Addition Over Subtraction

There’s no one, where Mad Girl Math is concerned, who likes subtraction.  It means deprivation, taking away, starvation… ultimately, it means malnutrition.  It works like this:

1.       Carbs are bad. I will subtract them from my diet. (Me – Carbs = Thin and miserable)

2.       Fat and oil make me fat.  Subtract them.  (Me – Fat = Thin, but bitchy)

3.       I eat too much; I need to subtract calories.  (Me – LOTS of calories = Thin for as long as I can stand it)

Here’s the problem with Mad Girl Math subtraction:  it never works.  A period of deprivation and starvation is nearly always followed by a period of bingeing.  After all, subtraction is based on will power, and we’re human.  At some point down the road, we will each face a day when we’re not as strong as we’d like to be, our awareness is low, our defenses are down.  And kapowee, the binge sets in.  And oh, what a glorious rant of self-destruction and self-loathing ensues.

There’s an alternative to subtraction.  It’s addition.  It’s not based on self-deprivation, so no will power is required.  Instead, it’s based on self-reward, self-care and self-respect.  And giving up the Mad Girl Math to stop punishing ourselves gives us freedom to focus on what’s required for us to thrive.  The addition approach works like this:

My body needs 500 – 600 calories a day in vegetables, about half of those raw, to take in the phytonutrients required for me to thrive.   If I ADD 600 calories in vegetables to my current diet (two cups salad, two cups green leafy or cruciferous vegetables, and another two cups mixed vegetables), what will I “crowd out” because I’m full?

Go ahead, call me crazy.  Seven cups of vegetables??  If I only eat 1,200 calories a day, how can 600 of them be vegetables?  First of all, 1,200 calories per day is starvation and deprivation.  Second, when you eat 600 calories in vegetables FIRST, you’ll find that miracles happen.  Your cravings for sugar will reduce, your energy level will soar, your skin tone will improve, the whites of your eyes will become whiter. You will be satisfied in a way you’ve never been before.   I kid you not.

The number one vegetable in America is ketchup.  Number two?  French fries.  Seven cups of natural, beautifully-colored vegetables grown straight from the earth may seem outrageous, but only because we’ve gotten so far away from what’s natural.  Add the veggies in.  And as you do, focus on the additions to your life:  mental clarity, energy, power to fight disease, digestive health… weight loss. 

One way to do this is with smoothies.  If you’re averse to drinking something green, I totally understand.  It freaked me out at first, too.  But the amount of nutrients that go into a properly-made smoothie is astounding, and the taste is surprisingly refreshing.  If you’re a junk-foodie, making and drinking your own smoothies comes with an actual sense of pride.  Mark my words, you will brag about it to your friends.

Try this:  one cup almond milk (original, unsweetened), two cups spinach, ½ cup frozen pineapple, ½ cup mixed frozen berries, one lemon (peeled), stevia liquid drops to taste. 

Add it in, and then tell me about it.  And for this month, join me in laying down the minus signs.  They’re not getting us to the answers we deserve.