Tired Of Dieting? Stop It! It May Not Work

If you've been on a diet, you know the ups and downs. At first you're excited and motivated. You start to lose weight, but after awhile, the restrictive eating starts to wear off and you begin eating like you used to. The weight comes back and you start searching for a new diet.

Sick of dieting? Well, stop it then. Research shows most diets usually end in failure.

Researchers at UCLA recently looked at 31 diet studies and concluded that the majority of people who go on a diet end up putting back all of their weight. Two-thirds put back on even more weight. Why does this happen?

"When you diet, your metabolism slows down, or becomes more efficient, as a normal biological response," said Joy Musselman, registered dietitian at McKay-Dee Hospital. "Our bodies are designed to conserve energy when food is less available in an effort to sustain life in times of food scarcity. When we diet and severely restrict our food intake, our body responds by decreasing the amount of calories we burn."

There are thousands of diets out there, but Musselman said dieting is a poor method for losing weight long-term. Usually one goes on a diet as a short-term plan to lose weight, and often weight loss can be seen initially.

"However, once you revert back to the lifestyle habits that caused you to gain weight in the first place, the weight you lost while dieting returns and, typically, brings with it some additional weight. Many of us have a history of dieting to lose weight and then regaining weight and repeating this cycle over and over," she said. "However, each time we repeat the cycle, we are unable to lose as much weight as we did previously and we regain more than we ever have before. Each time we go through the dieting cycle, we impact our metabolism so that losing weight in the future is more and more difficult."

According to Dr. Pamela Peeke, a physician who regularly blogs on WebMD, dieting is stressful. That's because when you restrict calories, the stress hormone called cortisol increases. Not only does this cause anxiety, but it causes cravings as well.

Musselman agrees.

"Cravings are powerful motivators to eat, making it more difficult for us to resist food, particularly sweet, starchy, and salty foods," she said. "Imagine if someone told you that you could never have chocolate again. What would happen? For those of us that love chocolate, our cravings for chocolate would significantly increase."

Dieting works in the same way, Musselman said. That isn't to say that our cravings won't subside over time, but it does explain why we experience so many powerful cravings each time we start a diet or eliminate foods from our eating plan.

Dieting also makes you hungry. A study published in the New England Journal of Medicine states that when obese people diet, their appetite hormones spike. Those hormones stay high up to a year after they've lost the weight. Researchers at the University of Melbourne who conducted the study, said the body rebels when it isn't eating enough, so the hormones tempt the person to eat.

It is possible to lose weight and still enjoy food of every kind, however.

The key, Musselman said, is moderation.

"Americans, in general, consume excessive amounts of fat, sugar, and salt. Becoming more moderate in our intake of sugary, salty, high-fat foods will help us to lose weight but still allow us to occasionally enjoy higher calorie, less nutritious foods," she said. "We also don't consume enough fruits and vegetables. Increasing our intake of produce can not only help us to lose weight but will also improve our overall health and well being."

In her blog, Peeke suggests ditching the diet mentality and start saying you are practicing healthy lifestyle habits instead. That way, you aren't obsessing about every pound and every morsel of food you ingest.

"An important part of healthy weight loss will be recognizing those times when we tend to eat for reasons other than hunger," Musselman said. "Food is very abundant and many times we eat because food is readily available and convenient rather than because we are truly hungry."

She said to think of the office candy jar as an example. You don't usually grab a piece or two of candy because you are hungry. You eat it because it's visible and convenient. Emotional eating is also a common cause of weight gain and must be addressed in order to successfully lose weight long-term.

"Food does not make a great coping mechanism for stress, anger, boredom, frustration, or loneliness," she said. "While weight loss is important, you should never compromise your overall health while trying to lose weight. Diets that encourage you to severely limit the variety of foods you consume are not healthy for you. For a weight loss plan to be effective long term, there must be an emphasis on making lasting lifestyle changes that include becoming more active as well as adhering to healthy eating principles."

Source:-http://e.standard.net/stories/2014/04/29/tired-dieting-stop-it-it-may-not-work 

Dieting Not Working? Blame The Diet And Become A Survivor

Snack Girl is one of those people who simply hates diets. Her favorite quote is from Garfield, "Diet is DIE with a T."

My reason is that all that counting of calories, leads me to want to eat everything in sight. I feel the restriction and then I start to feel hungry all the time!

On the other hand, I have learned a ton from diet books and programs about healthy eating and the number of calories in some of my favorite foods. For example, 260 calories in a doughnut was a REAL wake up call not to inhale them at a moment's notice.

A reader told me about a book that had helped her with her diet failures - "The Diet Survivor's Handbook: 60 Lessons in Eating, Acceptance and Self-Care" by Judith Matz, LCSW and Ellen Frankel, LCSW (see below and Diet Survivors).

I found this book to be very inspiring and helped me to define why dieting does not work for me. Judith Matz, LCSW, director of The Chicago Center for Overcoming Overeating, and co-author of the book was kind enough to take the time for an interview:

Snack Girl: Why is dieting hazardous to your health?

