Don't Diet -- Live!
When you adopt the Italian style of losing or maintaining your weight, you can finally say good-bye to neurotic dieting behavior that makes your life miserable and doesn't lead to lasting weight loss anyway. There's no sense of deprivation because you eat well. You just limit your eating to three meals a day in appropriate proportions -- with an occasional snack, because Italians like to feel that they can break rules.
Weight Loss, Italian-Style! is not a fad. It's about getting back to the common sense you lost somewhere along the way -- probably because it's not taught in schools and is certainly not demonstrated in the majority of American families. (And don't get me started on what Madison Avenue and the advertising industry does!)
I won't bore you with a bunch of technical stuff. Personally, I don't like counting calories because it's not natural. I don't like getting on bathroom scales, either, because they can drive you crazy. I'd rather just enjoy my food and my life and think that you would probably rather just do that, too. Eating is not a problem as long as you follow a few simple guidelines. I like those contained in the proverb:
Eat well, drink in moderation, and sleep sound.
In these three, good health abounds.
The Italian way of eating is to eat well, in a way that's healthy, satisfying, and sane. It's about feeling nourished by delicious, satisfying food that's prepared simply and eaten under the right circumstances, in sensible portions. It's about putting food back in its proper perspective so that you can live a life not dominated by dieting and weight issues.
We're talking about exchanging quantity for quality. About eating less but making it better and more satisfying. The Italian secret is to enjoy great food within limits rather than mediocre junk piled high on a plate -- or out of a bag or can.
Don't worry. You won't starve. It's my contention that if you start eating the kinds of foods that really fulfill your body's needs, you'll be satisfied with less than when you graze or stuff yourself with junk food, or when you starve, then stuff. Good food in proper proportion, as opposed to junk, is restorative for the body. Eating a robust, healthy diet really will put a brake on your desire to snack.
There's a refined joy in learning a new way of being -- in feeling good about your choices and knowing you can trust yourself not to be hijacked by sweets or whatever thwarts you and destroys your resolve. Giving in to desires never gets rid of them. They're immediately replaced by new desires. Good habits serve you so much better in the long run. They are your invisible food chastity belt.
So, this is really about creating a whole new relationship with food. Eat sumptuous foods in small quantities. Save up for the banquet; don't eat the slop. You won't miss the quantity because the quality is so much better.
Dieting is not living. Counting calories can become an obsession that sucks the joy out of eating. If you've lost your sense of what a normal portion is, you may need to count calories in the beginning, if that's what you do now. But by retraining your food monitor, your goal is to reach the point where you know just by looking at food what's right for you and how much to eat. There was a time in your life when you could do this. Your body has a memory of what that was like and would really appreciate a return to it!