The Fat Lies

We all know we should be eating healthier foods and getting more exercise. Some people honestly do not understand the concept of less processed food. What does that mean, really?

We banter words around like 'eating clean' and 'processed food', but how can you tell?

The short answer is, if you read ingredients on a package and you don't know what it is or can't pronounce it, don't eat it. It is best said in the words of Jack LaLanne, "If God didn't make it, don't eat it."

Most of the time, I don't bother with the lies. Most of the time I can honestly say, I'm just too lazy to do the work. But, I can't look into the mirror when I say it.

So which lie do you tell yourself so that you may continue down the unhealthy path of being overweight, eating junky, altered food and not exercising? Do you have more than one favorite lie?

Here are the top ten lies I think we have all used at one time or another.

I gain weight no matter what I eat.

Have you truly convinced yourself that you eat healthy foods and still gain weight? If this is true, you aren't moving enough. The fact is your body uses the fuel you put into it. It can either use it to grow or use it to move. The choice is really yours. Can you look in the mirror when you say this?

I'm big boned.

Are you sure? What did you do to determine that? Did your doctor say so? Take this simple test, wrap your middle finger and thumb around your wrist. Can the fingertip touch? Do the fingertips overlap?

If you can rest your thumb on top of the nail of your middle finger then you are lying to yourself. It is time to examine your eating habits and begin to move more than you are.

I don't eat that much.

There are two aspects of this lie. Do you slip away from friends, family or co-workers to sneak in an extra snack of unhealthy foods? Maybe you creep out of bed in the middle of the night for some cookies and milk.

Another aspect of this lie is that it is true. You don't eat that much, but the food you eat is so processed that you don't take away enough nutrients. This leaves your body in a state of panic. It actually believes you are starving and begins to stockpile fat to store for the famine.

It is time to eat cleaner, fresher foods. Add as many raw fruits and vegetables to your diet as you can. Buy a juicer and start making fresh delicious juices to drink to your healthy hearts content. Trade those cookies in for an apple or banana or even a red ripe tomato.

It costs too much to eat low fat/low calorie food.

This lie is close to my heart and has often been on my lips. When I told my friend about my plan to write this article and mentioned this lie, she said, "Oh yeah, that's a good one. I tell myself $2.75 is too high for fresh fruit, and then go spend $5.00 on ice cream."

While I had not considered this, I know in my heart that it is true. So thank you my friend for putting this lie into perspective for me.

These days everything is high. It is just a matter of priorities and shopping wisely.

I have to sit so much for work and don't have time to exercise.

Sitting is exhausting. It drains your energy body, mind and soul. The truth is we are all busy. We are all tired. The desk job has done more to drain the energy of Americans than a sixteen-hour day working the farm. Why? Because the more you move the more energy you gain.

So after you spend eight hours almost immobile, you are much more tired than if you had been active all day. I won't lie about this, it will be hard to get started, but I implore you to try. Take a walk, dance or any exercise that will suit you for at least 30 minutes every day. If you can't do 30 minutes, start with 15 and work your way up in a few days. Shoot for at least an hour. You owe yourself an hour to be healthier and you will be happier too.

I already work hard enough at my job.

If you already work hard enough at your job, then you are not overweight. If you are overweight and have an active job, you might have an issue with food portion size. Back to the first lie, 'your body uses the fuel you put into it'. If you put in more fuel than you use, you grow. Period.

Being overweight is just in my genes.

Being overweight is in your jeans. While your genes can determine whether you are a big person or if taking weight off might be harder for you than the guy next door, genes do not predestine you to be an unhealthy eater.

I'm too big to exercise.

By the time you cross over the line that you can no longer get out of the bed this is very close to truth. Even trapped in the bed there are things you can do to lose weight and get healthy. If you are barely moving, you do not need as much food. Cut your intake and drop all those fattening foods from your diet. You don't need to grow anymore. Move what you can and move it a lot.

If you are not bedridden you are not too big to exercise. Remember Richard Simmons and his Sweatin' to the Oldies? Were any of his clients bigger than you? If you are on the edge of becoming bedridden then it is even more important to get your diet and exercise in check.

Like any change in diet and exercise, you should consult with your doctor before you begin a program. However, I have never heard of a doctor advising a patient to stay sedentary and keep eating fattening foods.

My health is too bad for exercise.

How many drugs does the doctor have to prescribe for you before you decide to take control of your life?

If you begin to eat healthy foods that have not had all the nutrients processed out of them, your health will improve.

If you are overweight, you are at a higher risk of diabetes, heart disease, kidney disease, high blood pressure and even cancer.

Maybe you are already taking medications for one or more of these conditions. There may still be time to turn it around and get off some if not all of the medications you are taking.

You effect many friends and family members and often touch people in ways that you don't even realize. You are worth life. So give yourself a chance and live. Begin to eat clean, healthy foods and start to move as much as your doctor will allow.

I'm too old to work out.

Again I must quote the legendary Jack LaLanne, "I'm not as good as I was at 20, but I'm pretty good for 90!"

Who could not be inspired by that 90-year-old hard body? How old is too old? If Mr. LaLanne is not inspiration enough to get you moving, this article sure can't do it.

If you are inspired to stop the lies

Let me help you wade through some things that might be confusing for you.

What does processed food mean? These are foods that have been changed from their natural state; white flour has been bleached and 'enriched' with nutrients. It is no longer in its natural state, it is processed.

Other ways foods are processed are with preservatives and additives. Additives might be manmade flavorings (also called natural flavors), vitamins that have been taken out and then replaced with the manmade version, almost anything you can't pronounce. When you look at a package label, you should recognize the ingredients; corn, wheat, milk, etc. You should not have to wonder, "What does hydrogenated mean".

You can find some resources to help you learn more by reading Free Online Resources to Weight Loss and Fitness. The resources listed offer support as well as practical solutions and education.