Judith Matz: Unfortunately, about 95% of people who go on diets will gain back the weight – and about one-third to two-thirds of people will end up heavier than before the diet. So, diets often make you fatter!

It may surprise you to know that weight cycling – also known as yo-yo dieting – actually puts you at greater risk of health issues, including heart problems and type-2 diabetes. Since most people go on more than one diet, this is a real concern.

Dieting also leads to depression, lower self-esteem and shame. While it always feels great when you’re in the weight loss phase of the diet/binge cycle, when the weight returns, your emotional state plummets.

Snack Girl: What is "attuned eating" and how can we achieve it?

Judith Matz: Attuned eating simply means eating according to your body’s natural, physical cues for hunger and satiation. We’re born knowing how to eat this way! Attuned eating guides you in deciding when, what and how much to eat, and teaches you to trust your own body’s internal wisdom.

When to eat:

To reconnect with your internal signals you need to identify physical hunger – which should feel like an empty or gnawing sensation in your stomach.

Attuned eaters honor their hunger by waiting for the cue of physical hunger to tell them when to eat. They also make sure that they don’t ignore their hunger and become ravenous, which sets you up for overeating.

What to eat:

Next, ask yourself what you’re hungry for – what would not only taste good, but also feel just right in your body. If you’re used to following a lot of rules about what to eat, this can take some practice! If you’re having trouble, try asking yourself some questions: Do I want something hot or cold? Spicy or bland? Chewy or crunchy? Protein, carbohydrate of fat?

Let go of the notion that foods are “good” and “bad” because when you try to ignore your craving to eat some pizza, for example, and instead stick to a salad, there’s a good chance you’ll overeat later to make up for not getting what you really wanted (and what would really satisfy you.)

Instead, keep a wide variety of foods around - including foods that nourish you and meet your nutritional needs - and then pick the food that truly satisfies you.

How much to eat:

If there was a signal of physical hunger to tell you when to start eating, then there will be a signal of fullness to tell you that it’s time to stop. The key is to pay attention by being mindful of how your body feels.

You may find that getting rid of distractions while you’re eating helps you pay better attention to when you’re getting full. You may also want to think about how you’ll feel 15 or 20 minutes after you stop eating – and how you want to feel. It’s always easier to stop when the food(s) you’re eating truly satisfy you!

What to expect:

If you want to become an attuned eater, start by collecting these experiences whenever you can. Don’t let yourself turn attuned eating into another diet where the new rule is that you can only eat when you’re hungry – becoming an attuned eater is a journey that takes time and practice!

Snack Girl: I think many of us equate thin with healthy. What is your theory regarding "healthy at any weight"?

Judith Matz: The simple truth is that there are people who are thin and healthy and people who are thin and unhealthy, just as there are people who are fat and unhealthy and people who are fat and healthy!

There’s no doubt that thinness is usually equated with health – despite the existence of over 40 research studies that show people in the overweight category for BMI (body mass index) actually live the longest - and this is unfortunate because people spend so much time, energy and money on weight loss plans and programs that don’t really work long-term.

In the meantime, they may not learn or implement other practices that lead to better health, such as fitness, attuned eating, good sleep habits, and meditation. While weight loss may be a side effect of cultivating these practices, you’ll become healthier regardless of whether you lose weight!

Snack Girl: When you struggled with weight issues, did you have an "aha!" moment that you could share with us?

Judith Matz: After many years of trying to lose weight by restricting “fattening” foods, I spent a summer in Boston where I was worked as a waitress at a well-known (and delicious!) seafood restaurant - I also tasted Steve’s oreo-cookie ice cream for the first time.

I didn’t have a scale or mirror and was so tired of dieting that I decided to take the summer off from my obsessive worries about eating.

When I moved back to Chicago at the end of the summer, I discovered that I had returned to what was a natural weight for me. My “aha” moment was the realization that the deprivation caused by dieting actually triggered me to overeat!

At that moment I made myself a promise: if I ever wanted to eat something and thought I shouldn’t because it was “bad,” I would go ahead and have it to remind myself that no foods are off limit.

It’s been about 30 years since that moment, and I have had a relaxed, peaceful and satisfying relationship with food (and my body) ever since.

Snack Girl: What is your favorite snack?

Judith Matz: As an attuned eater, my “favorite” snack depends on what would be the best match for my hunger at a particular moment! Favorites include: a banana, Dove chocolates with a glass of milk, hummus with carrots, a mini-meal from last night’s leftovers, such as an enchilada or piece of lasagna, and a bowl of soup.

Thanks, Judith! Love those snacks and the advice on our relationship to food.

Source:- http://www.snack-girl.com/snack/diet-failure-advice/

5 Ways A Healthy Diet Is Making You Tired

Carbs help your body burn fat without depleting muscle stores for energy. The ideal diet is 50 to 55% complex carbohydrates.

