Oh boy am I excited to write about this topic. I’m not sure why – it’s not something that has been a lifelong passion for me or anything – but when I started to learn more about it and realized how much of what I thought I knew was wrong, I knew I had to share it with you. I want to talk to you about cholesterol. That word has an unfairly negative connotation. It blows my mind that you can go to reputable sites from health institutions and the government and read so much about cholesterol that just is flat out wrong.
Cholesterol is a fat-like substance that is so critical to human health that every single cell within our bodies is equipped to produce it on its own. Our liver is designed to recycle it so we can get as much use out of it as possible. Cholesterol is used to make vitamin D, to make hormones, and to make neurotransmitters (such as serotonin, a primary regulator of mood). Cholesterol is required for the formation of synapses in your brain – allowing you to think, analyze and store information.
It’s no surprise that human breast milk is naturally high in cholesterol and even contains a special enzyme to make sure that infants absorb as much of it as possible.
Nora Gedgaudas, author of “Primal Body, Primal Mind” refers to cholesterol as the human body’s version of duct tape. I love that and think its spot on. Cholesterol is deployed in response to chronic stress, poor dietary choices, thyroid issues, injury or inflammation. Because of that, it’s often found “at the scene of the crime” in the case of arterial damage.
You see, when there is damage within our bodies, new cells are generated to help repair the damage. Cholesterol is a component of those new cells. In additional to that, cholesterol – that duct tape of the human body – is carried to the scene of the crime via its carrier, LDL, to help patch up the damage. Unfortunately, because of our generally poor dietary choices and chronic stress, we never stop initiating this damage. Chronically high carbohydrate consumption keeps our inflammatory response in overdrive. Chronic stress causes internal damage and our body never gets a break. But cholesterol keeps doing its job – getting deployed out to the scene of the crime to patch things up. Well of course, if you keep slapping on additional layers of duct tape it will pile up and yes, you guessed it, you start to see “clogged arteries”.
Since cholesterol is there, it gets the blame. How about we look at what’s causing the damage!? Cholesterol is a healing substance – why is it chronically needed for healing? Where’s the damage coming from and how do we make THAT stop? It’s like saying that since police are at the scene of every crime we need to focus on reducing the number of police so that there is less crime. Um, yeah, go ahead and try that.
Now, I want to make one more point about cholesterol from food sources. Yes, your body is capable of producing cholesterol on its own. However, it’s a very complex and inefficient process. When you consume cholesterol from food sources, your body is able to down regulate cholesterol production. There is a natural system of checks and balances in place because we were designed to consume cholesterol rich foods like eggs and animal proteins. However, when you dramatically cut cholesterol and saturated fats from your diet, your body sends its cholesterol production into overdrive because it can’t possible survive without ample cholesterol.
If you want to be healthy, if you want your body to function optimally, if you want your immune system to be strong, here’s my advice: eliminate the cause of the damage within your body. Cut out processed foods and wheat products. Focus on whole foods, fruits, vegetables, healthy fats and high quality meat, poultry and seafood. Don’t think you’re doing yourself any favors by cutting your cholesterol intake or limiting your fat intake. The real culprit here is inflammation and the primary drivers of inflammation are poor food choices and chronic stress.
A few weeks ago I had a bad night. I went into it tired (which can always go very badly) and I got some news I didn’t want to hear. I immediately started crying. Had I been home, I probably would have gone to bed and that would have been the end of it.
I wasn’t at home. I was out of town. And there was cake. Tired + Tears + Cake…… It doesn’t get much more risky than that for me!
I started to convince myself to have the cake. “Seriously, who cares? You’re on vacation. It’s one night and you deserve a little break. Have a piece of cake and have a drink too! Oh, and remember that nutella in the cabinet? That would be amazing. You’re upset and this will take your mind off it. You’ve been so good for so long. Just take the night to forget all about this eating clean/primal/fat loss stuff. Enjoy yourself.”
I was so tempted. It wasn’t even a cake I really wanted. I wasn’t hungry. I was tired and emotional and that’s all it took to start arguing with myself “Who cares? It’s one night. And honestly, if you gained a couple pounds, what the hell. It’s no big deal.”
There was a time that I would have given in to the cake in a heartbeat. I’d have happily fallen for the argument and devoured a couple pieces. In fact, I probably wouldn’t have stopped there. I’d have walked up to the store and bought ice cream because, hey, if I’m gonna do it, let’s do it right, right?
