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“It’s time to give yourself a wider path that you can stay on forever.”
It just doesn’t make sense to try to be perfect (whatever that is) Sunday through Friday while obsessing about everything you’re going to eat on your day off. Then on Saturday, you overeat just because you’re allowed to and you end up feeling miserable all day. Personally, I would rather enjoy eating the foods I love every day mindfully and in moderation.
MYTH 6: EAT X NUMBER OF CALORIES OR POINTS EVERY DAY Does it make sense that you would need exactly the same amount of fuel every day? Aren’t there days when you are hungrier than others, maybe because of your activity levels or hormonal cycle? Rather than setting yourself up to “cheat” on those hungry days and forcing yourself to eat more food than you want on your less hungry days, allow yourself the flexibility to adjust your intake based on your actual needs rather than an arbitrary number. For this to work long term, you also need to learn to tell the difference between physical hunger and head hunger.
MYTH 7: CARBS ARE BAD (OR FAT IS BAD) This “good food/bad food” thinking makes certain foods special. As a result, you may feel deprived and think about them even more than you did before. Worse yet, healthy foods become a four-letter word. The truth is, all foods fit into a healthy diet. Since different foods have various nutritional qualities and calorie content, you can use the principles of balance, variety and moderation to guide you without trying to restrict an entire food group.
FACT: YOU ARE IN CHARGE I assume the “rule makers” are well-intentioned and don’t realize they’ve created a tight rope that most people will fall off of sooner or later. If your head hasn’t already told you all these rules are crazy, isn’t your heart saying there must be a better way? It’s time to give yourself a wider path that you can stay on forever. Allow yourself the flexibility to make any decision by considering the advantages and disadvantages of your choices, always keeping self-care in mind. pW Michelle May, M.D. is a recovered yo-yo dieter and the founder of the Am I Hungry? Mindful Eating Program, which received the Excellence in Patient Education Innovation Award. She is also the award-winning author of “Am I Hungry? What to Do When Diets Don't Work” and “Eat What You Love, Love What You Eat: How to Break the Eat-Repent-Repeat Cycle.” INFOLINK:
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the Expert Q: Do women have different heart attack symptoms than men? A: Heart attack symptoms can vary greatly from person to person, and women’s and diabetics’ symptoms are sometimes more subtle than men’s. Your best defense is to be aware of as many different symptoms as possible, including: • Discomfort, fullness, tightness, squeezing or pressure in the center of the chest • Pressure or pain that spreads to the upper back, shoulders, arms, neck or jaw • Dizziness or nausea • Clammy sweats, heart flutters, or paleness • Unexplained feelings of anxiety, fatigue, or weakness—especially with exertion • Stomach or abdominal discomfort • Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing If you experience heart attack symptoms, call 911 immediately and take an aspirin to reduce blood clotting and to help blood flow through your heart. Even if you think you’re healthy, that call could still be a lifesaver. Not everyone experiences all of the classic symptoms of a heart attack. For instance, Cave Creek resident Andrea Markowitz says she had sharp pains in her ears and throat, shortness of breath, and the sensation of a straight jacket tightening around her torso and arms. Because she had never smoked, wasn’t overweight, ate sensibly and exercised regularly, she just let it pass. But the next morning, the symptoms struck again. Markowitz took an aspirin and asked her husband to call 911. She was successfully treated at Scottsdale Healthcare Shea Medical Center. Scottsdale Healthcare has a coordinated team approach to get heart attack patients taken care of as rapidly as possible. It begins with the paramedics, who call the emergency department physicians and communicate the patient’s EKG and symptoms. The Society of Chest Pain Centers has accredited Scottsdale Healthcare Shea Medical Center, Scottsdale Healthcare Osborn Medical Center and Scottsdale Healthcare Thompson Peak Hospital as Certified Chest Pain Centers. This means each hospital meets or exceeds a wide set of stringent criteria, including coordinated training and care between local emergency medical service providers and the hospitals’ emergency rooms, cardiac cath labs and cardiologists in treating patients with chest pain and heart attacks. “Women should know their numbers,” says Nurse Practitioner April Bramini of the Women’s Diagnostic Center at Scottsdale Healthcare Shea. “That’s why we offer a Heart Health Evaluation. In a one-hour appointment, tests determine your cholesterol breakdown, blood pressure, body mass index, blood sugar and your personalized risk of having a heart attack in the next 10 years. Results are provided during the same appointment.” To schedule a consultation or Heart Health Evaluation, call April Bramini at 480.323.3663. Visit www.shc.org for more information.
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