It's All in your Head

yup... it truly is.
If you just found out that something is bad for you, then you don't eat it.
Your head tells you not to.
Your will is strong

But
after a while, you think it's okay to eat, then you allow yourself to eat it
because you think you deserve it after a while.
because everyone else's eating it
because you forgot what was the initial reason that made you not eat it in the first place

So it's all in your Head

So you go to the gym now.
and you think you deserve treats.... you deserve that little reward in the form of pretty little dessert that is unhealthy fat and refined sugar.
uhuh.... it's totally okay if you're still in control and if that one little treat totally made you happy.
But for most of us, that one little treat escalates into 2 little treats and the next day you want more and more and more
That little treat becomes your old habit of pigging out....
Hey.... you're working out at the gym anyway.... so it's allowed, right ?
wrong........ !!!

That little "guilty" treat may be unstoppable if you go out of control again.
Then you'll allow other things to eat
Then you'll start feeling guilty.
Then you'll start feeling sluggish again
and even so, you're back to procrastinating your healthy lifestyle
remember this line "Oh I'll start tomorrow" ?
Then before you know it, you're back to where you started.
All those healthy efforts wasted.

I know it's so easy to go back to what's considered "normal" eating by others.
It's lonely where you are, maintaining what you eat.
Skipping dinner invitatitions or maybe social events.
Tired of explaining what you eat and why you eat it to the rest of the world.
That's why it's important to stay motivated and remain excited as if you're doing this "project" for the first time.
Remember the feeling, the right reasons, the motivations, the hopes, the anticipation, waiting for the day to come where you've accomplish your goal.
and don't think of the whole "project" as a burden to you,
it's supposed to be Fun and exciting and you're supposed to be feeling great.

I've been eating healthily for almost 8 months
then I decided that I'll allow myself to eat fish, prawns, etc
but I've been eating a little bit out of control this 2 weeks.
I've eaten out with friends and families in restaurant - fried food, non Vegan food
I've eaten the "normal" home-cooked meal at home
I've eaten sugar again !!! and flour ... yup... traditional vegan desserts/snacks and biscuits (non Vegan)
and then I started going to the gym
So... I started to loosen up a bit
I allowed more refined carbs, refined sugar, fried food, refined flour
I thought....."I'm going to burn those carbs and margarine/butter/fats at the gym anyway" --> sounds familiar ?
The truth is it's not about burning calories or burning fats and allowing yourself to eat whatever, it's about eating healthily at all times.
There's always an option, fresh fruits are always a better alternative than unhealthy desserts.
I also allowed biscuits back
and one bite becomes 5 bites becomes a daily "addiction"
yes somehow... I've been eating "out of control" lately.
yes it's easier because I can eat everything again.
and sadly, families and friends welcome me with open arms,
Before, they have to consider me if they wanted to eat somewhere but lately we can go back to eating wherever again.
It's easy, I have to say.
Just eat stuff that's on the dining table at the kitchen.
Just order food in a restaurant, any food at all.
No preparing, washing vegs, cutting up vegs, steaming vegs, etc
Just sit and eat whatever.
and the best thing is you eat with your loved ones.... yuppp... you share food.

But I now can no longer eat too much of the "normal" food.
As much as I love sharing food with families and friends.
I don't feel good after wards.
So after 8 months of feeling good and eating right and healthily.
I started to feel sluggish again.
I started to eat up to a point where I'm too full everyday
after 8 months of not needing to take the old enzyme tablet to help digestion
I took them again... yup....because...
and all that unhealthy food is causing me to have (excuse me) mild diarrhea

I feel so much better eating healthy fresh raw vegs and steamed vegs.
I feel so much better snacking on fresh fruits rather than processed desserts.
Why do I keep coming back to eating the "junk" ?
Because it's easy and because everyone's eating it.

But I can't anymore
I don't feel good.
I don't care about gaining a few pounds, staying slim is not the case here.
Eating "normal" food makes me feel heavy and bloated and I just don't enjoy the feeling "after" meals.

and it's okay... I'm going to start over
There's no point in lingering in regret and guilt.
Just move on and start over.
So... I'm going to start eating my Vegan meal again,
spending more time preparing for my food
I'll still make time to eat with friends and families
bringing food with me, if I have to, when I go out
(salad/vegs to eat and sliced fruits to snack on)
when I eat out, I'll order a salad / vegetable sautee.
I'll still allow some occasional "cheats" but I'll mainly stay Vegan.
well.. theoretically I'm not a Vegan anymore, but that doesn't matter.
What matter is I'm trying to eat well and healthy and I'm listening to my body.
and I'm happy about it.

and it's about being Responsible.
Don't blame a Diet for not working,
Don't just follow 1 diet strictly, use your common sense, do research, Find Diets that suit you best.
Take what's beneficial from different diets and make them your own.
Don't blame others for always cooking the best food whenever you're starting your "Diet"
and Remember, it's not a diet Diet, it's what you're going to eat and enjoy for the rest of your life.
Don't blame others for always inviting you to dinner and make you ate too much.
They didn't make you eat too much, you just ate too much, period.
Don't blame yourself
Blame your being irresponsible, then make it right.
Take control of your Life.
Don't stress about it.
Just take things lightly.
Have Fun, stay Healthy, Be Happy.

