- How many of you have tried multiple diets in hope of losing weight?
- How many of you lost their willpower and went off a diet?
- How many of you gained more weight than they lost after they stopped a diet within a 1 year period?
- How many of you encountered strong food craving for sweets and carbs for the first time in their life after a prolonged diet?
- How many of you blame themselves and their willpower for not being able to stick to their diet?
- How many of you think they have to lose more weight even though they fall in the normal weight range?
- How many of you think they will be happier if they just lost a couple more pounds?
- How many of you are never satisfied with their body?
The story of Sara
This is a story of a girl named “ sara”, she was always
a thin girl, never overweight in her life, had a healthy relationship with
food, which means she ate when hungry and stopped when full, she would crave
sweets sometimes but she will feel satisfied with just a piece of a dessert, when
she goes for McDonalds she might not be able to finish her meal, meaning she had
good signaling from her brain on when to stop and when to eat.
She was always obsessed with her weight, everybody
around her was always talking about diets and comparing bodies, and thin
perfect girls all over the media had an impact on her perception of a good body
image, she exercised since she was 13 and she started dieting as young as 16,
she would diet if she gained 1 or 2 kg, and she would feel so proud of her willpower
to stick to the diet and to her ability to lose the weight. By the time is she
was 20 she had already gone through at least 5 to 6 diets. She was basically a
skinny chronic dieter who was obsessed with her weight and calorie counting and
was never satisfied.
She got her first baby, coping with the stress of a new
baby and unfortunately postpartum depression, she turned to food for satisfaction,
It was the only thing then gave her a feeling of calmness when life was too
crazy. She became preoccupied with food,
I was always thinking what her next meal will be and how she can avoid eating
it or for better just try to skip the meal.
She gained 3 kg, she panicked and decided to go on Atkins
diet, for whom of you who are not familiar this is a high protein no carb no
sugar diet, so no breads rice fruits sweets. So for a whole month Sara had no
carbs what so ever. And she lost the weight, every girls dream right??
In celebrating the end of the diet Sara allowed herself
some bread, amazingly she couldn’t stop, she kept eating and eating and eating,
she was full in the stomach but her brain doesn’t want her to stop. Sara’s
relationship with food changed forever.
- She no longer eats because she is hungry she eats because of very strong cravings for that food
- She can’t stop herself when full
- Carbs are evil she tries to avoid them at every cost, and if she let herself take a piece of bread she feels guilt, and she usually tries to make up for it by eating less the next day.
- she had very strong cravings for sweets for the first time, that she won’t even be satisfied with a piece of cake , she would have to stop herself from eating the whole tray
- Her eating cycle is made of overeating days followed by severe dieting to make up for it
- Her weight is going up and down.
Years of chronic dieting, low carb, low calorie, and
low fat all messed up her brain chemistry and her metabolism.Sara is now about 6 kg over her ideal weight after being just 3 kg above.
What happened to Sara?
- Restrictive Diets don’t work, Specially vigorous diets that include rapid weight loss.
"Several studies indicate that dieting is
actually a consistent predictor of future weight gain," said Janet
Tomiyama,
Another study, 19,000 healthy older men over a four-year period, found that "one of the best predictors of weight gain over the four years was having lost weight on a diet at some point during the years before the study started," Tomiyama said.
One study found that both men and women who participated in formal weight-loss programs gained significantly more weight over a two-year period than those who had not participated in a weight-loss program
Another study, 19,000 healthy older men over a four-year period, found that "one of the best predictors of weight gain over the four years was having lost weight on a diet at some point during the years before the study started," Tomiyama said.
One study found that both men and women who participated in formal weight-loss programs gained significantly more weight over a two-year period than those who had not participated in a weight-loss program
One study of dieting obese patients followed them for varying lengths of time. fewer than two years, 23 percent gained back more weight than they had lost, longer than two years, 83 percent gained back more weight than they had lost, Mann said.
- Slower metabolism, and loss of muscle
when you diet you don’t get enough calories or
proteins to build and maintain muscle tissue, instead of using carbohydrates to
make glucose your body’s fuel, your dieting body will burn its own muscle for
energy, since muscles burn energy and keep your metabolism high, loss of muscle
causes calories to be stored as fat rather than burned as energy.
The body learns to function on fewer calories,
resetting your metabolism. The problem is if you then stop dieting and start
eating more again, those extra calories are stored as fat.
This effect kicks in after around
eight weeks of dieting — and can last for years. Studies by Columbia University
show this metabolic slowdown can mean that just to maintain a stable weight,
people must eat around 400 fewer calories a day post-diet than before dieting
- Depression and fatigue
serotonin the most important mood
stabilizer is made from an aminoacid tryptophan found in high protein food, one
of the first nutrients u get low in when you start to diet, people always think
if they just loose a few more pounds and be thinner they will be happier, but
as you become low in tryptophan you will never seem satisfied with your weight,
you ll become obsessed with calorie counting and how to eat less and loose
more, and the more you get depleted of this aminoacid the less satisfied you
will be, And this is a perfect onset eating disorders.
