During the day I studied Buddhist philosophy and history taught by monks, and by night I ate my weight in carbs. Garlic naan, white rice, probably hundreds of dumplings … After a 36-hour journey home, I found her at the airport and she looked at me in confusion and said, “You are skin and bones!” I stepped on the scale later that day and found that I had lost nearly 20 pounds over the course of two months. Two months of not denying myself anything, eating to my heart’s content, and not slaving away on a treadmill. I was in shock. Life, and I with it, moved slowly there. I meditated daily. When I ate, I ate. I didn’t scroll through my Instagram feed while shoveling lunch down my throat. I didn’t punish myself with exercise or restrict my food intake. I relaxed, I allowed, and I ate consciously. Why this made such a difference was that my body had shifted out of the chronic stress response that it had endured, very typical for a college kid with sleepless nights cramming for organic chemistry exams. When the body is exposed to this constant level of stress, stress hormones increase, metabolism decreases, cravings increase, and fat storage increases. When the stress stopped, my body was able to reset and once again find its natural weight. Here are the four most important tools for healthy, sustainable, and enjoyable weight loss: That’s how to eat croissants and still lose weight. Is it still important to eat your veggies and other nutrient-dense foods? Yes! But by following these tips, making changes to your diet will be more sustainable and allow you to create balance in your life. It’s also important to pinpoint what threw you off balance and have people support you through the process.
