7 Secrets of Thinness

By Claudia Wilson

Before anyone comes unglued, I’m not preaching a bias towards being thin.  But a title such as, “Secrets of The Appropriate Weight for Height” just doesn’t have the same allure.  Nor does, “Secrets of The Reasonably Healthy, Fit, and Just Right Weight”.

Okay, so just hear me out.  I’m talking about the habits of people who don’t seem to go up and down and weight continually and they manage to keep their weight within a healthy range (and a range that they’re comfortable with) for a long period of time.  They also don’t seem super preoccupied or stressed about it; HINT, HINT.  Here’s the do’s and don’ts of habits if you want to join them.

Don’t Diet

Meaning don’t engage in all or nothing behavior.  Don’t seek a quick fix, crash course for feeling better.  Yes, research shows that leaner people drink more water and eat more fruits and vegetables, along with fiber, but it’s nothing too extreme.

Exercise/Move

Exercise does SO MUCH MORE than burn calories.  It’s biggest benefit is probably mental.  Exercise takes stress down and takes happiness up.  We just have a better outlook on everything, which leads us to feel more motivated and capable of achieving the health and life we want.  There’s so many options these days: gyms, classes, online programs, DVDs.

Don’t Solve Feelings With Food

Sure it really sucks to feel sad, lonely, rejected, angry but eating on top of those feelings doesn’t wipe them out.  They’re still there when the food disappears.  What’s added on top now is how you feel about what you ate.  Instead try talking to someone, writing out your feelings, watching a movie, go for a walk.  It’s important not to cover up what’s really going on.

Stop Eating

When you realize you’re full that is.  Any time you push past fullness and keep eating, regardless of what it is, you increase potential for your body to store it.  When you go past what your body can use there’s nothing else for it to do but store it. And it stores it as extra weight.  Besides, it doesn’t feel good and energizing to feel uncomfortably full.

Stock Healthy Options

I’m not saying you’re ONLY going to have healthy foods, of course you’re going to have treats.  But if you surround yourself with loads of healthy options, plus a few treats, there’s likely to be a balance.  The more varied options you have around, the more it feels like a choice instead of a trap.

Allow Treats

Instead of spending days trying to avoid the fact that you are craving chocolate, it’s better to allow a reasonable amount in the early stages of the craving.  In THE ONE-TWO PUNCH if you knew you wanted chocolate, you could have a meal with your choice of protein and maybe lots of veggies and then include __________ insert chocolate treat of your choice. If you try to resist and avoid the craving it tends to build and become larger.  After waiting so long, it’s hard to be satisfied with just one serving of __________ , and instead you need 10!

Don’t Skip Hunger

It’s better to pay attention to the subtle ways your body is telling you it needs fuel.  Remember it comes on gradually.  If you ignore your signals of hunger thinking that it’s no big deal you’ll likely get so desperately hungry, that you’ll eat anything, eat it quickly, and eat too much of it.

THE ONE-TWO PUNCH employs all of the strategies (secrets) to help you BECOME the YOU you’ve always wanted!