This past weekend was bookended by celebrations for two countries that are probably unequaled in their close relations. With Canada Day on Friday, July 1st and Independence Day on Monday, July 4th, fireworks, independence and freedom filled the air. It doesn’t hurt that summer is here either. It dawned on me that while we are fortunate to have so many freedoms and privileges, there are still many who could get more freedom with just a change of perspective.

There are three shifts that can yield to more freedom and less stress. There are also other benefits.

No, I can’t help you fly or win the lottery or have no responsibility but I’m not sure those are even desirable things.

Flying would require you to watch out for other air traffic, deal with cold temperatures and thin air.

Winning the lottery could actually bring a lot more stress into your life and has repeatedly made things worse for many past winners.

Responsibility is a great character builder and as I mentioned in How to be a Real Life Superhero, you have power with responsibility. Or maybe it was with great power comes great responsibility. Both ways work.

To Get More Freedom

1. Ditch the Scale
2. Stop Counting Calories
3. Eat More Fat

Not what you expected? 

Let me explain.

The scale is a liar.

It is a manipulator. It gives information that imprisons us to a number that really has no power. Too many of us are concerned up the scale reading higher. We dream of a lower number.

The number doesn’t matter!

If we are out of shape or not feeling good about our body, the scale can be a taskmaster. How many times have you stepped on a scale in a week? A day? I’ve done it too many times.

How many times have you stepped on a scale in a week? A day? I’ve done it too many times.

I’ve done it too many times.

Muscle weighs more than fat. Water weight changes throughout the day. We can gain weight and still be healthier. When we start stressing about our weight, it is actually harder to take off. Stress leads to cortisol increases which can lead to other hormonal imbalances and further metabolic problems.

If we want to lose FAT, not weight, which can be a good goal, the scale is not necessarily our friend.

Looking in the mirror, feeling how clothes fit and most of all, appreciating who we are. These things give us a better indication of progress and a healthier attitude to maintain it.

Calories counting puts a wall between you and your food.

Food is for sustenance, nourishment, connection. Enjoying food can be a deep experience. It has spiritual significance in many traditions. It ties us to the Earth and our ancestors.

Calorie counting is none of these things. It also is highly overrated as a fat loss technique. It is inaccurate and doesn’t account for the quality of the food those calories come from.

Get more freedom to enjoy food and lose fat by embracing healthy foods not by being a slave to the number attached to them.

There might be the same amount of calories in a few Oreos as a piece of fish or even a pile of sawdust but they certainly aren’t equivalent.

Being healthy and lean does NOT require calorie counting, it can often backfire. 

As I mentioned with the scale, adding in the stress of calorie counting will impair fat loss efforts and this also interferes with quality digestion. If we don’t digest well, we won’t absorb some of the nutrients that nourish us. By being undernourished, we will remain unsatiated. So, the desire to eat more remains strong.

Good fat is delicious and healthy.

Although the word is spreading that the low-fat craze is over and the war on fat had inverse results, many of us are still not embracing the value of adding more good fat to our diet.

Fat plays a vital role in heart, brain, skin, and hormonal health. It is required for the integrity of every cell membrane. It helps us to feel satiated longer. It gives us more energy than the glucose we get from carbs.

The difference between fat like vegetable oil, trans fat or low-quality animal fat and avocados, olive oil or well-sourced animal fat is dramatic – like poison to medicine.

Good fats will help us lose body fat.

Fat has been used in traditional diets all over the world for millennia. Reduce its intake has been connected to a rise in diabetes, heart disease, obesity, and even dementia.

While different people will do better on different ratios, fat makes food taste better. Enjoy some well-sourced buttery French cuisine in a relaxed atmosphere and experience taste and health simultaneously.

When we embrace quality fats (and reduce carbohydrates) we get more freedom from cravings and the energy that comes with it.

These shifts free us from the shackles of unhealthy attitudes surrounding food and our body. They reduce stress and increase joy.

They reduce stress and increase joy.

They give us more energy allowing us to enjoy our other freedoms more.

Gain your independence from the scale, calorie counting and fear of fat so the fireworks of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness can light up your heart and spirit.