But I didn’t have the cake. I engaged in the conversation with the part of me that was trying to argue “Who cares? Just do it!”.
I care. I’m not falling for that anymore. I’m not going to medicate myself with food. I’m not going to let my cravings be greater than my will. I’m not going to be the type of woman who gives in easily.
I reminded myself of what I’d feel like after eating the cake. I reminded myself that it probably wouldn’t even taste that great but I’d look in the mirror before bed and feel frustrated. I’d be irritated with myself and the sadness from earlier would be compounded with guilt. I’d wake up in the morning wondering why I gave in to my emotions and why I couldn’t recognize that it was merely a perfect storm of fatigue, emotion and opportunity.
I sat down at the table next to the cake with a bottle of water and reminded myself that I am stronger than every obstacle before me. Every good decision I make reinforces the woman I am becoming.
One of my favorite quotes is from Marcus Aurelius: “Would you have a great empire? Rule over yourself.” I love this so much I have it written on the wall of my office and in a note in my iPhone. These simple two sentences have been one of my greatest motivators during my weight loss journey.
I’m sure the words mean very different things to different people but I want to share with you the impression they have made on me.
At the time I first came upon this quote I was working in a management role. I had a fantastic team and though I was being pulled in a million different directions, I tried hard to set a good example for them. I wanted them to see my hard work, initiative, problem solving and tenacity. When I read this quote I thought, “How can I inspire my team if I can’t inspire myself?”
It starts with me. “Rule over yourself.”
I thought about my marriage. I was encouraging my husband to quit chewing tobacco and this quote hit me hard – how can I expect him to listen to me or be encouraged by me if I’m not living a healthy, disciplined life?
It starts with me. “Rule over yourself.”
I thought about the family I might have one day. How hypocritical I would be to lead my kids in ANY way if I’m unable to lead MYSELF! If I’m not compelled to follow the wisdom of my own mind, how in the world could I expect my children to be?
It starts with me. “Rule over yourself.”
I remember thinking at the time, “I want so many big things. I want to be debt free. I want to lose over 100 pounds. I want to be strong, fit and confident.” I became instantly aware that an unrefutable requirement for all of those things is to become an effective leader of ME.
Does anyone read this quote the same way? It just is so powerful to me – if I’m not able to instruct, lead and inspire myself then I have no business trying to do it for anyone else.
I can’t tell you how many times a day this simple phrase runs through my head. If I’ve told myself I’ll go for an hour leisure walk and I start listing all the reasons I should stop at 40 minutes, I’ll hear in my head “Rule over yourself”. When I’ve finished dinner and I’m tempted to do a kitchen-walkthrough just to see what might look yummy I hear it: “Rule over yourself”. When my alarm goes off in the morning and I consider hitting snooze instead of getting to work, there it is: “Rule over yourself”.
Spend some time looking at the gap between what you expect of others and what you expect of yourself.
Spend some time considering if you are able to reach any of your goals without mastering the art of following your own guidance.
Maybe it’s not these words that fuel you but I’m sure there are others. Find something that reminds you of what is most important and keep it front of mind. Put it on an index card on the dash of your car or write it on the mirror in your bathroom. Encourage yourself daily – there’s no question that you’ll need it!
I am guilty of feeling jealous when I watch weight loss shows like the Biggest Loser. I start to feel a little defensive and edgy as they boast their 10 lb per week weight loss. This angry little tape plays in my head: “Sure, weight loss can’t be all that hard when you have a kitchen stocked with healthy foods, a staff of fitness professionals at your finger tips, no job to worry about and a state of the art gym. Sure, it might be just a tad easier for me if my ONLY priority was eating right and exercising! But I live in the real world! I have a job, I have a life, I do my own shopping and cooking and cleaning!”
Prior to starting my weight loss journey I wasn’t even sure it was possible to balance it all. I was pretty certain that I couldn’t manage my work stress without self-medicating with food. I was convinced that there weren’t enough hours in the day to fit in a workout without sacrificing critically important sleep or down time. I genuinely believed that committing to weight loss would require trading happiness for progress.
I was wrong. In fact, I was TOTALLY wrong.
I found that cutting out junk food made handling work stress far easier. Making time for the gym increased my productivity and gave me MORE free time. Committing to weight loss brought me a happiness and sense of empowerment that I had never experienced. In hindsight, I’m not sure how I balanced life and obesity! That was far more challenging!
