Best Exercise To Lose Weight? Push Away From The Table When Hunger Is Gone

Does watching the Olympics make you want to work out more- you know, get in good shape like those amazing athletes?

From working in fitness for years, and from understanding the difference between a diet mentality and a thin mentality, here is what I know.

Being fit and working out is great for your body, heart and soul.  It is also a good way to make friends, if you play a sport, go to a gym, or go to a group class.  And working out at home is great too.  Just getting  your blood pumping and muscles warm makes everything work better.

But- unless you are training like an Olympian, trying to use exercise to lose weight is not nearly as effective as learning how to reconnect eating and true hunger.

Please don’t misinterpret this.  Exercise is great and does burn calories.  But you know what your smart body will do?  Your body will respond with more hunger.  This is of course normal and good.

So if you work out more, you will crave more food to compensate.  So, in order to lose weight as you exercise and develop your thin mentality you must make sure that you keep checking in with yourself to see if you “could be done.”

As in, “I lifted and ran today and it felt great.  But I was really ravenous afterwards and went out for my favorite dinner.  I was so hungry that I ate a lot and felt bloated and like I overate at the end.”

Yes this happens to many people who work out.  So use your thin mentality to be smart. Don’t overeat because you are ravenous from your workout- just keep checking in with yourself- “Could I be done or am I still hungry?”  And if you notice that when you eat really fast you tend to overeat, then it is perfectly compatible with a thin mentality to learn from that.  Say to yourself, “I have noticed that when I eat after I work out I tend to eat past hunger because I eat so fast, so I make a conscious effort to slow down a bit.”

Remember, building your thin mentality is a lot about learning about yourself and what works for you.

So as you watch the Olympics, don’t promise yourself that you will run 5 extra miles this week.  Instead, say that will pay close attention to your hunger when you eat so that you make sure you don’t over eat because your work out spiked your hunger.

The best “exercise” of all for getting to your ideal weight is pushing away from the table when hunger is gone –   Many of you know this is one of my favorite sayings…