Calories – and calorie counting – have been the mainstay of weight loss regimes for many years, regardless of how they’re packaged or marketed. Or which celebrity is endorsing them (!). 

 

The logic is quite simple. We all know it by heart, it goes like this: 

 

Excess calories = weight gain. 

 

Therefore fewer calories = weight loss. 

 

Which naturally leads on to the “more is better” approach. Or, more accurately, “less is better” one (!). 

 

In other words, the more controlled and restricted the diet is, the fewer calories are consumed and the greater – and quicker – the weight loss. Well, in theory (!). Which means we can then go back to eating the foods we really want to. 

It’s something we all do automatically – and unconsciously – from time to time. Usually when one of our buttons are being pressed or our emotions threaten to overwhelm us, both positively and less so (!). Often a couple of deep breaths – or counting to 10 – are all that’s needed. A potential downward spiral is averted and everyone concerned lives to fight another day. Well, hopefully, not fight but you know what we mean… 

 

So why are deep breaths so powerful and often save the day? 

Go into any shop selling food – or, more often, food like products rather than real food (!) – and you’re virtually guaranteed to go past a shelf of energy drinks on your way to the till. Or, all too often, conveniently placed within easy reach along with other sugary snacks as you wait for your turn to pay. 

 

Marketed as a quick and easy way to boost energy levels, sales have rocketed in the last few years, with no end in sight. Along with a take away coffee and sugary snack, they’re used by many people to kick start their day instead of breakfast. Or, in the evening, with alcohol to keep going late into the night. And, while we’ve all seen the short term effects of both approaches – although, hopefully, not directly from personal experience (!) – very little thought seems to be given to the long term consequences… 

With the relentless pace of modern life, it’s easy to lose track of ourselves. To be so focussed on the physical world “out there”, we forget who we really are “in here.” 

 

So, this week, a little reminder we’re so much more than what’s “out there.”