DIY For Weight Loss This Season

November 30, 2018 Ashley 0 Comments

Ever heard about the experiment with Schrodinger’s cat?

Basically, some sick scientist shoved a feline in a box with poisoned food. And he surmised that, at any given moment from when the box closed, the cat could be assumed both alive and dead. Why? Because we couldn’t see what was going on. Maybe the cat ate the poison. Maybe not. Unfortunately, this is how a lot of us live our lives when it comes to our diets, too. We go to restaurants and order dishes with mystery ingredients. We fail to look at the nutritional labels before buying. We don’t track calories. (Especially around the holidays.) Maybe those quadruple decker pancakes weren’t packed with sugar and butter. Maybe that new peppermint mocha creamer isn’t as bad for me as it tastes (delish). Or, ya know, maybe we did screw ourselves a li’l bit by doing the ostrich routine with our heads in the proverbial sands of blissful ignorance. That’s the Russian roulette we play with a half packed gun. It’s a hungry cat in a box of toxins. And then we wonder why we end up portly with weight we can’t lose. It’s obvi. The cat ate the poison. Just like we knew he would. And he keeps eating it, long after his awesome body’s dead and gone – along with his health.

Okay, well that’s depressing. So… what’s the fix?

It’s simple. Just ask the age old question we’ve been asking since nineteen ninety se7en:

Meet your ingredients.

Get to know them. Blast that blasted cat’s cube open and extract the strychnine from your diet. Instead of dying slowly from an awful diabetes filled diet, DIY your food when you can’t get the nutritional info. Sure, the portion control is important. But we know what we’re doing wrong there. Or when we’re snacking between meals. Or failing to add those drink calories to the daily tally. That’s a glass box where we’re watching the kitty in his death throes, waving at him, and popping another Pringle in our pie holes. What I’m talking about is where we remain intentionally ignorant and hope for the best.

Why do we do this?

So we can enjoy our treats in peace – without guilt. That is, until the pounds pile on. And why is it worse now, during the holiday season? Because the savory temptations are on the rise. From peppermint mochas at Starbucks to the caramel covered something-or-others at your local organic grocer, that poison isn’t just sitting in the box. It’s neon and beaming straight into our brains by way of social media via ads. It’s on the menu of the same place we get our humble cup of coffee every other morning. It’s right next to your usual, healthy choice at Whole Foods, taunting you. How do we DIY with that desire in the way?

Do we have to sit the savory part of Christmas out?

Nope. We can have the best of both worlds by making the friendlier version of all these goodies.

Adding your own peppermint or cacao to your morning coffee can add the same pizazz sans the belly.

Making your own holiday pancakes with coconut oil subs or multigrain batter mixes can be just as fun as it is friendly for the scale. Trading in stevia for sugar when you make baked goods can make a world of difference. Oh, and that Bailey’s cocoa you love? Dark chocolate cocoa with soy and vodka is just as delish. I whipped up a cup of this last weekend and dubbed it “Shot Chocolate”. The plus? When you put the labor of love into your ingredients, you’re also less likely to binge. You worked hard on that shiz. You want it to last. (Except maybe that Shot Chocolate – if you’ve got a family like mine to handle.) Bottom line? When it comes to your waistline, Shrodinger’s cat is either fat and dead or fit and living. And there’s no box to hide the former (except a sartorial casket from Lane Bryant) if the latter’s not happening.

So unwrap the mad scientist’s box this season and save the poor wretched beast inside.

It’ll be the best holiday gift you can give to yourself.