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Maybe this is a generational thing, but perhaps many of you used to use the term, “NOT.” For example, maybe you say something like “I’m going to the store and buy 10 gallons of ice cream and come home and eat all of it at once!” But respond by saying, “Not!” It was a fad just like “cool,” “bad,” “rad” and “sick” all came to be.
This “NOT” terminology still sticks in my mind and I now relate it to this healthy eating lifestyle. To relate this right away, an example would be, “I’m going to have chips and soda with my lunch.” “NOT!”
Just like the rest of the Beyond Diet program, this isn’t rocket science. It’s common sense – I just needed more than 400 characters to explain it. 😉 The point I would like to make here is that so many folks get caught up in trying to figure out which is the best cheese, yogurt or sausage to buy. “Can I have this, or can I have that?” “Is it ok to have an extra carb serving at dinner?” Yet if folks could step back and ask the question, “What am I NOT eating” or “What am I NO longer doing” that is making me feel better, lose weight and become healthier?
Take a step back and think about this. Don’t fret over how to make water taste better, just know how much better and healthier you will be just because you’re NOT drinking soda.
Did you have 3 oz of wild caught tuna for lunch or 4 oz? OR, did you have tuna and NOT a Subway sandwich on wheat bread with mayo?
Organics can (not always) be expensive. However, for many food items, you might also think in terms of what you’re NOT eating. Are you better off having a non-organic strawberry with your plain, non-organic Greek Yogurt or is the bigger picture that you’re NOT having “Eggo” waffles smothered in “I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter” and “Fat Free” syrup made from High Fructose Corn syrup?
Does is matter if you walk on the treadmill, lift weights, do Zoomba or run marathons? OR does it matter that you’re NOT sitting on the couch eating Cheetos and watching Lucy reruns?
I think there’s a pattern here so I probably don’t need any more examples. Hopefully you’re following me.
Yes, learning which foods are more healthy and which ones are bad can be complicated, and in many cases, controversial. Is juicing better than a spinach and egg omelet? Is intermittent fasting better than have 5 meals a day? I don’t know the answer to those questions and clearly those answers are debated every day and will continue to be. What I do know, that any of those choices above are better than eating processed foods. It’s a no brainer, it’s not rocket science, it’s common sense.
The moral of the story? If you find yourself overwhelmed by all the information, the decisions, the meal planning, whatever, just take a step back for a moment and just think about all the things you’re NOT eating or NOT doing anymore. I hope this helps, even just a little.
lonbeyond 
Good post Lon. For me, simplicity is the key to being successful with this. This eating lifestyle can be accomplished fairly easily if you try not to eat anything with a label. A label denotes several ingredients to me. If it has several ingredients, then chances are some of those ingredients are used to preserve or change the taste of the food in some way. Usually they do this with chemicals or forms of sugar. Our great grandparents knew how to eat meals consisting of whole foods, free of the chemicals and pesticides that are now common. . We have an opportunity to return to that way of eating. Eating organic when we can afford it is good. But if we can’t then the next best thing is just whole, one ingredient foods. I do feel that we need to consider the way that the animals that we eat are treated. I will gladly pay more for free range chickens, and meats that are allowed to eat the way nature intended them to eat, and are allowed be out in the sunshine where they belong. I see no need to buy a lot of supplements and products when I can and do get the nutrients that I need to be healthy from good food. “Keep it simple” is my motto.
Thanks MK, exactly! My motto too. K.I.S.S. – I’m sure you’ve heard that one before. Kind of the underlying message to my post now that I think about it. Keep it simple, if you just drink water, then you don’t have to fret over which “flavored” water is better for you. I wrote about supplements too – take them if they address a problem, not “just because.”
Thanks for your comment, I completely agree.
Haha Lon! You just brought me back to my middle school years. I think “NOT” just may resurface in my vocabulary again. I just might try it with my new middle school students and see if it catches on! I learned KISS from my very first principal as a first year teacher. It has been my philosophy of life ever since. I always love your blog Lon – thanks for sharing!
Thanks Kim! Yeah, I specifically said “generational” cause I didn’t want to age myself… Heck, I can’t even remember when that was popular. Yup, simple is good. Thanks for the comment!
Hi Lon,
I remember when you said those exact same words to me, and have seen you reply in same to many others. Upon reading your comment, I realized you were absolutely right, of course. We are all looking for the answer to our prayers, and as BD newbies we tend to focus on the written allowances as the “bible of rules” to reach our coveted goal. We become stuck there. Unable to independently allow any deviation for fear of derailing our efforts and forever keeping us from attaining the prize. I now liken it to my automobile trips. When I travel, I like to keep a map, so I can turn off the highway and enjoy the variety of suburban and rural sights and still never get lost. I like to think of BD this way. I shoot for my destination, but I might take an occasional side trip or two. After all, we are human. Thanks for the nudge to look at the “Nots.” Take care.
Thanks Cynthia! I’m glad to know that it all makes sense now. Great analogy with the road trips! Does it matter if you take the freeway from SF to LA? (kinda like sticking exactly with BD) Or is it ok to take the side roads, new roads, paved or gravel? In the end, you make good driving decisions and you make it to your destination.
Thanks for the comment, I’m glad it helped.
