Whatever I want?!? And I'll LOSE weight?!?
Yes, it's true, and it's called INTUITIVE EATING. People all over the world have been doing this, many without realizing it. The idea is to keep your metabolism running 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. This way you are constantly converting calories to energy and burning them off. Exercise helps, but you don't need an intense "as seen on tv" workout program. Just try taking a walk instead of driving two blocks to the grocery store. Try jogging on lunch break, help a friend move next time instead of making an excuse. But how does the diet work? There are a few simple rules;
Portion Size
With Intuitive Eating, we wont be eating 3 meals a day at structured times. In fact, this is a big reason for weight gain. People sit down for a big heavy meal followed by dessert. Then they watch tv for a couple of hours, or surf the internet, and all those calories just sit there. We are going to eat smaller portions, all day long!!! When you are hungry, don't eat until you are stuffed and hate yourself. Just munch on something until the cravings go away.
Feed The Hunger!!!
When you are hungry, don't wait to eat. Your body is ready to convert calories to energy and burn the fat!!! Try to bring a few snacks to work with you, or when you're on the road. Don't fight your cravings, feed them!
Variety
You can't eat Doritos or Oreos all day, every day. Eventually you will die from lack of nutrition. Eat your Doritos, then next time some veggies with Ranch or Onion dip. Maybe next time some Wheat Thins or a ham sandwich. Try alternating between soda, milk, and water. Make sure you have all your food groups covered throughout the day, and plenty of protein. Try to include some mixed nuts or imitation crab for mono-unsaturated fats and amino acids.
The Bedtime Snack
This is the most important snack of the day. Your metabolism WILL slow a bit when you're sleeping, even on this diet. So make your bedtime snack a healthy one. Veggies are good, trail mix is even better. Make sure it's low in saturated fats and high in fiber. Drink a glass of water or lowfat milk. A bowl of cereal is another good option, something higher in fiber like Frosted Wheats or Life.
There are thousands of articles on this diet from health and diet professionals, I don't want to single any one article out with a reference here, but a simple Google search for Intuitive Eating will provide a wealth of information on the subject. Happy Eating!
