A Vivacious Voice for Veganism: Focusing on Feeling at Her Active Life

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A Vivacious Voice for Veganism: Focusing on Feeling

Posted April 22, 2008 at 12:00 PM by Katie Drummond

Section: Her Health, Body Image, Her Nutrition, Healthy Eating

flower Yesterday, as I sat on a too-long train ride, I picked up a copy of Marie Claire that I found sitting in the seat pocket in front of me (I didn’t buy it, I swear!) and found myself flipping past the fashion and makeup tips (yawn) to an article on a “no-diet diet” being endorsed as the latest and greatest method to maintaining weight and keeping a healthy perspective on food, fitness, and body image. At first, I figured it was just another list of five tips on how to stave off hunger with ice water or boost your metabolism with kelp shots, but as I read on, I found myself pleased by the perspective, and it made me want to share a few insights of my own with readers.

The basic thesis statement of the article? You’ll be healthier, happier, and better off if you quit overanalyzing every bite of food that enters your mouth, and just friggin’ eat what you want, when you want, how you want. Eventually. Sure, it sounds like a noble goal to live food-phobia free, and in our culture, it seems that most women can’t seem to get over their ideas of “good and bad” food or “cheat days and diet days” and so on, and so on, and so on. Thankfully, the author recognizes the inherent challenge in trying to listen to your body when you’ve got 100 other voices screaming at you to cut calories here, or add fat there, or trim your waistline just another inch. However, she argues that if you can get over it, your body will thank you - and chances are, your waistline will stay trimmed and your self-confidence and contentment will skyrocket.

For me, the article reinforced the importance and value of focusing on feeling - whether with food, exercise, or any aspect of your life and livelihood. The transition away from over-thinking, counting, and analyzing can seem impossible, but I think it’s a worthwhile challenge. How to start and succeed? A few non-professional, but user-tested tips, from yours truly:

1. Don’t Write it Down. Studies have shown that women who write down calorie counts or exercise tallies are less successful at maintaining a healthy weight and nutritious eating habits than those who skip the written logs. The reason? I’d suspect it has something to do with overdoing it. Keeping track of every bite of food and every mile you run is a tall order for even the most dedicated girl, and, when you slip up, it might seem logical to just quit entirely. Plus, this kind of neuroses takes the fun out of food and exercise - making them both more like chores than enjoyable parts of life. If you want to write down anything, write down how you feel...after a particular meal, after a great yoga class or a not-so-great run...whatever. If you log a written reminder than chocolate muffins make you feel nauseous if you nosh more than two at a time, you’ll be less likely to overdo it again next week.

2. Do Some Trial and Error. If you don’t already have an activity you love for the sake of doing it, then why bother heading to the gym? A workout that’s a chore is a waste of your precious life, so don’t bother. Instead, try different forms of physical activity and find one (or a few) that really click. Everyone is different, so remember that you may not be a born marathon runner. You may be a leisurely-walk-and-yoga girl, or a racquetball chicka, or a rock climber at heart. You won’t know until you try, and you won’t enjoy waking up at 6 a.m. for a workout until you figure it out. A reason to get physical that doesn’t involve burning calories is the goal - once you attain it, you can eat to fuel your active lifestyle and exercise to sweat off stress and feel strong and satisfied.

3. Enough with Numbers! Your weight, the calories in a hot chocolate, the size on your jeans. Seriously, why do you care? If you’re weight is at a dangerous level, either too high or too low, chances are it’ll be obvious without stepping on the scale. Sure, your doc is going to want to get some digits to make sure your cholesterol, heart rate and other vitals are in good shape, and that’s fine. But making numerical values part of your own value is a useless, and futile, project. Sure, swiping calorie counts from your memory is a tough job, but start small. If you tend to count calories every day, aim for one day a week where you put them out of mind. Or aim for one meal - cook something new from a cook book, do a little improv, and avoid tallying it all up. Instead, enjoy it. Savor it. Bask in it. Don’t count it.

So, to make a long story (or a three-point list) short: stop writing everything down! Take risks with fitness and food! Forget about numbers! Hmm...almost sounds like yet another diet plan. Maybe, but it’s one that doesn’t need to be followed to the letter, and it isn’t asking much - I just want you to be healthy, and I think my tips are a better guide than most of what you’ll read in Marie Claire.