There’s no question that committing to lifestyle change will require making some adjustments to your schedule. It’s very possible that those changes might be a little uncomfortable at first. But before you do what I did and start to argue how impossible it will be to balance life and fat loss ask yourself this:how well are you balancing life now? Are you happy with the way things are? Do you love your body? Do you feel fit and healthy?
How do you know that your days won’t actually beeasierwhen you start making lifestyle improvements? How do you know that as you cut out processed foods your energy won’t go through the roof and your improved mood won’t enhance every relationship in your life?
More often than not when we argue that something can’t be done or isn’t possible within our current life structure we’re just making excuses. We’re either afraid of change, avoiding potential failure or simply not ready.
If you’re wondering if you can do this, please remind yourself that this is not an all or nothing process. You don’t need to submit to a total lifestyle overhaul on day one. Take a close look at your lifestyle and identify one or two areas for improvement. Work on one small change each week and keep practicing it until it feels comfortable. As you master each change, take on a little bit more.
Life is always a balancing act. Let’s just stay open to the idea that adopting healthy changes might actually improve and enhance your productivity and mindset.
Here are a couple small changes to think about making as you build momentum:
Stop drinking soda
Walk for 20 minutes each day
Wake up 15 minutes earlier and make breakfast
Turn off the TV and get to bed by 10pm
Commit to including protein at every meal and snack
I was wrong to feel frustrated and envious when watching those weight loss competition shows. You know why? I am so much more likely to be successful at managing my weight in the long run because I’ve managed to incorporate it into my life. I know how to balance eating well and exercising daily with a job, a family and taking care of my house. I know how to make good choices without living in a bubble and having someone else make my decisions for me. I know how to practice moderation, overcome plateaus and motivate myself. THAT is powerful. THAT is balance. That is worth every single change.
I have failed over and over again. I have created plans, set goals and missed them by miles. I’ve beat myself up, told myself off and thrown in the towel hundreds of times. You know what? It has helped me. That’s right:All those repeated failures gave me incredibly powerful information that all came together to allow me to change life.
From all those failures, I have the incredible benefit of knowing what DOESN’T work for me. I don’t have to try A, B and C because I already did and they didn’t work. For example, I know that money is not an incentive for me. You could offer me $300 for every 10 lbs I lose and that won’t be enough to keep me out of the bag of Oreos. I’ll argue with myself that tomorrow I’ll be back on track and I’ll still get that $300 because I’ll be “extra strict” after indulging in the Oreos. I am really good at lying to myself like that. From my failures I learned not to waste my time with incentives that don’t work.The only incentive I need is what I’m truly after: a fit, strong, healthy body.
The whole “super strict” thing? That doesn’t work for me, either. Yeah, I can do it for a few days or even a couple of weeks but I know, from failing a million times, that it’s going to end the same way: with a binge. All that willpower, restriction and deprivation ultimately makes me snap and go into a wild sugar frenzy. From my failures I learned that I need a more moderate approach. I need to build in enough margin to enjoy my favorite things every once in a while.Total deprivation makes me feel like a caged bird and the only thing I can think about is breaking free.
Too much exercise makes me a sugar junky. I messed this one up more times than I can count. A little exercise is good so as much as I can possibly fit into my day must be better, right? Uh, not for me. Never. This goes very wrong very fast. Over the last 20 years I have gone on so many exercises binges. I’d spend hours each day working out. I’d get up early, stay up late and “burn” as many calories as humanly possible. The result? I was ravenously hungry all the time. My cravings were out of control. My ability to resist the hunger and cravings was very limited and my eating would negate any potential benefits from all that working out. From getting that one wrong a few dozen times, I’m now easily able to resist the temptation to workout “more”. One high intensity workout each day is what is best for my body. No need to mess around with anything else.
I can’t predict what the scale will do. Oh my goodness. If you could see my planners and notebooks and spreadsheets over the last several years you’d probably think I’m Rain Man. I spent years obsessed with predicting how much weight I could lose by a certain date. I’d write it out, day by day, what my weight would be on each day and when I’d hit some certain arbitrary goal. It never worked. Weight loss isn’t linear like that. Fortunately, from dealing with frustrating and feelings of failure for years, I know that doesn’t work for me.Now, I embrace consistency. I don’t predict my results. I concentrate on my actions.
Don’t keep trying things that haven’t worked in the past. In fact, become a student of your failures. Are there strategies you keep trying even though they haven’t worked yet? Are there theories you hold despite proving to yourself that they aren’t true? Embrace your failures. They are the keys you need to make this journey a success! Within your failures is just about everything you need to make a total transformation!
