Peggie Larsen

The word diet.

The word implies sacrifice. The word implies deprivation. The word implies restriction. The word implies fun killer.

And then we think a little bit more and keto, intermittent fasting, low carb, grapefruit and whatever other “diet” comes to mind.

Actually, Dictionary tells me that diet is “the kinds of food that a person, animal, or community habitually eats.” So in other words, it just a way of eating. That’s it.

It has gotten so convoluted in today’s society and we usually take it to mean something different. It now often implies “the use of specific intake of nutrition for health or weight-management reasons (with the two often being related). So it has been changed to most of the time mean weight-management. Trying to lose weight or trying to lose fat.

It is so interesting to see how the whole diet culture thing got started. I just use the Google machine and found out that In the early 1900s an overweight businessman slimmed down and made dieting a pop culture phenomenon. He popularized his Chewing Diet. WTF? He recommended that people chew their food until it became liquid. In theory this would prevent them from overeating. And so it began.

There was an even earlier popular diet that an English undertaker brought to light. It was called “Banting.” Banting wrote a booklet which contained the particular plan for the diet he had successfully followed. This diet consisted of mainly low carb, high fat that mostly restricted starchy, processed and sugary foods. Instead it promoted intake of wholesome foods in order to lose weight. Perhaps the beginning of a keto-type way of eating.

As the diet culture evolved, diet became interchangeable with these words and phrases: fast, abstinence, intake, restricted diet, quantity, restriction, starvation, nutritional therapy and regimen.

Diet culture is toxic. It can make you feel guilty for enjoying the so-called unhealthy foods. It can make you feel that you have to be skinny in order to be beautiful. It can make you think food is good or bad. It labels your food choices. It labels how you look. It normalizes negative self talk. It makes you feel like a piece of crap if you don’t look a certain way.

I prefer to have my clients eat as much as they can and still lose weight, rather than restrict as much as they can. The restriction can be such a mind fuck. I hate the fact that that is what most diets do. The calories go so low that a person is bound to feel pissed off, hangry, tired and overall crappy. It’s no wonder they go right back to eating more when this diet is “done” after 30 days. That is another complaint I have with the whole diet culture. You can’t be done. It doesn’t work that way.

Those 30 days diets do nothing but show you how to restrict. I mean seriously, if you know you are going to start one of those 30 days plans, what are you doing the few days before your start date? You are eating everything in sight and you are eating every single food you have had a craving for in the last year because you know you are going to be restricted and won’t be able to have that food on your 30 day plan. How is that any way to live?

I would much rather enjoy the foods I love and still be able to lose fat, if that is my goal. When you are “allowed” to have the foods you want and the foods you love, it makes it so much easier to stay on track. I don’t know about you, but when I get told I “can’t have” certain foods, that is all I think about. If I am told you only get 1000 calories, that’s all I think about and then all I want to do is eat everything. The mind is such an amazing thing. It’s amazing how the things we tell ourselves manifest into our daily.

There is growing research supporting the flexible eating approaches as more superior to the rigid and restrictive approaches. The naysayers and food snobs tend to be the groups that shit on the approaches that actually help people build better relationships with food and can then see progress because they allow themselves to eat the foods they love without the restrictions or extremes. I believe in eating mostly nutrient dense foods with treats added in some of the time. For me this approach has worked amazing. I have seen great results and I am not constantly wanting something I have been told I can’t have.

There are so many ways of eating and the key is finding what works for you. Ask yourself if what you are doing is sustainable for the long haul. Focus on what you can control.

I have worked hard on letting go of that diet mentality and the diet mindset. It has not been easy. I work on myself every single day. It takes time, but it is worth the feeling of freedom. I am so done with diet jail. The “hack” is finding the balance. It can take years to find that balance. The line is fine between enjoying life and setting boundaries around your health goals. I walk it every single day.

For so many, there is so much pain in the day-to-day, that we look for anything to help. The quick fix and the 30 day detox sound inviting. They may give you a quick hit of weight loss, not fat loss. There is a difference. But, then instead of keeping that off after the 30 days, it comes right back and then some. Because that way of eating is not sustainable, so the results will not be sustainable. Take the time to change. Take the time to get in the process and learn how your body reacts to things. Learn how to track calories or macros, or start smaller. You deserve to feel good. That is your priority. Feeling better is the name of the game. Looking better is a side effect.