I agree with everyone and have found success this way- I do use organic whenever possible and am probably 90% but I am also GF which isnt always organic and you have to read the labels- never HFCS in organics but many times in GF. I dont weigh and count servings but I have been BD long enough to know when I have done well or not enough- my struggle is I work 12.5 hour days with no break so I struggle with getting enough. I lose weight on my days off and stay the same on work days- luckily I only work 2 days a week and every other weekend. I use nuts to supplement at night and a hard boiled egg without the yolk during the day. The new greek yogurt Fage has 12-13 g of protein per container and no added sugar- there are fat free, low fat and regular varrities though so look closely- for days I cannot make and eat eggs it is a good breakfast substitute – has to grow on you though as it is thick and different from yogurt and much thicker then organic yogurt. Thanks for sharing
Thanks for leaving the comment Wendy, I appreciate it. Your comment just goes to show how we often just have to adapt and shouldn’t necessarily depend on, or expect too much from a “program” or a “diet.” The shared info is invaluable – take it and run with it.
I simply have to comment here! I LOVE the side road analogy! If you take the side roads it may take you longer to get to your destination, but isn’t that the purpose so you don’t miss the sites? Just like BD…. if you detour too far, too often, you might not reach your goal as fast, but you’ll still get there and you’ve lived your life the way you want to and realisticly. FANTASTIC IDEAS!
Got so wrapped up that I made a usage error. You don’t want to miss the sights, not sites. LOL
Good to read about,I got useful information from the article.
My thoughts exactly. This will probably be the last “diet” that I will ever be on…. Totally healthy.You would not believe the number of eating plans that I have either researched or been on. This fits exactly with the science that brings good health. Weight loss just happens to be a side effect for those who are overweight. No more bloating or gassy tummy for me. No more hunger pangs because of bad food choices. Not everyone could eat this way because they are so addicted to bad foods but if they just knew how much better they would feel, well, it is just a no brainer.
Thanks for the comment Glenda!
Hi, having just started the BD diet plan, I am feeling a bit dazed and confused!!! so much to read, and keep up with filling in all the foods I eat!!! so, your message came at just the right time for me!! On the whole, I am doing ok……my biggest weakness being diet soda’s…….but, in time I will give them up, I’m certainly not drinking as many a day as I used to!! and I found spelt bread in my local store (in England these thing’s are harder to source) discovering it’s a tasty alternative to my normal wholemeal bread. Who knew?
Love this community of fellow BD dieters, so much inspiration and help to aid in keeping me with the programme. Thanks….and kepp on keeping on!! Caz x
Thanks for taking the time to write a note Carolyn. Yeah, it can be pretty intimidating at first. Take your time, learn the “whys” about good vs bad, processed foods and that will help you in your decisions on what you eat. don’t worry about the “how much” or “what type” in the beginning. Making a decision to drop the diet soda is perhaps the biggest step. I too was a daily Diet Coke drinker for years. One day I just told myself that “I no longer drink soda.” and that was the last. Maybe not so easy, but something you need to do. Best of luck to you.
Hi, thanks so much for you very earnest reply, what do you use as a sustitute then? is it ok to drink carbonated mineral water instead? Thanks ,Caz .
Carolyn, do you mean a substitute for diet soda? This will different for everyone, but for me I simply quit drinking Diet coke and drink pretty much just plain (filtered) water from my fridge. I don’t see anything wrong with carbonated mineral water, you just want to make sure there are no added ingredients. My wife just got one of those “SodaStream” devices that carbonates water. It works pretty well. Even seltzer or club soda is probably ok. But really, water is the best choice. You can flavor it with lemon, slices of fruit, cuccumber, whatever if you need flavor, but in the end, it’s just so important that we don’t drink the sodas and drinks with all those added chemicals and “stuff.” Another way to put it, I choose health over flavor. Hope this helps.
Hi again. Thanks for you advice. Really appreciate it. Carbonated mineral water only from now on. Best wishes. C.
Carolyn, I forgot to mention an important thing. carbonated water and mineral water are fine I believe, but also remember that BD recommends drinking half your body weight in water. So, for ex., you weigh 150lbs, you should drink at least 75OZ of water. If you can drink that much carbonated water, that’s fine, but personally I would still try and drink as much fresh water as reasonably possible and save the carbonated stuff for the “replacement” times. Now, like everything else, it’s not a set in stone rule to drink 1/2 your body weight… again,the bigger picture – your body NEEDS water, it flushes toxins, replenishes fluids, and all those things. Sorry for the lengthy replies… there’s always something. 😉
HI. Holy Moley…you sure know a lot about all this stuff. I will bear all your tips in mind when making my choices. Thankyou for all your advice and for taking the time to reply. C.
Lon I always enjoy your comments most are right on. I started BD March 12 th so about the same as your first anniversary. I started at 238 although I put down 233 on the BD site,strange how even starting a weight loss program it’s hard to put down one’s true weight. I just got back from 1 weeks vacation and only gained a pound now weigh 206 and need to focus on loosing the last 20 . I had double hip replacement little over a year ago and you gave me encouragement on my bike riding,am still riding 10 miles2-3 times a week. I also find it helpful to journal and follow the share page on BD. Your page about not’s hits the nail on the head,I think it is just as much about what were not doing as what we are doing. Thanks and continued success.
Dan, thanks very much and for taking the time to comment. Congrats on your success too! Hope you’re recovered from hip surgery. That had to be a much bigger deal and recovery than my knee surgery! Best of luck – back at ya.