So yeah, it's all in my Head
I allowed myself to eat everything and now I don't feel good.
I somehow need to be reminded what motivate me to start living healthily in the first place
I need to go back to eating healthily, I need to go back to living healhily.
I need to stay motivated.


So, How do you keep motivated ?
How do you stay in the healthy lifestyle ?
- know that by doing so, you can stay in shape and you don't even have to do portion control, you won't starve yourself, just eat healthily and don't over induldge :)
- It may make things easier if you're involved in a community, join healthy food potlucks, meet new people and share knowledge.
- Read other people's blogs.... there are a lot of Vegan, Raw Vegan, Vegetarian, Healthy Food blogs out there.
They're very inspiring, They have lots of beautiful pictures of really healthy food and desserts.
You'll want to eat that instead of junk food.
- If you have time, make a photo blog of your favorite healthy food
A lot of times I eat such great food, they're healthy and I feel so satisfied.
I'm like "Ohh man, that was really really good, I can eat this everyday"
and it's just basically green vegs, beans and some healthy dressing
I know that doesn't sound like much, but the perfect combination makes it great.
But like most people, sometimes I forgot, so I have my blog, HealthyRainbow.net so I can be reminded of the yummy healthy stuff I ate, so when I need inspiration of what to eat, I can always go back to the blog and pick a meal :)

For me, healthy food is Vegan and Raw Vegan food.
But whatever your food choices are right now, whatever you think healthy food is, If you keep on researching and learning about healthy food.
It'll all comes down to fresh raw organic vegetables and fruits, that's the basic essential, you may steam vegs, sautee vegs, but in the end, you'll feel that a bowl of healthy rainbow salad keeps you very satisfied.
then there are nuts, seeds, etc.
So.... you don't have to drastically change your diet if you can't because if you force yourself too hard, you won't stay on the new "diet" for long,
Add more and more of the healthy vegs and fruits to your daily "diet" and you'll find yourself adjusting very happily to the new "diet" and you'll want more and more of the healthy food.
- Read books and Re-read your old books.
Remind yourself of important stuff that you already know.
Remind yourself of the why's and how's
- Keep opening your mind to new stuff and Keep on learning
- Know what you're doing is right and good for you.
Know that you're taking care of yourself and it will definitely reap the benefit in years to come.

So stay healthy, stay balanced, stay happy :)

So, what do you eat ?

What am I supposed to eat ?

well, what do you usually eat ?
burgers ? hotdogs ?
bagels ? cupcakes ? donuts ?
the best cheesecake in the world ?
gourmet meal of foie gras lathered in expensive butter ?
traditional home cooked food ?

Start with eating more vegetables.
If you absolutely hate vegetables.
Cut them up in small pieces and Mix them with your ordinary food and you won't even feel the vegs.
Add more vegs as you go along.
In time you'll enjoy eating vegetables and even just vegetables.



Try the simple Italian style salad of mixed raw vegetables and olive oil + salt
add croutons / little cubes of baked bread for extra crunch.
or onion rings even.
I know I said refined flour is not good and fried food is bad.
But I find adding little bits of those stuff makes me really really enjoy my salad and makes me so happy and satisfied :)
so I allow it from time to time.

I can't eat raw carrots, I just don't like it, but when I grate them into thin strips, I enjoy eating them raw.
I used to hate the taste of parsley, but mixed with fresh tomatoes, like a tabouli, I totally enjoy it and now I can eat parsley with anything.
As you go along, you'll find new "tricks"
It all takes time and getting used to.

What about fruits ?
A fruit juice is a whole lot better than drinking soft drinks.
A fruit smoothie is a whole lot better than drinking milkshakes.
Fruit slices are a whole lot better than eating cupcakes.

then there are nuts and seeds and sprouts
Sprouts in particular are really good for you because they are "Live" food
they are filled with beneficial enzymes and nutrients.
(well, so are fresh raw fruits and vegs)

Try to avoid these,
but if you can't, Be in Control and eat little portion only of :
- sugar
- fried food
- refined carbs (white rice, white flour, potato)
choose brown rice, whole wheat flour, sweet potato instead
I find that I'm doing fine by not eating most carbs, but you should listen to your body and decide for yourself what's best.

