NOTES: "The Best Life Diet" by Bob Greene

THE BEST LIFE DIET by Bob Greene

Disclaimer: I know this is a *diet* book, but I thought some of what it had to say was relevant for our Intuitive Eating journey, and those are the parts I'm sharing with you here. :o)

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p.xvii - "What kind of life do you want, and how close are you to living it?" - Oprah (in the introduction)

** Approach a challenge step-by-step, and success will come. **

p.3 - "...the fast and furious approach to weight loss is also the fastest route to FAILURE."

- "...your body ~ and your mind ~ both have a powerful ability to adapt to change when it comes at you in measured amounts... lasting change just takes time."

For example: Athletes train gradually ~ they don't go from running 2 miles one day, to 26 miles the next. They built up to it.

p.17-18 - "Weighing yourself too often in the beginning of any program can really wreak havoc with your emotions because, chances are, your weight will go up and down as your body adjusts to your new eating and activity patterns. The frustration that comes from watching these fluctuations causes many people to quit before they see real results...
Weigh yourself on the first day...then step off of the scale and stay off of it for four (4) weeks. No good can come from watching the numbers at this stage...how your clothes fit is a better indicator of what's really going on than the scale."

p.22-23 - "...weight loss alone cannot make you happy. Sure, losing weight will boost your confidence and self-esteem for a short time, but real joy is only going to come to you if you clear up the issues in your life that send you running to the refrigerator."

Three Questions:
1) Why are you overweight?
--> dig deep; no "surface answers" (like "I have to eat out a lot for business"; "My family/spouse isn't supportive"; "The holidays always trip me up")
--> be TRULY HONEST with yourself

2) Why do you want to lose weight?
--> "I want to look better" is another "surface answer"; dig deeper!
--> WHY do you want to look better?

3) Why have you been unable to maintain weight-loss in the past?
--> negative beliefs in the back of your mind?
--> any self-fulfilling prophecies? (subconsciously believing you'll never succeed)

p.75 - "...your brain is getting a variety of different signals from your body, urging you to eat. One of these signals comes from a hormone called GHRELIN, which is produced when your stomach empties."

p.76 - "Further input is received by a hormone called LEPTIN. Leptin clues your brain into how much body fat you're carrying; if it's high enough, it contributes to the symphony of messages telling you that you can leave the dinner table."

p.82 - "Scientists are finding that lack of sleep disrupts the balance of ghrelin and leptin -- the hunger On/Off switches -- and that people who are sleep-deprived have increased appetites."

p.84 - "By not doing what's best for yourself, you aren't doing you and your family and friends any favors, either. To be happy & the kind of person others want to be around, you need to attend to your own well-being."

p.85-86 - "...don't wait until you resolve everything in your life perfectly before allowing yourself to take pleasure in your accomplishments...Allow yourself to take satisfaction in your efforts every day that you take another small step toward improving your well-being. Each of those small steps is going to get you closer to your goal, and being able to feel good about the direction you're going in is going to motivate you to stick with it until you reach the end."

HUNGER SCALE

10 - STUFFED: so full that you feel nauseous
9 - VERY UNCOMFORTABLY FULL:
you need to loosen your clothes
8 - UNCOMFORTABLY FULL: you feel bloated
7 - FULL: you feel a little bit uncomfortable
6 - PERFECTLY COMFORTABLE: you feel satisfied
5 - COMFORTABLE: you're more/less satisfied,
but could eat a little more
4 - SLIGHTLY UNCOMFORTABLE: you're just
beginning to feel signs of hunger
3 - UNCOMFORTABLE: stomach is rumbling
2 - VERY UNCOMFORTABLE: you feel irritable
& unable to concentrate
1 - WEAK & LIGHT-HEADED: your stomach acid is churning


** Begin eating when you're at a 3 or 4
** Stop at 5, if you're trying to lose weight
** Stop at 6, if you're wanting to maintain your weight

** Learn to PAUSE --> stop after your first helping of food, and gauge where you are on the hunger scale. Get up and do something. (It takes 20 minutes for your stomach to signal your brain that you've had enough to eat).

p.152 - "Focus on the good things that happen in your life each day, rather than the bad. What went right today? What things did you do to benefit yourself?"

p.153 - "...take pleasure in persevering; that's what separates those people who keep pushing forward from those who throw in the towel."

- "Perseverance is born out of affirming each small accomplishment along the way to a larger goal. That's what's going to help you develop the optimism you need to succeed."