University of Maryland Medical Center. If you already have a form of depression, a poor
diet might make your symptoms worse. If you do not have a personal history of
depression, a restrictive diet might cause depressive symptoms
- Food cravings and bigger appetite
Research shows dieting raises levels of hormones that
stimulate appetite and lowers levels of hormones that suppress it.Furthermore,
levels of leptin, a hormone that suppresses hunger and raises the metabolic
rate, also remained lower than expected.
Body fights off starvation by escalating your food
cravings until it overwhelms the diet., this might not stop after you finish
the diet, u never know which diet will trigger these food cravings.
Diets causes
imbalances in your brain chemistry they leave you deprived and malnourished so
you will crave foods more to try to fix it. Research shows trying to lose
weight alters your brain and hormones so you're doomed to pile it on again.
According to
a new study in the New England Journal of Medicine, hunger-related hormones
disrupted by dieting and weight loss can remain at altered levels for at least
a year, fueling a heartier-than-normal appetite and thwarting the best
intentions of dieters.
Restrictive dieting is one of the main reasons for developing eating disorders like bulimia, anorexia and binge eating.
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- The yoyo effect of dieting
Refers to constant fluctuations in
weight through unhealthy weight loss methods
yo-yo dieters repeatedly move up and down in
their weight gain and loss.
The yo-yo dieter often tries to lose weight too
quickly. He or she may skip meals, reduce calories too much, or follow fad diets.
Fad diets are those that drastically restrict
calories and/or stress extreme eating. Although initial weight loss may easily
result from these efforts the after effects on the body may actually limit
further weight loss because the body's
metabolism tends to slow down.
The analysis concluded that most volunteers would have
been better off not dieting. Their weight would be pretty much the same and
their bodies would not have wear and tear from yo-yoing.
Evidence suggests that repeatedly losing and
gaining weight is linked to cardiovascular disease, stroke, diabetes and
altered immune function.
If dieting doesn’t work what does?
1. Reestablish the way you look and feel about your body
and weight : You can lose all the weight, But if you don't feel beautiful on
the inside, nothing you do to the outside is going to make you happy. You are
never going to be satisfied with your appearance until you can learn how to
accept who you are, as well as your limitations. When it comes to body image,
don't go by the celebrities and others that you see on television and in magazines.
Sure they are beautiful, but so are you. You just may not be able to see it.. Most
people go on a "diet" because they think they are overweight. where
people are made to believe they will be more healthy if they just lose a few
pounds. The truth is, 95% of people who lose weight on a diet will sooner or
later gain it back.
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People are not created to look the same or weight the same, we don’t have all to be a carbon copy of one perfect body image that we created and promoted, if you try to satisfy the public you will never be satisfied, you have to be yourself and appreciate the beauty within you that is a lot different than of everybody else around you.
We all have different metabolic rates, some people can eat junk food all their life and never gain and some other would gain weight from one piece of bread, respect your body and don’t drain it, and know that people with slower metabolism tend to be healthier and survive longer.We have different body types and shapes that are defines by our genes, no matter how hard we try we will never look the same just like we will never all think the same.
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The thinnest people are not always the healthiest nor are they the happiest. Remember that health and appearance are two different things.Accept and value your genes you probably inherited a lot of traits from your family members, so love those traits as you love your family.
2. Break the dieting cycle and concentrate on making permanent healthy life changes
As you learned restrictive temporary diets set you up for more craving and slower metabolism, you will initially lose lots of weight but proved by research you ll double gain it withing a two year period. change your lifestyle and eating habits to be more healthy and weight loss will come as a gift on the side without all the side effects.
Don’t focus on the scale just focus on improving the quality of your life by eating healthier, moving more, and managing your stress in healthy ways.
When you change your diet in terms of being healthier you are more likely to stick to it for the rest of your life and gain the benefits of it for years to come. you will be nourishing your body rather than depriving it.your body will thank you for that by showing you the best it has.
No crash diets or fads that will be impossible to maintain. In fact, reconsider the whole notion of dieting as a temporary fix. Think of what you're doing as a permanent lifestyle shift: "This is how I eat now."
3. Define what made you gain weight in the first place and change it
People are not created to look the same or weight the same, we don’t have all to be a carbon copy of one perfect body image that we created and promoted, if you try to satisfy the public you will never be satisfied, you have to be yourself and appreciate the beauty within you that is a lot different than of everybody else around you.
