Overcome Emotional Eating and Yo-yo Diets
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 Causes Yo-yo Dieting?
Cutting drastically on your food intake for quick weight loss may seem like a great idea. However, your body eventually anticipates a decrease of food intake. The body will adjust to this lower calorie intake by decreasing the way it burns food for energy (metabolic rate) and conserving energy as well. The body then plateaus. It slows down or stops weight loss.
Many dieters at this point would wrestle to sustain their diet. What happens next? The weight slowly creeps back up.
This extreme calorie limitation causes a reduction in muscle tone. Typical signs are flabby upper arms and buns.
How to break the yo-yo diet
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.
Consider your diet as a healthy eating plan instead of a temporary one.
Increase your level of physical activities by incorporating them in your daily life. For example, take the stairs or try something you enjoy such as dancing or hiking.
Do not skip breakfast and eat small meals throughout the day. You are less likely to overeat if you take small meals.
Emotional Eating and Overeating
Okay, maybe your problem isn’t yo-yo dieting. It’s possible that your eating has become a habit such as eating junk food when you sit down in front of the TV.
Perhaps it is emotional. When you are stressed, you do not eat all day. Then when you get bored, you raid the refrigerator.
Overcome emotional overeating
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.
Try to manage hunger by eating several small meals a day. Remember that if you go hungry, you will make poor choices or you will tend to 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.
Corny or not, do things to remind you of your goal. Put up a sign at your desk that say: A year from now, you may wish you started today. Maybe you can put up a refrigerator sign that says: When I cheat on my weight-loss goal, I am cheating on me.
Lastly, do not fall off the wagon. It is okay to overeat as long as you get back on track right away instead of punishing yourself and feeling miserable.
Tags: Athletics