Start rejecting the whole diet culture toxicity. Change the way you talk to yourself. Be positive. Change the language you use around your food. Change the language you use around how you describe your body. Change the language you use to describe your health. Don’t feel guilty because you eat foods you love. Don’t feel guilty and then go do hours of cardio. Exercise because you love your body, not because you hate it. Stop being ashamed.

My clients aren’t coming to me to look like a 20 year old again. My clients want to feel better. They want to feel better in their skin. They want to make changes that are going to last. That takes time. That takes effort. And that takes discomfort. Stepping into the unknown can be very scary. You have to choose what’s more important to you. You have to choose your hard. It’s hard to be unhealthy. It’s hard to get and stay healthy. Choose where you want to be.

And before all the hate comes bubbling up, it is a-okay to want to change how you look. Change because you want to, not because someone is telling you to. Change because you are making the choice. Don’t let someone try to make that choice for you. It’s up to you. It can take time to get there, but be true yourself and trust that you will rise.

All I ever wanted was to be a mom. I remember playing house as a kid. I always knew I wanted to have kids. I think people know. I did. It was just something I knew would happen. 

It happened to me four times. I was blessed with healthy babies four times. 

I loved being pregnant. It’s such a miracle and I was lucky to not have any problems with my pregnancies. 

Baby #1 – I was 22 when she was born. I was so excited. I didn’t know if she was a boy or a girl and waited for the surprise. My labor was relatively short about 10 hours total. A 7 pound girl. Teeny tiny. I had no idea what I was doing, but I had good instincts. They kicked in and we lived to see another day. LOL. We fumbled our way through the first baby stage and beyond. She had no hair and everyone thought she was a boy. Due date was the 19th and she was born on the 22nd. Three days late. At this time I was married to my first husband. He was in the Navy and we lived in Oak Harbor, WA, Whidbey Island Naval Base.

I had great friends there. So many young women wanting to be mothers, pregnant at the same time. One friend and I had the same due date. We were both so excited on our way to becoming first time mothers. Almost 35 years ago. So hard to believe it’s been that long. She didn’t get that baby. God did. Her baby passed away a week before we were due. She had to wait and deliver a stillborn baby. It was so hard. I felt so bad for her and guilty for having a healthy baby. Rest In Peace Baby Holly. 

Baby #2 – I was 24 years old. Another one where the sex was a surprise. He was a big boy. My labor was very short – about 4 hours this time. A big boy, 8 pounds 14 ounces. A chunker. 19 months after the first one. He was also born at the naval base. The bond was immediate. You hear about it all the time. It’s there. Babies are amazing. The emotions flooding through the body. Being responsible for another life is such a privilege. This guy was due on the 20th and wasn’t born until the 28th. Very late. His big sister was the most loving and helpful sister. She also had that immediate bond with him. 

Baby #3 – I was 27 years old. This baby was born in Pierre, SD. He was 7 pounds 13 ounces. This baby gave me grief. My labor was hard and intense. All back labor and all pain labor. By the time I finally asked for pain mediations, I was told it was too late. This guy made quite the entrance. He struggled a bit with the cord wrapped around his neck and a bruised and purple face, but he did okay. His due date was never set in stone, so I will say he arrived right on time on the 30th. This baby was truly unique. Always smiling and such a good baby. 

Baby #4 – I was 35 years old. This baby was also born in Pierre, SD. We thought it was a girl, but we were not 100 percent sure. She weighed 7 pounds 6 1/2 ounces. This labor was not bad. I was at the hospital just a few hours before she was born. The cord was also around her neck and she was purple, but the nurses were amazing. Everything okay. Everything all good. Another beautiful baby. Another miracle. She was due the 11th and was born the 21st. The latest one of the four. 

Corie, Spencer, Thomas and Tayler – thanks for choosing me to be your mom. 

So what is a mom anyway?

Being a mom is unconditional love

Being a mom is feeling overwhelmed and under knowledged

Being a mom is letting your kids flourish and empowering them to be their own person.

Being a mom is letting your kids make mistakes and trying not to fix them.

