Inspiration from Margaret Cho

I read this blog post some time ago but came across it again today. And it rocks. If you don’t like the word “fuck”, this isn’t for you. Everyone else, please read it. Now. In it, Margaret Cho unveiled the secret to her weight loss success. It boils down to (emphasis mine):

“I never eat leftovers. I never take anything home. I never eat anything that doesn’t taste heavenly. I never eat when I am not hungry. I never let myself get too hungry. I never deny myself a fucking thing because I have denied myself enough for 1000 lifetimes and there is no more denial for me in the way that I live. I deserve all the mozzarella sticks, all the fucking chocolate, all the fucking pizza, all the chicken a’la king, and I deserve to leave what I don’t finish on the plate.

So there you go. Big secret diet. Love. Love and the audacity to actually waste food.”

I’m working on it, Margaret!

The Big Fat Lie Project

Since starting on the Intuitive Eating (IE) path, I have struggled to find a balance between honoring my health and resisting the diet mentality. One of the first stages of IE is to make peace with food, which I did with gusto. However, the resulting weight gain (felt, not measured – I do not use a scale anymore) and frequent heartburn have not been welcome. I am resisting any pull to just go on another diet to “fix” things, though. I have to find another way to come to terms with my body, my eating habits, and my activity level.

I want to incorporate more whole foods into my diet. I want to keep active. I want to do these things so that I feel better, not to lose weight. I am clear in this intention. As a result, I’ve decided to join a study that is working to highlight the benefits of IE coupled with eating whole foods and doing resistance training. The goals of the study and much more information about it is available at The Big Fat Lie, our group blog for the project.

I am excited to get started on this two year project. I hope that my participation will help support me on my road to a healthy relationship with food and my body. I’m also thrilled to be a part of something that will bring IE and its benefits to light. I hope that this study will show the world a long term, sustainable alternative to dieting.

How to Build Your Own Fat Loss Program

It's confusing to follow all of the experts out there when it comes to fat loss. Let the Fit Rebel show you the key elements in building a program that best suites your needs.

Instructions
Step 1

Look to cut back on calories you probably won't miss. Most of these calories come from liquids such as sodas and alcohol. Other sources for these calories are snack foods like chips and cookies. They key is to find the foods that don't contribute much to your body so you won't feel hungry cutting back on them.


Step 2
Start looking for ways to burn as many calories as possible. The fat on your body is just like fuel in your gas tank, you can alter what's coming in (your diet) as much as you want, but the bottom line is that you have fuel you want to burn. So think outside your workout. Drive as little as possible and sit as little as possible. It's much more effective and easier to burn more calories through the day rather than in just a workout at the end of the day.

Step 3
Ramp up that energy! Your energy is your metabolism. If you energy is up then so is your metabolism. Some common things that boost your energy is to 1) Get a good nights sleep. 2) Eat meals that have a good balance between fat protein and carbohydrates and 3) Keep your body moving.


Step 4
Enlist in a simple strength program. The experts are in debate over just how and why a strength program might aid weight loss, however it's a good bet that a simple program done 3-4 times a week will help bring about muscle tone, prevent injury and last I checked strong is better than week any day.

Tips & Warnings
• It's important to realize that you don't need any special program or formula to burn off fat. Your body is always burning fat and calories! The key is to simply burn off more than you currently are while cutting back on the intake that is keeping the fat stores on your body replenished.

• Be sure to check with your doctor before starting any new exercise program.

• Don't make things more complex than they need to be. The most simple actions (going for an evening walk, cutting back on junk foods or taking the stairs at work) are often the most effective.

• Fat loss is not a fast process. Be sure that whatever steps you take are ones you are comfortable with for a long time. Anything you do that you couldn't keep doing a month or two from now is probably not going to work in the long term no matter how great the short term results are.

By Matt Schifferle
eHow Community Member