Shift Weekly - "Little Portions on the Prairie"

What is something the wild, wild west and wild, wild, weight management have in common?  The fear of no food of course!

Last year I read the Laura Ingalls Wilder "Little House" series with my then 7-year old daughter at night. If you are unfamiliar with the books or the TV spin off, the “Little House on the Prairie” series deals with a pioneer family who move West, told through the eyes of a little girl--Laura.  Throughout the entire series of books, Laura describes--often in great detail--some of the meals that they were eating in pioneer days.  Obviously there was no Vons, Trader Joes or even Whole Foods in Indian territory, and often the family made due with very little to eat.  Fear of starving to death on the vast plains happened on more than one occasion for this brave pioneering brood.  What amazes me is that Pa (the father of the group) is able to haul logs, split them, build a house, plow the virgin prairie, build wells and put out fires all with about 1000-1200 calories a day worth of food in his belly.

I remember growing up as an overweight teenager and my mother telling me, as I heaped a third helping of mashed potatoes and gravy onto my plate, that I ate more as a lazy kid than the hard working ranch hands during cattle round up season at her grandfather’s ranch in the Badlands of Montana.  As a former nutritionist, my mother knew calories inside out and she had helped my  great, grandmother dole out portions during lean times in the 40’s. She said that those hard working men ate somewhere between 1300-1800 calories during a grueling 15 hour work day—and they were fine, lean, healthy men—they weren’t dropping over dead from starvation.  Uh, thanks mom.  I get the point.  What’s for dessert?

In modern American culture we have gotten so used to a lifestyle that embraces big portions that it is hard to believe that the human body can and does function on very little food. Not that you would be looking around for seconds if your choice was leftover squirrel stew and moldy biscuits, as it was in Little House days, but just the same, perception is everything and habit runs a close second.

The unconscious mind resists change.  Often this resistance feels like fear.  I often see the fear in my client’s eyes at the thought of eating fewer calories in order to lose weight.  I can sympathize.  Eating 500 calories less per day in order to release one pound of fat per week can seem downright intimidating to our primitive brain, which is programmed to have us move less, eat as many dense calories as possible so that we can store fat in anticipation of the next famine.

So how can we Shift our perception of what is enough?  We can slowly begin to eat less dense calories and replace the bulk with lighter, more nutritious calories.  That is how we trick the reptilian brain into thinking we are eating as much, but at the same time, proving to ourselves that our body can actually operate on less calories.  Research shows that people who have long term permanent weight loss typically eat about 7-11 serving of fruits and vegetables a day.  This may seem like a lot, but a serving could be a few slices of tomato on your sandwich.  A large salad would be about 4 servings of vegetables.  When you focus your Inner Coach on this strategy of eating more fruits and vegetables, the servings add up fast, add bulk, and allow you to feel satisfied with fewer calories and actually make you feel better and crave healthier food.

I remember this was my revelation when I was making my own Shift.  My limiting belief was that no amount of food was enough--that my stomach was a voracious, empty void and that no amount of food would satisfy me.  So the thought of eating less was a bit frightening at first but I was also determined to Shift my relationship—not only to food—but to myself.  I wanted to change my limiting belief that I needed a lot in order to be satisfied.  I started slowly adding more vegetables and salad to my plate and making my dense calorie food portions less.  I took the hunk of grilled chicken from 8 ounces down to 6.  I was frightened at first making the portions smaller, but my Inner Coach said, “Hey if it’s not enough and you are hungry, you can always have more later.”  To my surprise, I was not hungry—I actually felt fine…downright good, in both in my stomach and in my soul.  Wow! I could really eat less and still feel satisfied.  This was a big Shift indeed.

To this day I still enjoy eating a big meal once a day.  Making vegetables and fruits a large portion of that meal is my go to strategy to feeling full and maintaining my weight.  Eating this way allows me to get full but not feel bloated and gross after eating like I used to.  Instead, I feel light, connected to myself, and nourished.  Shifted!

I invite you to take on a portion challenge and shift your perception of yourself in a positive way this week. If you are struggling with Shifting into fewer calories in order to release weight, try adding a few more servings of fruits and vegetables and a few more servings of the voice of your Inner Coach helping you Shift your own perception of what is enough.  Be patient, be curious, and see yourself as a brave pioneer on your own journey to long-term permanent weight release. Here’s to a week of feeling full of health!

Happy Trails!

oxox Rita

If you are struggle with portions, I offer a Portion Control Hypnosis CD called “Mastering your Relationship with Portions”