Still with Chic and Slim, by Anne Barone:
Other ways of being slim
... and of course, chic.
Anne talks about impatience, and instant gratification, as being barriers to slimness. I remember the first time that I heard the term 'instant gratification', some years ago. I was talking to a friend, who was a counsellor, and she mentioned it. I looked at her. I knew that she was perpetually, effortlessly, slim.
She also travelled overseas each year, even though she did not have a high income. How could this be? She actually said that how she could afford to do things, was by not wasting money by giving into wants and whims.
This in itself, is chic, I feel. I also believe that it is one of the major ways that she had stayed the same size, always. When we don't eat and drink what we want when we want it, immediately, we don't 'waste' food, and we do eat less, in my experience.
Becoming more emotionally smart
Interestingly, learning how to wait for things, for gratification, if you will, is one of the major ways to develop emotional intelligence: E.Q. Often a person believes that they will be happier if they get what they want, right now. But, in my personal observation, it just makes us want more, by never being satisfied.
And, although I do not believe that instant gratification is the main reason for being overweight, learning how to wait for meals trains us not to fulfil our food wants immediately, but to wait for them. And, surprisingly, we do end up eating less, overall, doing this. Thereby our weight can move, go down. Simply by waiting for the the designated time, to eat. It is a much more gracious way to live.
"a gracious way of life, is definitely more chic"
Having a small dessert after a meal, or a bit of cake, or a small amount of chocolate, is much more chic than having them as the 'want' dictates. It is a very clever way to have a bit of 'naughty' food without the guilt. When we have such food, as and when we want it, our blood sugar doesn't handle it so well, but eaten at the end of a meal, it doesn't send us into a blood sugar crash.
And doing this, normalises food that an overweight person both categorises as being 'bad', and of course, people being people, when we categorise food as 'bad', then that same type of food becomes what we crave. Whereas, if we learnt to have small amounts and enjoy them, with our meals, that whole puritan good/bad aspect is nicely sidestepped.
Having enough rather than more, is best
We then learn some others of Anne's Chic and Slim methods, by doing this: having enough, rather than having more, of anything, is best. And that quality is always better. So, when we do have a bit of chocolate after a meal, make it good quality chocolate, have just enough to satisfy yourself, without feeling 'stuffed' as we do when we have too much.
How else can we apply "have less rather than more"? An excellent way, which actually should be glaringly obvious, is to look into your fridge and pantry, and use up what you have. I like to do this to make vegetable soup: I use up the tail ends of lonely vegetables and have something delicious. I could go out and buy more food to eat, but when you use what you have, and make it nice, it really is a treat.
And I had to rethink my cafe social life, a couple of years ago, to fit in with the food philosophy of less being more. All of those high calorie coffees were not doing my health nor wallet, any favours. Let alone the food! It is all so big, or designer-type food. I now just have a sandwich if they are not too giant, or just eggs and toast. With Earl Grey Tea. A Big calorific saving! More stylish, more chic.
Other ways of being slim
... and of course, chic.
Anne talks about impatience, and instant gratification, as being barriers to slimness. I remember the first time that I heard the term 'instant gratification', some years ago. I was talking to a friend, who was a counsellor, and she mentioned it. I looked at her. I knew that she was perpetually, effortlessly, slim.
She also travelled overseas each year, even though she did not have a high income. How could this be? She actually said that how she could afford to do things, was by not wasting money by giving into wants and whims.
This in itself, is chic, I feel. I also believe that it is one of the major ways that she had stayed the same size, always. When we don't eat and drink what we want when we want it, immediately, we don't 'waste' food, and we do eat less, in my experience.
Becoming more emotionally smart
Interestingly, learning how to wait for things, for gratification, if you will, is one of the major ways to develop emotional intelligence: E.Q. Often a person believes that they will be happier if they get what they want, right now. But, in my personal observation, it just makes us want more, by never being satisfied.
And, although I do not believe that instant gratification is the main reason for being overweight, learning how to wait for meals trains us not to fulfil our food wants immediately, but to wait for them. And, surprisingly, we do end up eating less, overall, doing this. Thereby our weight can move, go down. Simply by waiting for the the designated time, to eat. It is a much more gracious way to live.
"a gracious way of life, is definitely more chic"
Having a small dessert after a meal, or a bit of cake, or a small amount of chocolate, is much more chic than having them as the 'want' dictates. It is a very clever way to have a bit of 'naughty' food without the guilt. When we have such food, as and when we want it, our blood sugar doesn't handle it so well, but eaten at the end of a meal, it doesn't send us into a blood sugar crash.
And doing this, normalises food that an overweight person both categorises as being 'bad', and of course, people being people, when we categorise food as 'bad', then that same type of food becomes what we crave. Whereas, if we learnt to have small amounts and enjoy them, with our meals, that whole puritan good/bad aspect is nicely sidestepped.
Having enough rather than more, is best
We then learn some others of Anne's Chic and Slim methods, by doing this: having enough, rather than having more, of anything, is best. And that quality is always better. So, when we do have a bit of chocolate after a meal, make it good quality chocolate, have just enough to satisfy yourself, without feeling 'stuffed' as we do when we have too much.
How else can we apply "have less rather than more"? An excellent way, which actually should be glaringly obvious, is to look into your fridge and pantry, and use up what you have. I like to do this to make vegetable soup: I use up the tail ends of lonely vegetables and have something delicious. I could go out and buy more food to eat, but when you use what you have, and make it nice, it really is a treat.
And I had to rethink my cafe social life, a couple of years ago, to fit in with the food philosophy of less being more. All of those high calorie coffees were not doing my health nor wallet, any favours. Let alone the food! It is all so big, or designer-type food. I now just have a sandwich if they are not too giant, or just eggs and toast. With Earl Grey Tea. A Big calorific saving! More stylish, more chic.
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