For years we have laboured under a model that is too simplistic for weight loss
“if you burn more calories than you eat, you will lose weight”
This is a seemingly simple statement of the laws of physics, but in reality our bodies are complex systems that react dynamically whenever we cut calories. We can find ourselves hungry, craving fatty or sugary foods and working harder and harder to lose less and less.
These mechanisms are the result of natural selection. They are “designed” to keep us from starving. They are deep and ancient and they will shoot a weedy modern concept like “will power” into a cocked hat!
The answer?
STOP DIETING
The war with our bodies needs to end, and our war with food is not good for us, nor is it conducive to a happy life.
So what to do instead?
Reconnect to your body.
Eat when you are hungry stop when you aren’t. It sounds easier than it may be in practice. Trust your body and your appetite. If you want to eat because you are bored or anxious, distract yourself with something that is not food.
Have you read Geneen Roth’s book Feeding the Hungry Heart ? It has some useful tips for curbing eating that is not about hunger.
Absolutely make sure you get 5 servings of vegetables and 2 servings of fruit per day. Write it down so you can track it. No matter what else you eat, make sure this fruit and veg are in your life each day – work towards it if you do not enjoy eating plants. They are incredibly good for you.
Have you watched Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall’s River Cottage Veg? Its on the 4oD website, or get the book River Cottage Veg Everyday. It might give you some new ideas!
You need the Data!
Go to www.dramandaonline.com and get her success diary so you can track your appetite and your fruit and veg intake. She is a generous woman (many scientists are) and her quick start weight loss pack is completely FREE. I challenge you to do this for three weeks!
Even though you may think you know what you are eating and when, actually writing it down may give you some unexpected answers.
Resources
Dr Amanda Sainsbury-Salis www.dramandaonline.com
Dr John Briffa Escape the Diet Trap
Hugh Fearnly Whittingstall River Cottage Veg Everyday
Geneen Roth Feeding the Hungry Heart.