Losing Weight the Pura Vida Way

On April 4, 2016, at age 66, I moved from my life long home in Central Texas to live in Paradise. Costa Rica was about to become the center of my life ... and with lots of good reason.

The first thing I fell in love with here was the people. With arms wide open they welcomed me and invited me, not only into their homes, but also into their lives. Next was the absolute beauty of this wonderful country. I found a perfect location for me on the Monteverde mountain where is was warm, yet not too warm and where I could experience little to no stress.

It wasn't until I had been here for a couple of months that I realized the wonderful health benefits of living the Pura Vida lifestyle. I was losing weight without dieting. The weight was coming off on its own. I was eating what I wanted and truly enjoying what I ate.

What was going on here, I asked myself. I began to analyze the differences between how I ate back home and how I eat here. I did begin consuming much more fresh produce. I was no longer eating from cans with few exceptions. I still ate canned tuna and I refuse to give up my peanut butter ... here the peanut butter is imported from the U. S. so it is a bit expensive.

Another very important difference is how they fatten livestock. In the U. S. the meats you consume are fattened with steroids. These steriods not only fatten the meats you are consuming, they fatten the people who consume them. In Costa Rica your meats are grass fed and never injected with steroid's. Thus ... I was no longer being subjected to unwittingly consuming steroid's. And with steroid's no longer in my diet, the weight was coming off ... and still is.

Besides the changes in my diet I found that the Pura Vida lifestyle was helping to improve my health. I now live an almost stress free life, which is mostly a matter of my own attitude. I enjoy nature more, walk more, smile more, and laugh more. Pura Vida, which literally means "pure life" is a common greeting, with a wealth of meaning to the people here.

But all of what I traveled such a long distance to find by accident is readily available to those who don't feel they can move to Costa Rica. Change where you shop. Find a whole foods store that sells a wide variety of organic foods. Shy away from the canned stuff. Look for a meat market that sells "steroid free" meats. Eat what you want of these and as much as you want. Don't go hungry.

Next, cut out the stressors or learn the art of meditation. Take up yoga. Go for relaxing walks. Join an exercise group. You don't have to exercise to lose weight but it really helps to reduce stress.

Okay. This is all just my theory but I know it's what has been taking the weight off of me and improving my health drastically. So, give it a try. What have you got to lose?