day beach bod, but I think the reason we want fast results is because we think the process to get there has to be torture. No one wants to be tortured for slow results, but we can do anything for 30 days right?! Well, the body keeps the score friends. Many women in their 50’s have been on the diet merry-go-round for so long that their bodies are incapable of maintain a happy weight on a normal number of calories, this is the body on a damaged metabolism. If we all started on this path from the beginning it would be an easier road friends, but it’s never too late to heal. Start with the foundations and watch your body relax and feel safe. That is when the true changes come!
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Read part 2 here!
