Diet: The latest addition to the list of four letter words you shouldn't say around your grandmother Part 2.

I think our biggest fundamental flaw as Americans (next to our lack of awareness born of being on auto pilot way too much of the time) is our tendency to short cut.  We’ve been inculturated to get things done as fast as possible - because time is money.  Out of this impatient impulse grows the false need for faster Internet, faster cars, and faster food.  The part that most fail to realize is that all this speed is paving the road to faster death as well...

So how does this apply to dieting you may ask?  Well, the focus gets shifted from “Hey, let me develop some good habits that will have me looking good and feeling fine,” to “How fast can I lose 20 pounds?”.  Most of you would agree it’s crazy to go on a crash diet and lose 20 pounds, only to regain that weight and more in a couple months.  The crazy thing is that weight loss pills, water diets, and the latest low [carb, fat, salt] food options set us up to do just that.  Who wants to go around eating 100 calorie snack packs for the rest of their lives?  Not me!  

So what’s the way out of this fat rat race?  Well, fortunately for us, you’ve read Diet: The latest addition to the list of four letter words you shouldn't say around your grandmother Part 1 (and if you haven't, stop here, scroll down the page, and read it NOW) and have already craved out an extra hour of time to use on your latest self-improvement project (i.e., your bod!).  Now dig this - the signals your body sends you for more food, water, sleep, and sex are almost identical.  Didn’t know that now did ya?  Fortunately for you, the word almost is key here.  That means that sometimes when you think you’re hungry... (wait for it).... you actually need a nap, and with enough practice you can actually tell the difference!  What have you been trained to do instead?  Reach for a latte or a Red Bull packing more empty calories for your body to find a room for when the Weight Inn is already full so to speak.  

So here’s what you’re going to do with your new-found free time:  Next time you get ready to grab some grub, your going to get still, close your eyes, put your hand on your stomach, take a big belly breath, and ask yourself “What does my body really need right now?”.  Stay this way for 15 seconds.  Don’t be discouraged if you don’t get any clear answers for the first week or so of doing this self-awareness project - with enough practice, you’ll blow yourself away with the new “cravings” that show up.  In Diet: The latest addition to the list of four letter words you shouldn't say around your grandmother Part 3, we’ll go into some strategies for how to meet these "new" needs.