Ask Aunt B

Dear Aunt B,

I am so excited that summer is on its way. I want to lose weight before I have to wear a swimsuit. What to do? So much conflicting information, I am confused.

Weighted down

Dear Weighted down,

Me too!!!!!!!!!!!! Frankly, I only remember a few months of March over my life, when I wasn’t in this very spot. I believe that all these years of disapproving of myself has done way more damage to me and my soul than the weight I carry now and the weight I have carried over my life. Don’t get me wrong, I like thin. I want to be thin. I believe I actually do better when I am thinner. I am absolutely sure of that fact. But is it the thinness or the stopping of incessant critical self talk that allowed me to do better rather than the actual thinness?

I know some of you could be pretty tired of me talking about stopping this self critical behavior. I assume those who are tired of my talk have stopped reading a long time ago. Where this would have bothered me in the past, I really know that those people are not my people and that is perfectly fine. Thank God, I have lots of people who are my people. Boy I digressed there, didn’t I?

Ok, back to the original question. Whew, that took awhile. A couple of months until the pool, what to do?

Figure out what works best for your body. Is there a way that you would step into a life of eating and exercising and nourishing your body that these behaviors could be your new normal? Would it not be nice to next March just be humming along with great behaviors that this panic doesn’t step in?

Do you do better with a plan? I think most do better with a plan. When I am faced with a food or exercise choice on the fly, I don’t usually make great choices. So let’s assume you need structure and a plan. What has worked best for you in the past?

There are people that will tell you and you will find on the internet that have had great success in many different or widely different plans. What makes the most sense to you? I remember a guy who lost a large amount of weight eating only at McDonalds. Also remember these guys that gained a huge amount of weight eating only McDonalds. I would imagine that came down to calories and amounts. This doesn’t make sense to me and would not work for me because I also want nutrition. I want to give my body foods that allow it to work the best and age the best and stay the healthiest. I know that, hands down, fast food is not my friend.

I also know that all calories are not created equal. My body doesn’t react the same to roasted vegetables and french fries even if I had the same quantities to add up to the same amount of calories. I would suggest you include in your plan the most whole and natural foods as possible.

I always believe that good filtered water is a big one. Remember our bodies are over 60 percent water. We need to replace all the water that our body uses carrying out all the processes. I drink a bunch of water, way more than most. This reminds me that I most definitely need to remind you to check with your health care provider about any and all of the changes you may be contemplating. We are all different and our bodies respond differently to all of this. So check out all of my suggestions and make sure that they work with your own personal situations.

Simply I would suggest:

Drink better and more water.

Eat better foods.

Sugar is poison. Don’t eat it.

Don’t eat fake sugar: often it is worse.

Sleep well.

Exercise, move your body.

You may not be the size you want come pool time but you will feel so much better. Hopefully you will be stronger so you will continue with all your new healthy behaviors and before you even know it you will be thinner and look great in that swimsuit.

Love,

Aunt B

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