How to Get Back on Track
In my past life, holidays were often an excuse to throw my diet goals out the window. I call them diet goals, because that's what they were - goals for dieting and for weight loss. Perpetually having strict diet goals lead me to a feast or famine mindset. I was either "on a diet" and "being good,” or I was on a break (holiday, vacation, etc), and the gloves were off. A single celebration day led to a celebration weekend, or a celebration week, or even an entire celebration season spanning from Thanksgiving to New Years. I'm sure I'm not alone in this. When you know deprivation is coming, it's completely natural to want to extend periods of indulgence.
Eventually, when the time of indulgence was over, I would lock into a dieting stance so restrictive that my body would go into panic mode. I'd skip meals, have tiny portions, count calories, or eat no fat or carbs. I felt deprived, tired, grouchy, and just damn hungry. This yo-yo dieting pattern is so common, it's practically a national pastime.
When I changed from having a diet mindset to having a wellness mindset, I was finally able to step away from this feast or famine eating cycle. Now, when I have had a day of overindulgence, like yesterday, my goal is to return to optimizing my nutrition as quickly as possible. What is truly amazing, is that when I focus on eating for optimal nutrition, any weight I might have gained during a period of indulgence naturally falls off. This happens not because I am restricting my portion sizes or skipping meals, but rather because I am focusing on cramming in as many real whole foods into my diet as possible. As these foods are naturally low in caloric density, I can eat a large volume of delicious food, so I don't feel deprived. As they are naturally high in nutrient density, my body gets flooded with phytonutrients, vitamins, minerals, and plant fiber, so I have energy and my body doesn’t feel panicked about the ensuing famine ahead. Optimizing my nutrition by eating an abundance of real whole plant foods has allowed me to walk away from feasting and famine for good.
When I woke up this morning, my thought was not, "How little can I eat today to compensate for yesterday’s indulgence?" Instead, it was, "How many different plants can I eat as quickly as possible to feel my best again?" For me, this change from diet focus to health focus has been a huge mindset shift, and it has changed everything, including how my body looks. Who knew that focusing on optimizing health would finally be the thing that would let me lose the extra pounds?! It's amazing what a plant-centered diet can do.
So, dear friends, I humbly encourage you, as we come off this holiday weekend, to focus on your wellness goals rather than your diet goals. If your goal is to be as healthy as possible, eating an abundance of whole plant foods is your best route. And, if you eat an abundance of whole plant foods, you will feel fabulous, and your weight will naturally stabilize.
These were my first two “Get Back on Track” meals after yesterday’s holiday.
Breakfast above was a Thai-inspired rice salad with edamame and peanut sauce, and a side of fruit. This golden beet and hummus salad with pea shoots and roasted chickpeas was my lunch. Combined, they included a total of 23 different whole plant foods. Brimming with color, texture, flavor, nutrition, and ample volume, foods like these are the foundation of my wellness, no deprivation required.
With love and solidarity,
🌱💕