Here’s an email I think several will relate to:

” Dear Debbie,

I can’t seem to stick to a Real Whole Foods Diet for more than 5 days, I just get so hungry, and my favorite foods aren’t the Real Whole Foods you talk about.  I don’t want to eat raw eggs and cream also grosses me out.  But I need to lose weight and I’ve tried several other diets.  I just got diagnosed as Pre-Diabetic, and because of your blog, I know enough to be worried.  Any advice?”

YES I have advice!!!  It’s all about your Mindset, and your Mindset allows you to either be Consistent (no matter what), or “be good”/”be bad” ( the Diet Rollercoaster – because you’ll make up for what you ate later…..).

When consistency is difficult, work on your MIND.  Fill it with facts and information about Biology Based Nutrition:  excess carbs ALWAYS get turned into Triglycerides; fried foods from restaurants use RANCID oils that cause disease and weight gain; people who drink Skim Milk are HEAVIER than people who drink Whole; Insulin from carbohydrates and Trans Fats from junk food and restaurant food DESTROY arteries and my body has to build plaque to fix it; excess glucose and insulin have Mood Destroying Effects; if I eat ________, I’ll have gas/bloat/refulx – and that’s not normal and it’s causing damage to my gut; if I stop at Starbucks and get the candy coffee and the sweet (lowfat?) treat, I’m causing a MAJOR glucose/insulin rise. If I add MORE good FATS to my meal, I’ll stay Fuller LONGER and have more willpower to skip the snacks.  ETC ETC ETC.

Here’s a good one to meditate on:  there’s NO fixing a day or two of damage that happens every single week or worse, every few days.  You Have to get off the Diet Rollercoaster, and you can only do that by working on the Mindset that gives you permission to put junk in your body (because you’re going to atone for it later) and learning to be scared/leery/wary/anxious about the HEALTH effects of processed/refined sugar/flour/chemical foods.

Worrying about your Weight is NEVER EVER enough to keep you on the straight and narrow, ever.  If it was, 95-99% of all people who lose weight on a “diet”, wouldn’t GAIN IT ALL BACK.  Focus on what happens to your body from the food you put in your mouth, and if you have kids, think about what their food is doing to their body.

Our Mood, our weight, our health, they’re all the result of the ACCUMULATION of actions we do every single day.  Being “pretty good” half the week or most of the week can lead to “pretty bad” health, weight, and moods.  Next time you drink that diet coke, eat the McDonalds french fries, have half the box of carby cereal, run through the list of what those foods/chemicals/carbs/trans fats are doing to your body; it’s not a pretty picture.

Focus on Real Whole Foods:  clean meats, healthy fats, tons of vegetables, some fruits, some nuts and seeds, some beans, some good dairy (if you tolerate it).  Practice going hours between meals to allow Insulin to cease (fat storing hormone), and Glucagon to work (fat burning hormone).  Recognize food for the power that it holds over you, and the power that it has to change you.

And to the person who wrote this email:  you’re on the Right Track – because you’ve made the connection between the Diet Roller Coaster, your pre-diabetes, and eating Real Whole Food for more than 5 days!!  That’s a GOOD thing – so don’t be upset with yourself! The mindset that will get you health and at a good weight sounds like it’s developing.  Be patient with yourself and just keep working on it.  Rome wasn’t built in a day and you want PERMANENT change here, right?

Here’s where I’d focus:  keep reading this blog and links to other blogs that talk about the BIOLOGY of your food and your body.  Stay away from Diet/Low Cal/Exercise a Ton examples of weight loss, as a matter of fact, TRY TO NOT EVEN THINK ABOUT WEIGHT LOSS, just focus on your health and your mood.  Put sticky notes with positive reminders (‘my health matters’  ‘I want to feel good all the time’  ‘consistency matters’ ..)   all over the place (mirror, bedside lamp, computer, car, desk,…) .  What are your favorite foods?  Find the corresponding REAL whole food recipes (PaleoOMG, CivilizedCavemanCooking, StupidEasyPaleo) and PLAN a time to shop/chop/cook/pack (after it becomes Normal, it’s not an Effort).  Write a list of your health conditions (include mood)  and what foods can help improve them.  Commit to your Health, and Weight Loss will be a SideEffect – I promise.