began to pay attention while she was eating. She started
to notice when she was hungry and when she was full, and
she gradually came to really taste each mouthful of food.
She ate at the table, turned off her TV and learned to be
grateful for every meal.
“I made a simple fruit, toast and scrambled egg
breakfast one morning, and I was amazed at how I was
really enjoying what I was eating,” she says. “I rediscovered what food tasted like.”
Total health is about physical well-being, as well
as emotional and spiritual well-being. My goal
has been to focus on holistic health and wellness,
to adopt — and keep — a healthy lifestyle.
““
Nelson breaks for a healthy
snack during a hiking trip
at Harriman State Park in
New York, May 2009.
SUCCESS SUMMARY
MEET: Maya Nelson, 35, an employee of a direct
marketing company who lives in Long Island, N.Y.
BIG ACCOMPLISHMENTS: Losing more than
50 pounds and developing a healthier relationship
with her body while improving her eating habits.
BIG INSPIRATION: A three-day workshop at the
Omega Institute that promoted a mind-body
approach to weight loss.
WHAT WORKED: A holistic approach. “Being
healthy and kinder to my body was crucial. The
weight loss occurred as a side effect of achieving
overall wellness.”
WHAT DIDN’T WORK: Starving herself. “I tried to
lose weight by reducing my food intake, but I was
in deprivation mode. It couldn’t work.”
WORDS OF WISDOM: Recognize that unhealthy eating affects more than just your waistline. “The food
we eat affects not just our body, but our mind.”
She also made dramatic changes to her diet. She
swapped out nutritionally deficient processed foods like
cookies and breads for healthy, vitamin-packed choices
such as sweet potatoes, goat’s milk, and a variety of fruits
and vegetables. For snacks, she chose avocados and small
handfuls of pecans and Brazil nuts.
By simply changing the types of foods she ate and
becoming more aware of what she was putting in her body,
she dramatically reduced the number of empty calories
she consumed and began losing 5 to 10 pounds a month.
Her skin cleared up, and she had the energy to tackle
the 25-minute walk from her home to the office nearly
every day.
When she ran into obstacles, workshop leaders were
available online to offer advice and inspiration. “It was
great to get feedback from session leaders, who provided
encouragement and suggestions about real-life situations,
like dining out,” she says. The regular check-ins helped her
keep working toward her goals.
Next Steps
Conscious eating was a good first step, but Nelson also
needed to learn to deal with the triggers that caused her
to overeat — even when she wasn’t hungry. Before the
workshop, personal and professional challenges would
send her scurrying to the kitchen.
Since the workshop, though, she’s been using breathing exercises and yoga poses to prevent stress before it
starts and to stay centered even when the world seems to
whirl around her. “Every morning, before I get up and do
anything, I take three or four deep breaths,” she explains.
“It helps relieve the tension in my shoulders and neck.”
Her morning yoga routine, which includes sun salutations and child’s pose, helps her stretch, build her strength
and give her a sense of radiant energy she carries with
her through her day. By reducing her overall stress level,
she says she’s less likely to eat mindlessly when she’s
feeling pressure.
The combination of techniques has worked: Over
the past year, Nelson’s lost 51 pounds. She now weighs a
healthy 160 and says she feels better than she has in years.
Building on Better Choices
Nelson’s self-esteem has skyrocketed as her health has
improved, and she’s enjoyed the compliments she’s received
from others who have noticed the changes. Still, she sees
her life as a work in progress: She hopes to lose a few more
pounds to reach her goal weight of 150, and she plans to
begin running and expand her yoga practice.
But more than that, she’s eager to maintain the
balanced, healthy approach to life that has kept her relaxed,
fit and in control. “Total health is about physical well-being,
as well as emotional and spiritual well-being,” she says. “My
goal has been to focus on holistic health and wellness, to
adopt — and keep — a healthy lifestyle.” ;
