DIET OR LIFESTYLE? WHY ARE WE ALWAYS LOOKING FOR THE “SECRET” TO LOSING WEIGHT?

MY HUSBAND, ORLANDO, HAS LOST 45LBS IN 6 MONTHS. PROBABLY ON A DAILY BASIS HE GETS ASKED THE QUESTION “HOW DID YOU DO IT?” OR “WHAT’S THE SECRET?”

THE TRUTH IS THAT THE WAY HE EATS SHOULD NOT BE A SECRET. IT SHOULDN’T BE COMPLICATED. IT SHOULDN’T REQUIRE DIET PILLS OR MAGIC POTIONS. IT SHOULDN’T COST HUNDREDS OR THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS IN A “DIET SYSTEM”

SO I DECIDED TO SHARE WITH YOU HOW MY HUSBAND’S MIRACULOUS WEIGHTLOSS STARTED.

ON JULY 19TH, 2011 MY LIFE CHANGED FOREVER. A FEW WEEKS BEFORE, A PERSON VERY NEAR AND DEAR TO MY HEART HAD BEEN DIAGNOSED WITH CANCER. LOOKING AT MY GENETIC BACKGROUND, I WAS CONFRONTED WITH THE REALITY THAT CANCER RUNS IN MY FAMILY, ON BOTH MATERNAL AND PATERNAL SIDES. THIS REALIZATION MADE ME FEEL UNCOMFORTABLE AND POWERLESS.

ON JULY 19TH, I MET A DOCTOR FROM THE “ANTI-AGING WORLD” WHO WAS AT ONE OF THE CONFERENCES MY FATHER ATTENDS AS PART OF HIS PROFESSION. I HAD THE FORTUNE TO SIT AND SPEAK WITH HIM ABOUT CANCER AND FOOD AND THE BELIEF THAT THE TWO ARE LINKED. I CONFESSED THAT I DIDN’T EAT VERY HEALTHY…BUT THEN AGAIN, I DIDN’T HAVE TO BECAUSE I WAS GENETICALLY THIN. I COULD EAT 15 CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES IN ONE SITTING AND STAY THE SAME WEIGHT! HE TOLD ME SOMETHING THAT STRUCK A NERVE…HE SAID, YOU MIGHT BE THIN NOW, CAROLINE, BUT WHEN YOU TURN 40 YOUR METABOLISM WILL CHANGE. YOU WILL DEVELOP A BELLY AND YOUR BODY WILL NOT BE ABLE TO KEEP UP WITH YOUR EATING HABITS.

THAT DAY I MADE A DECISION. I DON’T KNOW FOR CERTAIN THAT CANCER AND FOOD ARE LINKED BUT THE CONCEPT MAKES SENSE IN MY HEAD. IN A WORLD WHERE EVERYTHING IS PROCESSED, OBESITY IS ON THE RISE, INACTIVITY AND STRESS ARE COMMON EVEN FOR OUR CHILDREN…AND EVERYONE IS GETTING SICK, KIDS AND BABIES INCLUDED…I CAN’T HELP BUT THINK THAT OUR LIFESTYLES ARE KILLING US.

SO ON THAT DAY, I CAME HOME AND TOLD MY HUSBAND THAT I WAS ELIMINATING SUGAR FROM MY DIET. SUGAR, BECAUSE THE DOCTOR TOLD ME THAT IT WAS OUR BIGGEST ENEMY. MY HUSBAND SAID OK AND KIND OF BRUSHED ME OFF, BUT I WAS COMMITTED TO MAKING A CHANGE. THERE BEGAN THE JOURNEY I’M CURRENTLY ON OF EATING DIFFERENTLY, EDUCATING MYSELF ABOUT FOOD AND HOW IT AFFECTS OUR LIVES, AND LOOKING FOR SYSTEMS THAT WORK FOR MY FAMILY.

IT WASN’T UNTIL JANUARY, 2012 THAT MY HUSBAND FINALLY DECIDED TO START APPLYING MY PRINCIPLES TO HIS OWN LIFE. TODAY HE IS A DIFFERENT MAN…WE ARE A DIFFERENT FAMILY…AND WE LOVE IT!

WHAT ARE YOUR MOTIVES?

IT WAS ONLY WHEN I MADE THE CONNECTION THAT THE WAY I EAT CAN HAVE A DIRECT IMPACT ON MY MOOD, MY WEIGHT, AND MY FUTURE HEALTH THAT I WAS ABLE TO ADOPT A CHANGE OF LIFESTYLE THAT IS SUSTAINABLE. MY HUSBAND DID ALL SORTS OF DIETS FOR THE LAST 6 YEARS OF OUR RELATIONSHIP AND WOULD NEVER LOSE ENOUGH WEIGHT, WOULD GET FRUSTRATED OR BORED AND GO BACK TO HIS OLD WAYS, WOULD REGAIN THE WEIGHT…AND THEN START ALL OVER. IT WAS  A VICIOUS CYCLE. HE FINALLY STARTED APPROACHING FOOD WITH A DIFFERENT PARADIGM. WHEN HE STOPPED TRYING TO LOSE THE WEIGHT IN 3 MONTHS AND STARTED TRYING TO NOURISH HIS BODY WITH THE PROPER VITAMINS, MINERALS, AND ENZYMES THAT GOOD FOOD OFFERS …THE POUNDS BEGAN TO SHED NATURALLY. THE TRANSFORMATION IS INCREDIBLE!

THIS BLOG IS NOT INTENDED FOR SHEDDING 10LBS BEFORE SUMMER, OR DOING A CRASH DIET FOR 3 MONTHS…THIS BLOG IS INTENDED TO SHARE THINGS I HAVE LEARNED ALONG THE WAY TO CHANGE THE WAY MY FAMILY EATS…AND HOPEFULLY CAN HELP YOU CHANGE THE WAY YOU AND YOUR FAMILY EAT. LITTLE CHANGES MAKE BIG DIFFERENCES SO DON’T BE AFRAID TO START SLOWLY. THIS IS A “LIFE” CHANGE…NOT A DIET. WE ARE STILL LEARNING AND CHANGING. HOPE YOU WILL JOIN US FOR THE RIDE.