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How to REALLY lose Weight.
by
Sylvia V. Mills, Ph.D.
How many of your friends have lost weight only to gain it right
back? Or, told you the diet they were on “didn’t work.”
Did you ever wonder why?
Dieting means eating fewer calories than your body
needs to live through the day. To make up the difference, body fat
is converted back to calories: that means you lose weight. That
sounds simple and easy - so how come it is such a struggle? Well,
if your body kept a diary it might read something like this:
Before the diet:
“The usual feast. She visited a fast food outlet again today.
The fried food tasted wonderful and the dessert was delicious. Two
hours later, she snacked on chocolate. Plenty of calories, stored
the extra as body fat on her thighs and stomach. Her belt was so
tight she undid it another extra notch.”
One week into the diet:
“Until last week, she was eating chips, cookies and wonderful
fatty, sugary foods then her friend told her she was getting fat.
Now she’s starving me! Gave me a few lettuce leaves for lunch
and a couple of chicken nuggets for dinner. Using body fat instead
of storing it so I have enough calories to last the day.”
Three weeks later:
“This is serious! Still not enough food. Fat stores depleted
so I am using calories from muscle cells to make up the difference.
Hate to do this but I have to live. Have turned down her metabolism
as low as possible, [that’s the “calorie burn rate,”]
to use fewer calories. She complains of being tired and she’s
grouchy because her weight loss has slowed down.”
Ten weeks later:
“Food! At last, she reached her target weight and the terrible
famine is over. She’s making up for all the weeks of starvation.
She had a chocolate bar today then later had a couple of glasses
of wine. I used the excess empty calories to refill a few fat cells
on her butt. Every time she indulges, I’ll grab onto the extra
calories in case we hit another famine in the near future.”
Six months later:
“Success. Fat stores back to pre-diet levels. I considered
returning the metabolism to its normal rate but will wait longer
until I have extra stores of body fat just in case she starves me
again.”
Three years and ten diet cycles later:
“Still starving me on diets every few months. I am learning
how to exist on fewer and fewer calories. Between diets I fill up
fat cells as fast as I can. Decided to keep my metabolism turned
low permanently so I use less calories and store more fat. Amazing
how quickly I can restore the fat cells. She is becoming depressed
and moves more slowly because she is so much fatter which burns
fewer calories. I am triumphant! I am now fat enough to survive
any diet.”
Conclusion:
Dieting results in a temporary loss of weight because you are restricting
your food intake. But as the diary illustrates, as soon as the diet
ends, your body responds by rebuilding the stores of calories as
fast as it can. This is called a rebound effect. Repeated dieting
reduces your metabolism or burn rate and your body learns to exist
on less and less food. In addition, the body also becomes an expert
on storing fat as efficiently as possible. Hence we say: “Dieting
makes you fat.”
Diary #2: The Solution Oriented Way to Lifetime
Weight Control
Before the diet:
“The usual feast. She visited a fast food outlet again today.
The fried food tasted wonderful and the dessert was delicious. Two
hours later, she snacked on chocolate. Plenty of calories, stored
the extra as body fat on her thighs and stomach. Her belt was so
tight she undid it another extra notch.”
One week into the diet:
“Until last week, she was eating chips, cookies and wonderful
fatty, sugary foods then her friend told her she was getting fat.
Now she’s eating lots of fruit and vegetables. This is wonderful.
Best nutrition I have had for ages. She seems to be jumping around
a lot though. Makes my muscles work hard but my fat jiggles. Still,
she burned up all the excess calories so I did not have to store
them.”
Three weeks later:
“Still getting great food and she never misses a meal. This
is fantastic! Getting fed up of the fat jiggling when she exercises.
It’s hard work moving all that fat, so I am converting fat
cells to muscle. If this regimen of regular meals keeps up, I won’t
store fat and I can increase metabolism to burn calories.”
Ten weeks later:
“She’s so happy. She is trim, fit and has lots of energy
from the increase in metabolism. Converted lots of fat to muscle.
Less jiggling on my butt and stomach, thank goodness. Not much lighter
on the scales, but in much better shape and slimmer.”
Six months later:
“Fat stores mostly burned up or changed to muscle. Still wonderful
meals of nutritious food which I need to keep in trim. Keeping the
metabolism turned high. No sense is storing fat with the regular
intake of so many healthy calories. Nutrition also improving condition
of skin and hair.”
Three years later:
“Skin clear, hair shiny, muscles trim. Exercise is easy, no
excess fat jiggling around. The muscles burn up calories faster
than fat so she can eat what she likes. Her overweight friends make
comments like: “How can you and stay so slim?” She tells
them its because she exercises and enjoys healthy nutritious foods
instead of fatty, sugary junk. She is happy with herself. She thinks
junk food is just that - JUNK.”
A note about nutrition:
If you are not sure what good nutrition includes, a simple guideline
is to include foods that have not been manufactured. This cuts out
cookies and candies, breads and biscuits, packaged, canned, pre-prepared
foods, drinks and frozen items. Nutritious foods are fresh fruits,
nuts and vegetables, rice and pasta, other grains, eggs, milk, fish
and meat - as long as they are not fried in fat. Eat as many of
the fruits and vegetables as you want and small portions of the
rest. If you are female, taking calcium is a plus to maintain bone
[check with your physician or pharmacist for the quantity you need].
When you eat nutritiously and exercise you won’t
lose weight quickly but you will lose weight steadily. With good
nutrition, there is no rebound effect leading to additional weight
gain if you change the way you eat. Exercise means you build muscle
which burns more calories and keeps your metabolism, and you, in
good shape.
So there you have it. Dieting encourages long term
weight gain and misery. Exercise and good nutrition ensure fitness,
energy and well-being: take your pick.
Sylvia V. Mills, Ph.D. is a psychologist, writer
and speaker.
Call 415-421-3030 for your coaching consultation
Also see, “Rules for Healthy Eating” on this web site
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