The Path to a Leaner You!

The Path to a Leaner You

Most of us simply learned how and what to eat from our parents, who learned it from their parents, and so on. I came from a very humble home where my parents were more concerned with putting food on the table than it being a well-balanced mix of carbs, proteins, and unsaturated fats. Pancake mix (from a box), white bread, gravy-smothered meats, and fried everything was just a way of life. In addition, we simply ate when we thought we were hungry as long as food was available. However, mom didn’t let just anyone bum-rush her refrigerator, especially if you weren’t paying any bills!

   A year ago, that old food philosophy gasped its last breath when I read Harvey and Marilyn Diamond’s detailed concept in their bestselling book, Fit for Life. It opened my eyes and ultimately led to the way I now approach the food and beverages I consume. In this book they touch on our natural body cycles and remind us that failure to adhere to these cycles may upset our bodies and result in various types of gastrointestinal (GI) woes. For example, each day we take in food (appropriation), our body then absorbs and uses some of that food (assimilation), and finally, our body gets rid of what we don’t use (elimination). Although none of these stages occur mutually exclusive of the others, each is more prevalent during certain periods of our daily 24 hour clock. Therefore, Harvey and Marilyn recommend that we keep the following in mind:

·                        Noon to 8 p.m. – Appropriation (Eating and Digestion)

·                        8 p.m. to 4 a.m. – Assimilation (Absorption and Use)

·                        4 a.m. to Noon – Elimination (Of body wastes and food debris)

   Once we see it explained like this, it begins to make sense that naturally we eat and drink during our waking hours (appropriation). While we are sleeping, our body is busy with (assimilation)…ummm… but not like the Borg from Star Trek: The Next Generation (Shout-out to the Trekkies!), but assimilating the nutrients that were absorbed from the food and beverages we consumed earlier. The final step in this 24 hour bio-cycle is elimination. This is why one of the first things most of us do when we rise & shine in the a.m. is head straight for the bathroom. In addition, that dreaded morning breath that’s often kicking like the ghost of Bruce Lee is a result of our body getting rid of waste and toxins.

   Perhaps you are in the habit of eating late and the next morning feeling if someone had slipped you a “mickey.” That’s usually because the assimilation process was thrown off. Your body wants to eat earlier in the evening so that a few hours can pass to allow the food to leave the stomach and the assimilation process can begin around the time you send a knee-mail up to our Heavenly Father just before hitting the bed. Since the food has not yet been digested and you ignored what your mom had been telling you since…forever, about the dangers of “going to bed on a full stomach,” it is not ready to be assimilated. Therefore, you’ve extended the appropriation phase far beyond the 8 p.m. timeline, thereby pushing the assimilation cycle back as well. The natural workings of your body have now become all jacked-up and left feeling like the former D.C. mayor caught in an undercover sting operation at a local hotel. In addition, skipping breakfast in the a.m. will also have the same rippling effect on your body’s natural cycle. Lesson Learned: We should eat when our body expects to be fed. This includes a well-balanced breakfast, lunch, and dinner with a healthy snack between each meal.

   When we are attempting to lose fat, the elimination cycle may just be the most important out of all three phases. Americans are leading the world in our record shattering obesity statistics that clearly show we are consuming way more food and beverages than we should. Unfortunately, since we seem to already master the appropriation phase, we now need to become more aware of how to eliminate the calories and toxins we consume. This is the path to a leaner you!

About the Author: James Hackley earned a B.S. degree in Physics from Longwood College and an M.S. degree in Engineering from the University of Virginia.  He faithfully attends Holy & Whole Life Changing Ministries International in Lansdowne, Va., and his latest book, Body, Mind & Spirit: The Awakening can be purchased by visiting him at www.jameshackley.com , www.Amazon.com, and http://www.barnesandnoble.com.