Overcoming Yo-yo Diets and Emotional Eating
Have you successfully lost weight in the past only to regain it again and again? 22-A lot of people struggle with this dilemna most of their lives.
What is the cause of weight cycling?
It seems like a great idea to drastically cut back on your food intake for rapid weight loss. However, your body sooner or later prepares itself for a decrease in calorie intake. Your body will adapt to this lowered calorie intake by conserving energy and metabolic rate (the way your body burns food for energy). Eventually, the initial weight loss slows down or stops.
Many dieters at this point would wrestle to sustain their diet. What happens next? The weight slowly creeps back up.
Another problem with quick weight loss fad diets is that the body becomes more efficient with each dieting event. The severe calorie limitation also brings about a loss of muscle tone. Common signs of this are flabby upper arms and sagging buns.
Alternatives to yo-yo diets
Instead of hoping for a rapid weight loss, take a more long term sustainable approach. Your goal should be for a modest weight loss. Decrease calorie intake by 200-500 calories a day depending on how much you have to lose.
Imagine your diet as a healthy living design instead of a temporary weight loss program.
Increase your level of physical activity. Take the stairs not the elevator, park far from the entrance or pick up on activities you enjoy such as hiking, biking or dancing.
Plan on eating frequently throughout the day. Eating frequent smaller meals will prevent you from overeating later on.
Emotional Overeating
Okay, maybe your problem is not yo-yo dieting. It is possible that you are a habitual eater. Example, eating junk snacks while watching TV.
Perhaps it is emotional. When you are stressed, you do not eat all day. Then when you get bored, you raid the refrigerator.
How to overcome habitual or emotional eating
If food is feeding an impulsive need in your life, then it is time to examine what is causing it. Find substitutes to eating instead. For example, instead of celebrating your birthday with cake (childhood ritual), invite your friends to play miniature golf instead. Have healthy snacks such as an apple or carrot sticks on hand. You can grab them quickly when you are too stressed to find time to eat at work. Or you can just clear your head by taking a brisk walk during your lunch break.
Manage your hunger by eating small meals frequently. Do not go hungry. When you go hungry, you could make poor choices or overeat.
Do not eat to 100% fullness! Yes, you can train your body to be satisfied at 60 percent capacity. It is okay to leave food on your plate. You are not helping poverty ridden countries by cleaning your plate.
Be aware of what junk food can do to you, and get rid of them. Replace them with healthy choices such as whole-grain bread, fruits and vegetables.
It may sound corny, but try to do things to keep you focused on your goal. For instance, put a sign over your bed that says: The difference between fat and fit is I. Stick a sign on your dashboard that says: none of these foods taste as good as a size 8 (add a picture of a cheeseburger and fries).
In the end, it all boils down to staying on track. Do not fall off the wagon even if you overate once (or twice).
Athletic Club Rochester offers group exercise programs in Rochester and Rochester personal training.