We all have different metabolic rates, some people can eat junk food all their life and never gain and some other would gain weight from one piece of bread, respect your body and don’t drain it, and know that people with slower metabolism tend to be healthier and survive longer.We have different body types and shapes that are defines by our genes, no matter how hard we try we will never look the same just like we will never all think the same.
The thinnest people are not always the healthiest nor are they the happiest. Remember that health and appearance are two different things.Accept and value your genes you probably inherited a lot of traits from your family members, so love those traits as you love your family.
2. Break the dieting cycle and concentrate on making permanent healthy life changes
As you learned restrictive temporary diets set you up for more craving and slower metabolism, you will initially lose lots of weight but proved by research you ll double gain it withing a two year period. change your lifestyle and eating habits to be more healthy and weight loss will come as a gift on the side without all the side effects.
Don’t focus on the scale just focus on improving the quality of your life by eating healthier, moving more, and managing your stress in healthy ways.
When you change your diet in terms of being healthier you are more likely to stick to it for the rest of your life and gain the benefits of it for years to come. you will be nourishing your body rather than depriving it.your body will thank you for that by showing you the best it has.
No crash diets or fads that will be impossible to maintain. In fact, reconsider the whole notion of dieting as a temporary fix. Think of what you're doing as a permanent lifestyle shift: "This is how I eat now."
3. Define what made you gain weight in the first place and change it
Did you gain weight because you made bad food choices,
lots of junk food, fried food, high sugar food and drink?
Did you gain weight because you had a very lazy lifestyle and didn't move enough?
Did you gain weight because of emotional eating, did you fill your emotions up with food?
Determine if you have a physical problem that needs a professional intervention, sometimes low thyroid function can cause weight gain, some nutrient deficiencies cause food cravings, also depression is a main reason for over eating which needs to be treated so you can reach your health goals
4. Nourish your body well with a diet that has a variety of vitamins and minerals
you can be overweight but extremely malnourished which makes your body crave food to fill these gaps and even hold on to extra fat in an attempt of protecting you.
Listen to your food cravings and don’t ignore them, your body is trying to tell you it needs something, so if your craving sweets it might be that your body is asking for energy try to feed it food that gives long lasting energy like protein.
Did you gain weight because you had a very lazy lifestyle and didn't move enough?
Did you gain weight because of emotional eating, did you fill your emotions up with food?
Determine if you have a physical problem that needs a professional intervention, sometimes low thyroid function can cause weight gain, some nutrient deficiencies cause food cravings, also depression is a main reason for over eating which needs to be treated so you can reach your health goals
4. Nourish your body well with a diet that has a variety of vitamins and minerals
you can be overweight but extremely malnourished which makes your body crave food to fill these gaps and even hold on to extra fat in an attempt of protecting you.
Listen to your food cravings and don’t ignore them, your body is trying to tell you it needs something, so if your craving sweets it might be that your body is asking for energy try to feed it food that gives long lasting energy like protein.
5. Free
yourself of emotional eating
Find other ways to manage your
stress, to avoid going for food as a satisfaction.seek help if you need it
6. Concious eating
Try to reconnect with your body, be very aware when you’re eating, enjoy every bite and eat slowly, and really embrace the moment with full concentration on what your eating, how it is tasting, when you are full. Eating in a hurry makes us eat a lot more than we need.
7. Break off the weight obsession
6. Concious eating
Try to reconnect with your body, be very aware when you’re eating, enjoy every bite and eat slowly, and really embrace the moment with full concentration on what your eating, how it is tasting, when you are full. Eating in a hurry makes us eat a lot more than we need.
7. Break off the weight obsession
Accept the fact that a few pounds can come and go,just rethink the causes for this gain and fix them, maybe you have been eating out to much, or eating really late.but don’t jump to a diet that will cause you to double up these pounds.
8. Patience
Be patient the slower you lose the more likely u won’t regain it, it takes almost 6 months for changes in life style to become habits, so give your body time to absorb your new healthy habits and to show you the best it can give in return.Which isn't gonna be only being thinner but being stronger, happier, and more energetic.
9. Get moving
- Burns calories
- Boost you metabolism for days after
- Increases muscles and reduces fat storage
- suppresses appetite
- Releases endorphins that’s makes you feel happier and thus less like to eat emotionally, keeps you in good shape and in good health
- Prevents lots of diseases including heart disease, diabetes, and cholesterol.
you don’t have to join a gym just move more with your own pace and with what fits your daily schedule.
10. Skip all processed refined food
It is very rare to see somebody overeating or becoming overweight from eating natural whole foods, like brown rice, whole wheat kernels, fruits, vegetables, home cooked meat, chicken, fish, or eggs. We get overweight by eating sugar, refined carbs or processed meats .there is a whole science about how to make these foods addictive so you keep wanting more and more of it.