Being a mom is helping your kids to thrive.

Being a mom is being a cheerleader.

Being a mom is cherishing every single memory.

Being a mom is a big job.

Being a mom takes responsibility and heart and grit.

Being a mom is the shoulder to cry on.

Being a mom is hard.

Being a mom is rewarding. 

Being a mom is love. 

Being a mom is worry. That never goes away. 

So Corie, Spencer, Thomas and Tayler – I thank you. I love you, I’m always here for you and I will always worry about you. Every. Single. Day

Do you even really need a goal?  Can you make progress without a goal or goals? 

Do you feel like if you don’t have a goal you can’t make any progress? What say you?

I say you can make progress without goals. 

But what is a goal? A goal is a noun. Yes, I think I’m funny.

By definition a goal is: 

the end toward which effort is directed 

So a goal is something we work towards. The outcome of our effort. Something we want to achieve. Well Peggie, don’t you think we need that when we are trying to accomplish something? Sure, but do you really need it? 

Are you doomed if you don’t have a goal? Are you doomed if you don’t have all the ways you are going to get to that goal, because by God, you are going to do it this time. You told yourself this is the last time you are going to go on a diet. You sat down and wrote down all the things and checked all the boxes and filled in all the lines. You got this. It’s there on the paper. Right there. 

Think about it. What if you just did the things you know you should be doing? How many times have you said to yourself, “I know what I should do.” What if you just did those things most of the time? Do you think you could get away from the diet atmosphere and the punishing yourself 30 days to fat loss challenges? Do you think you would feel better knowing you didn’t have to take away all the food you love and kill yourself in the gym with cardio? Exercise is supposed to make us feel better and get stronger, not make us feel like shit because we are trying to punish ourselves for what we ate. 

When it comes to fitness and fat loss people often think more is better. By more being better, I mean more activity. That is not necessarily the case. BUT, whenever you hear someone say they want to lose weight, and by weight they mean fat, the first thing they go to is more activity. It’s just crazy. So many times the last resort for people is changing the diet. Because in their minds they think food has to be become super restrictive. They think they need to eat nothing but chicken breast and broccoli. That thinking and acting usually backfires. Spoiler alert, restriction comes wrapped in foods that aren’t fun and don’t taste the greatest either. 

If people would do less of the things they think they need to do, such as more burpees, and more cardio and more food restrictions, more calorie restriction and more cleanses and also maybe stop looking for the hacks and the tricks that make things easier they might realize it takes time and consistency to see results. So if you get consistent with those things you know you “should” be doing, you will probably run into some pretty awesome results. When you stop restricting your food and stop depriving yourself so much, you might notice that every single weekend you aren’t going crazy and eating and drinking all the things. 

If you allow yourself to have these things it can go a long way in seeing some progress. Not just physical, but mental and emotional as well. I don’t know about you, but I love pizza and I love bagels and pasta. I don’t eat them all the time, but I eat them. I don’t restrict myself. If there is something I have been craving, I work it into my day and if I can’t work it into my day, I will work it in the next day. 

But Peggie, you’ve been doing this for forever. That’s how you learn. New things can be hard and new things can be overwhelming. That’s part of learning. I bet if you played an instrument, it took you longer than a month to be good at it. That’s the same with our health. It takes patience and consistent practice. 

When you stop listening to all the noise out there and start doing the simple things, amazing things begin to happen. People don’t want to believe that though. They think it has to be hard. They think it has to be complicated. It really doesn’t. 

Don’t you think there is an easier way? A way that doesn’t keep us on the diet roller coaster and constantly has us playing the shame game. If your goal is to lose fat, maybe try some of the things you know you should be doing instead of the shiny objects that never work. 

So do you want to know that I think the things are that you should be doing? And my no means should you go all in and change everything at once. You can take baby steps. These are the things I encourage: Emphasize protein, Eat more fruits and vegetables, get at least 7 hours of sleep every night, reduce your stress, walk every day, strength train (especially women – get after it), drink water and learn how to let shit go. 

So, I think you don’t need a concrete goal in order to lose fat. I think you need more habits and behavior change. Start doing something and you can be well on your way to seeing changes in your body and in your mind. So make some effort. Invest your time in getting a little bit better every day.