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

• Every time you go more than two hours or so without eating, your blood sugar drops
• About 12% of women ages 20 to 49 may be iron-deficient
• Start your day with soluble fiber, which can be found in oatmeal, barley and nuts

(Health.com) -- Who doesn't wish for more energy at least a few dozen times a day?

Of course, you know that a good night's sleep, regular exercise, and effective stress management can give you a much-needed boost. But to further figure out why you're slumping, you need to pinpoint the energy-sucks in your diet. (Hint: Those low-carb meals aren't doing you any favors.)

"Our bodies rely on the energy and nutrients we get from food, so what you eat -- and how and when you eat it -- can either drain you or sustain you," says Jennifer Sacheck, associate professor of nutrition at the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University.

These fuss-free nutrition tweaks will give you more oomph every day:

You go long stretches without eating

Food Fix: Snack early, snack often

Every time you go more than two hours or so without eating, your blood sugar drops -- and that's bad news for your energy.

Here's why: Food supplies the body with glucose, a type of sugar carried in the bloodstream. Our cells use glucose to make the body's prime energy transporter, adenosine triphosphate (ATP). Your brain needs it. Your muscles need it. Every cell in your body needs it. But when blood sugar drops, your cells don't have the raw materials to make ATP. And then? Everything starts to slow down. You get tired, hungry, irritable and unfocused.

Grab a bite every two to four hours to keep blood sugar steady. Nosh on something within an hour of waking -- that's when blood sugar is lowest.

Health.com: Best and worst foods for energy

Your breakfast is too "white bread"

Food Fix: Think soluble fiber

Energy, thine enemy is a sugary breakfast: pancakes, white toast, muffins and the like. Instead, start your day with soluble fiber (found in oatmeal, barley and nuts).

"It dissolves in the intestinal tract and creates a filter that slows the absorption of sugars and fats," explains Dr. David Katz, founder of the Yale Prevention Research Center and author of "Disease Proof."

In fact, research shows that choosing a breakfast with either soluble fiber or insoluble fiber -- the kind in whole-grain breads and waffles -- actually protects against blood sugar spikes and crashes later in the day.

A smart start: cereals with at least 5 grams of fiber a serving and whole-grain breads with 2g per slice.

Health.com: 8 tips to instantly boost your energy

You're eating the wrong veggies

Food Fix: Get more broccoli and kale

There's no such thing as a "wrong" vegetable, but for the most gusto, pick cruciferous ones, like broccoli, cabbage, brussels sprouts, cauliflower and kale. These produce rock stars contain isothiocyanates, compounds that activate a protein called Nrf2, which in turn generates mitochondria, the part of cells responsible for converting glucose into ATP.

"The more mitochondria you have, the better your muscles work and the less fatigued you'll be," explains Dr. Mladen Golubic, medical director of the Center for Lifestyle Medicine at the Cleveland Clinic's Wellness Institute.

Toss broccoli into stir-fry; mix shredded cabbage with vinegar; or season cauliflower with turmeric, cloves cardamom, coriander and cinnamon.

Health.com: 7 signs of seasonal affective disorder

You avoid red meat

Food Fix: Beef up on iron-rich foods

Do you eat mostly vegetarian? Is your period heavy or long? Are you a coffee or tea fiend?

If you answered yes to any of these, you may need more iron, key for strength and stamina. About 12% of women ages 20 to 49 may be iron-deficient.

"If you're deficient, you could eat the best diet and still be exhausted," says Meridan Zerner, a sports dietitian at Cooper Aerobics in Dallas. Women need about 18 mg daily until 51, and 8mg after that.

Beef is the best source of heme iron, the form most easily used by the body; a 3-ounce serving has 3mg. You can get nonheme iron from plant sources, like kidney beans (5mg in 1 cup) and spinach (3mg in ½ cup cooked). To help your body absorb nonheme iron, eat vitamin C-rich foods (orange juice, berries, tomatoes) and avoid coffee and tea an hour after eating as tannic acids can block iron absorption.

Health.com: 25 ways to cut 500 calories a day

You've cut one too many carbs

Food Fix: Hello, whole-wheat pasta and potatoes!

"Our bodies run on carbohydrates," says Zerner. "It's too bad they've gotten a bad rap."

In a Tufts University study, women on a carbs-restricted diet did worse on memory-based tasks compared with women who cut calories but not carbs. And when the low-carb group introduced them back into their diet, their cognitive skills leveled out.

Carbs help your body burn fat without depleting muscle stores for energy. The ideal diet is 50 to 55% complex carbohydrates, 20 to 25% protein and 25% fat. Complex carbs provide energy as they're digested, while protein and fat, along with fiber, slow the digestion process so the boost lasts a good long time.

"Think about getting a mix of high-quality protein, carbohydrates and fat from whole, unprocessed foods over the course of any given day," says Katz. "That's really all we need."

Source:- http://edition.cnn.com/2013/09/19/health/tired-dragging-diet-change/