Successful Weight Loss, Emotional Eating, Yo-Yo Dieting
Successful Weight Loss
I recall a study released some 25 years ago describing that people
who attend weight management systems such as Herbal Life, and NutriSystem, and
even Weight Watchers, and Calorie Counters … or take special meal replacement
formulas and/or follow strict fasting and cleansing programs… etc… WILL lose
weight ... provided they follow the program.
It’s mathematical and COMES DOWN TO THE LAWS
OF THERMODYNAMICS …. WHEN YOU HAVE FEWER
CALORIES IN THAN ARE USED YOU WILL HAVE A NET
WEIGHT LOSS. … and no.. I’m not yelling…
just trying to emphasize the point.
The problem with such methods is that eventually the person
will go off the weight management program. And
as they go off the program, in the order 95% of the people of regain or exceed
the weight they lost.
And it seems reasonable that such programs diet systems and
calorie counting can be helpful in giving one a head start… yet it still come
down to each person taking personal responsibility to overcome their habits
that lead to weight gain.
The problem it seems is that while on the program, the
person neglects taking personal responsibility for their successful weight
management and eventually return to their previous lifestyle including
excessive calorie intake.
And it doesn’t take much.
One hundred extra calories a day equals an increase of about
a pound a month. That’s just one extra potato, or chocolate chip cookie, or
even an extra helping of healthy food (Yes… even healthy food has calories).
The good news is that decreasing ones calorie balance by 100
or so a day leads to not gaining about a pound a month. AND
THE FIRST STEP TO LOSING WEIGHT IS TO
STOP GAINING WEIGHT. The next step, then, is to start losing weight... in practicality a matter of minor adjustments that tip the
scales, so to speak, into net weight loss...and into a weight management lifestyle.
Eat less.. be more active. Or if you like, be
more active… and eat less. Park at the
end of the lot … there’s a few dozen calories … eat a smaller piece of meat and
do without the potato. Do you want to supersize that? No
FREAKN WAY… in fact do without the fries and save
a dollar or two as well as a few calories. The methods are as unlimited as you are.
It seems then that the people who are successful in reducing
and keeping weight off are the people who decide that they are going to do
whatever it takes to win the battle and take personal responsibility for their
weight loss.
One of the major hurdles for people to lose weight is EMOTIONAL EATING.
Emotional eating is the practice of consuming large
quantities of food -- usually "comfort" or junk foods -- in response
to feelings instead of hunger. Experts
estimate that 75% of overeating is caused by emotions.
Many of us learn that food can bring comfort, at least in
the short-term. As a result, we often turn to food to heal emotional problems. Eating becomes a habit preventing us from
learning skills that can effectively resolve our emotional distress.
Depression,
boredom, loneliness, chronic anger, anxiety,
frustration, stress,
problems with interpersonal relationships and poor self-esteem can result in
overeating and unwanted weight gain.
By identifying what triggers our emotional eating, we can
substitute more appropriate techniques to manage our emotional problems and
take food and weight gain out of the equation.
http://www.medicinenet.com/emotional_eating/article.htm
Situations and emotions that trigger us to eat fall into
five main categories.
Social. Eating
when around other people. For example, excessive eating can result from being
encouraged by others to eat; eating to fit in; arguing; or feelings of
inadequacy around other people.
Emotional. Eating
in response to boredom, stress, fatigue,
tension, depression, anger, anxiety, or loneliness as a way to "fill the
void."
Situational.
Eating because the opportunity is there. For example, at a restaurant, seeing
an advertisement for a particular food, passing by a bakery. Eating may also be
associated with certain activities such as watching TV, going to the movies or
a sporting event, etc.
Thoughts. Eating
as a result of negative self-worth or making excuses for eating. For example,
scolding oneself for looks or a lack of will power.
Physiological.
Eating in response to physical cues. For example, increased hunger due to
skipping meals or eating to cure headaches or other pain.
To identify what triggers excessive eating in you, keep a
food diary that records what and when you eat as well as what stressors,
thoughts, or emotions you identify as you eat. You should begin to identify
patterns to your excessive eating fairly quickly.
>
Now please, I am not discussing situations where there is a
genuine neuro-psychological disorder that compels a person to overeat and if
the reader thinks this may be of concern, I suggest exploring one of the
following links for further information. http://www.healthguidance.org/entry/14580/1/Common-Reasons-for-Overeating.html,
http://www.rightdiagnosis.com/sym/overeating.htm,
http://www.drhaber.com/AbPsychandHlth/EatingDisorders/EatDisorders1.html,
If this seems to be relevant to you, professional assessment
is in order.
>
I’ll end this posting with an article from the Globe and
Mail about how one person took responsibility for herself and her weight
management.
Best wishes to you.
How I lost 50 pounds:
No more yo-yo dieting for this emotional eater
Amberly
McAteer, The Globe and Mail,
www.theglobeandmail.com/life/health-and-fitness/health/how-i-lost-50-pounds-no-more-yo-yo-dieting-for-this-emotional-eater/article8893947/
Kit Flynn, 54, Ottawa
Pounds dropped: 50
My turning point: I was 50 pounds heavier, again. A chronic
yo-yo dieter, I had dropped, then regained the same 50 pounds twice. I was on a
horrible pattern of eating: If I had emotions, I fed them. I had survived a
traumatic marriage and the death of my husband – for every pound he lost during
his illness, I gained. At 5-foot-9, I grew to 210 pounds before finally ending
the war with my weight in 2006. One day, I just made the decision to change my
life, from the inside out. I was 47 years old and didn’t want to live with
self-loathing and self-disgust for the rest of my life. I promised myself on
that day that my emotions would no longer dictate the physical shape of my body
My method: I rejoined Weight Watchers and followed it – and
this time I signed up to be a lifetime member. For me, being active and
following an eating plan were both straightforward. My battle was all mental:
Changing my thoughts and attitudes, now that was a huge challenge. If this was
going to stick, I had to start to think differently about myself, my
worthiness, my health, and my right to happiness. I began to practise new
behaviour and adopted new thought processes.
I began by simply noticing the negative messages I told
myself – things that I would never dream of saying to a friend, or to anyone
else. For example, I would think, “You’ll never lose weight because you are
weak. You will always be a yo-yo-er.” I began to stop allowing those thoughts
to enter my head. What’s more, I chose not even to delve into any analysis about
why I was thinking that way. I immediately stopped those negative ideas by
envisioning a red stop sign. I then substituted the destructive thoughts with a
constructive positive one such as: “I am losing weight and I can get to my goal
weight and stay there for the rest of my life.” By repeating positive messages
often, I eventually replaced the negative thoughts, which changed my weight
gain/loss pattern.
My life is different now. I don’t have “big clothes” waiting
for me in my closet. I fuel my body with high-quality, life-affirming food and,
most important, I treat myself with the tenderness and care I treat all my
loved ones.
My kryptonite: Dark chocolate, anything with caramel or
butterscotch and a glass of red wine. I love my treats – and I deserve them! –
in moderation, of course.