The weather is turning cooler and that means it’s soup time! Doesn’t this Pasta e Fagioli look amazing? It’s more of a stew than soup and absolutely one of my favorites.
Before I share the recipe with you, I’d like to ask a few kind of personal questions. Are you at a healthy weight? How do you know? What exactly does “healthy weight” mean anyway? Is it about your health or is it about your weight?
According to the CDC, you are within the healthy weight range if your BMI is 18.5 to 24.9. Your BMI or Body Mass Index is a measure of how much you weigh compared to how tall you are. In other words, your bathroom scale decides whether or not you are a healthy person. Does that sound right to you?
Consider this: true health is so much more than a number on the scale.
Achieving and maintaining a healthy weight is supported by healthful, enjoyable living that includes mindful, pleasurable eating and physical activity, adequate hydration, effective stress management, sufficient good quality sleep, and much more. It is not just a number achieved through restricting what you eat and/or excessively exercising to weigh less.
For many of my clients, the scale is more of a “mood indicator” than anything else. If they lost weight, it’s a good day and they are in a good mood. If they failed to lose weight, it’s a bad day and they are in a bad mood. How can this be healthy? Constantly weighing, obsessing over the number on the scale, and restricting food (aka, dieting) is NOT healthy. In fact, it can actually do more harm than good and here’s why.
Consider this as an alternative –
If the number on the scale determines your mood and you are using it as a reason to restrict food or excessively exercise, try this instead.
Let your weight gravitate to where it’s naturally meant to be by taking really good care of yourself. In other words, engage in self-care behaviors on a consistent basis. Get enough good quality sleep, drink adequate water, find ways to manage your stress, provide your body with nourishing foods and eat mindfully, and get moving every day.
Proper self-care requires effort and unfortunately many people are looking for a quick fix instead. This is the mindset that makes dieting so popular although it has been scientifically proven time and again that strict DIETS DO NOT WORK for most people over the long haul.
If you’re ready to STOP dieting and find a real solution, let’s talk. Together we can create a plan to help you achieve your personal best weight and health without all the craziness of dieting.
Message me or call 732-494-1149. Let’s get started with a conversation.
Lorraine Matthews-Antosiewicz, MS, RD
PS –Don’t forget to grab this yummy recipe for Pasta e Fagioli (Italian Pasta and Beans)!