I know it may be a lot harder when you're always busy and you have little time to eat properly.
It's easier when you're at home and you have time to prepare a healthy meal.
But Do at least try to choose Healthier Food.
Make an effort... :)
Mix in more of the healthy stuff with your daily food
and trust me, after a while, you'll want more of those healthier food.

If it sounds un-do-able
Just try baby steps....
and know that you're taking care of yourselves
and before you know it.
You'll look better, you'll have a better skin, better health, a happier Life.
Just try....one step at a time :)

Is there a specific rule to The Healthy Life Diet ?

The Healthy Life Diet has no rule of what to eat and what not to eat.
It's about Listening to your body and being Responsible.
You know eating that big slice of cheesecake is bad for you, yet you ate it anyway, that's not being Responsible.
You need to take care of yourselves.
The Healthy Life Diet is also about having a Happy Healthy Balanced Lifestyle.
It's always going to be evolving because we're always learning and discovering new knowledge and we're always open to new ideas.

We all know what Healthy Foods are
We all know what Healthy Lifestyle is
Some people might be somewhat misguided by what they think they know about Healthy Food / Healthy Lifestyle
But it's okay, We're all here to learn, not to judge

Briefly,
Healthy Food is not overly processed junk food
Healthy Food doesn't contain a lot of sugar, artificial color, artificial flavor, preservatives, MSG, etc
Too much sugar is really bad for you.
Too much of anything is bad.

We know that Healthy Foods can be found in Vegetables and Fruits, Let's start there.

But
Vegetables that's overcooked and too soft/mushy is not healthy food.
Vegetables / Fruits that come out of a can is not considered healthy food.
then there are other issues with pesticides, pollution, soil condition, etc etc

Don't worry too much, just start with what you can
You'll build up your knowledge over time.
We'll continue to learn and in time, we'll want more of the Healthy stuff.

What about Meat and animal products ?
Is meat bad ?
Not necessarily.
Some avoid meat for health reasons
Some avoid meat for ethical reasons
Some meat (cows, pork, chicken, fish) may not be healthy because of hormones, antibiotics, diseases, etc, what they eat also matters.
Some fish contains high level of heavy metals, mercury.
Organic meat may just means they're fed with organic soy instead of organic grass.
A lot of info out there.

So what do you eat if you still eat meat & animal products ?
Try lean meat or milk from grass-fed cows for example.
Try organic free range chicken
Try wild deep-sea fish

But they cost more though ....
Then start with what you can.
Get a good quality lean meat, leave out the fatty bits, and don't deep-fry it.
Let's cut back on the fat, they may clog your arteries.
Don't eat too much of it !!

Same goes with milkshakes, ice creams, cheesecake, sugary desserts, fried food, commercial salad dressings, etc
Don't eat too much of it or better yet, Don't eat them at all.
Start by eating less if you crave them so much.
I used to love ice cream so much, even though I usually get a slight diarrhea after 2-3 scoops of ice cream.
(I think I'm lactose intolerant ;p )
But I kept on eating ice cream despite of the .... you know.
I can withstand the.... you know, as long as I can enjoy the ice cream.
How silly am I ?
The funny thing is, A lot of us are like that, we don't mind the daily bloated uncomfortably full feeling after each meal, just as long as we can satisfy our cravings.
Amazing isn't it ?

I went Vegan 8 months ago and I don't even crave ice cream anymore soon after, up till now.
I'm not saying that you should all avoid ice cream, I'm just saying I listen to my body and not eat ice cream because I don't feel good afterwards.
I love sugary desserts, yes, but I don't feel good after a piece of cheesecake, so why eat it in the firstplace ?
Be in control, have 2 bites if you really want it, but stop there, don't finish a quarter of a pan by yourself.
Be in control and Be responsible.
That's all.

There are a lot of informations out there.
As you start being more responsible and start searching for more information.
You'll definitely learn so much more.
Don't believe 100% of everything you read.
What work for others might not work for you and vice versa.
Listen to your Body, Eat Healthily and Happily. Enjoy your Food. Be Responsible.
and Stop saying "I'll start tomorrow" because you know you'll never start.
So what if it's 4 pm now ? Start now !!

And Remember the Happy Healthy Balanced Lifestyle part.
It's not just about Food, it's about everything in Life
Be Happy, Be Thankful, Enjoy Life.

So, Is "The Healthy Life Diet" a Diet ?

Well, Guess what ?
No, It's not.

It's actually more than that

The Healthy Life Diet focuses on the "Healthy Life" in which the "Diet" is inside the Healthy Life.
and since most of us are eternally looking for a "Diet" that works despite of everything else.
Why not call it a Diet instead ?
Afterall, Food will be a part ot "The Healthy Life Diet"
and it'll definitely make you have your best weight and of course, your best Life :) thus a "Diet"
but The Healthy Life Diet is so much more than just about Food, it's also about everything else in Life.
In short, It's about a Happy Healthy Balanced Life.