Your Sunday Diet Sermon from CB (good news)

On Tuesday morning, as I sat at the kitchen table out on the farm and prepared for a week of travel, first to Toronto and then to Denver, I thought of you…

I read my Daily Guiding Documents, a series of inspirational quotes and rules for living. They are like scripture to me, and not a day goes by that I don’t spend 10 minutes in reflection reading the advice of my mentors.

One quote inspired me to write to you. It said:

“The source of lasting happiness can never come from outside yourself through consuming values – but only from within yourself by creating value. Producing more than you consume is the only justification for existence.” – Kekich Credo #88

I translated that for YOU to your weight loss and nutrition program. Here’s your Sunday Morning Diet Sermon and GOOD News from ol’ CB…

Dear TT Reader,

True happiness and satisfaction can only come from within. It doesn’t come from a bag or a box, a store, a car, a restaurant or on TV.

Therefore, we must replace ‘living to eat’ with something else more meaningful in our life. We must overcome eating out of boredom or eating to satisfy other unmet desires.

How do you do this?

I want you to start using a food journal to document what you eat, why you eat, where you eat, who drives you to eat, and how you feel after you eat.

Are you familiar with the scientific method? You change a variable, observe the consequences, and you make a connection between Variable A and Result X. You establish cause-and-effect. This is one of the powerful mental shifts you can make in your life.

For example, when I was younger, about 25, I’d sleep in until 10am on Saturdays and Sundays, go to brunch with my girlfriend, have lots of simple carbohydrates – including orange juice and pancakes – and then go back to our apartment with a sore back and feeling sleepy and ready for a nap.

I realized that spending an extra 2 hours in bed, sleeping in a bad position, was giving me back pain, and that the orange juice was like taking an Ambien. I made changes. No more juice, fewer carbohydrates at breakfast, and sticking to my regular wake up time.

The changes to those variables caused the desired effects – no more fatigue, no more pain.

Apply the scientific method to your life today. Observe your life. Identify why things happen to you and around you. Then make the changes you need to make to get the results you want to achieve.

Learn from your mistakes, apply the lessons, make the right changes, implement new habits to replace habits that do not serve you and your goals, and always start your day with the best meal possible, full of protein, fiber, and fresh fruits and vegetables.

There are many studies to support this, the most recent being from Journal of Nutrition showing that a higher intake of fruit is associated with a lower risk of becoming overweight.

Here’s a secret tip. Start your day with my secret weapon. It’s a simple drink packed with protein that will help you lose weight and feel great all day long.

Go here to get my secret nutrition weapon and to have more daily energy

Once you’ve started the day right, my friend Bill Phillips, author of Body for Life, said, you are more likely to stick to your plan. “If you don’t start your day with a good breakfast,” Bill said, “it sets a poor precedent. Your mind starts down that dreaded path of, ‘Oh well, I’ve already blown it, I may as well keep eating whatever I want.”

Make that first meal count. But if you are just too busy or not hungry in the morning, you should at least use this protein drink.

Over the rest of the day, you’ll get the best weight loss results when you stick to whole, natural foods, or what people call the Paleo Diet. New research from Dr. Andreas Stomby in Sweden, published in the International Journal of Obesity, found that post-menopausal women lose the most weight on a Paleo diet. This is a diet that I follow, relatively enjoyably and easily, too.

But however you choose to eat, please remember this:

Stay positive, look at every day and every meal as a learning experience…and become the best “student of yourself” that you can.

Find out what works for you, and what doesn’t. Then do more of what does, and avoid those situations that tempt you into the wrong decisions. Be proud about what you want to achieve, and communicate clearly about what you must do to get there.

Of course, we all make mistakes and temptation gets to us all. But look at every stumble as the greatest gift…a learning experience to become better.

You can change and achieve your goals. I believe in you. Your time is now.

Start by making small changes. The easiest ones are how you start your day. Make your first meal count.

Stay strong and committed, and enjoy treats on an occasional basis. Know what is right for you, and make the right decisions for your right life.

You can – and WILL – do this.

Amen.

Let me know how it goes and how I can help,

Craig Ballantyne, CTT
Certified Turbulence Trainer

PS – And never forget these wise words from one of my greatest mentors…

“Wag your tail, love your friends, bark at the moon, give lots of kisses, play a lot, chase cats, eat what you love when you need it, and always see if you can get away with sleeping up on the bed.” – Bally the Dog, Certified Philosopher

That’s how to live life to the fullest!