January 28, 2012

Stop Dieting - or how to lose weight without going on a diet


Do not ever under any circumstance, put yourself on a diet! That's right, I am telling you to avoid diets in order to begin losing weight. Diets do not work!  And believe it or not, I have been there and done that... 1000 times, if not 1001 times. Seriously, the worst thing you can do to your health is to go on a diet.  They give you only temporary results for losing weight.







 I have been there before many times before and maybe you have experienced  it yourself; you go on a diet, lose some weight,  go off the diet, and regain the weight you have lost and maybe some more.
There was a time  when I was constantly on a diet…. One day it was the crazy low carb, then it was low fat and the list goes on…  needless to say that  I have read every existing diet book…  


  
Basically  the end results of every diet are usually one of these two:
The dieter reaches his weight goal and stops the diet and stops losing weight, goes back to what he was doing before and then regains the weight often along with additional weight, making him or her heavier than before.
Or, the body begins to suffer imbalance, hormonal or otherwise, due to the nutritional deficiencies caused by the diet and, he or she becomes fed up  with being on the diet and simply gives up, usually before losing any significant amount of weight. Binge eating frequently follows this situation.



And this is why that happens:
When one cuts the amount of food - and it is the amount of food, not calories that trigger these reactions - our bodies undergo several reactions.
 First, the thyroid gland reduces its T3 hormone production, slowing overall metabolism.
 Second, your body, thinking it is starving, begins to leach off your muscles, slowing your metabolism even more, and leaving you weaker.
 Since regained weight that follows will invariably be fat, the individual will end up having a higher body fat composition.

So how to lose weight without dieting:
To have permanent results in losing weight, you will need to make permanent changes. Instead of dieting, change your lifestyle, which then will allow you to achieve permanent weight loss. This will involve a combination of healthy eating as well as a reasonable activity level, and still, in moderation, enjoy those foods you love but know are fattening.


1. Stop dieting all together
 Yes you will gain weight, because your metabolism is messed up and your body needs to learn to trust you again that you will feed it properly. But let’s say after a month time, your body will trust you that there is enough food, and it does not need to slow down your metabolism to keep you alive… it will no longer think there that there is famine, and it will start to utilize the food properly.


2. Follow the 80/20 Rule
Eat 80 percent of the time healthy food and indulge the 20 percent in foods you really like, but are not maybe good for your health, like sweets, sodas, take outs… etc. 
Loads of diet books usually will advise you to follow a strict programm for six days and then have one cheat day in a week. I have to say, I  don't advocate this theory, because in my mind, it just creates cravings and also encourages binge eating and you will feel more deprieved, than as if you would have everyday a little treat.
Just in case, you don’t know what healthy foods is, I can highly  recommand books written by Patrick Holford . They are a good start to become more familiar with healthy food and their benefits.


3. Get more active
Here are some ideas to get fit without joining a gym:



  • Use your car only in emergency, and try to walk more, even if its 30 min walk.
  • Try walking on faster pace as you usually would and run just to avoid to stop at the red light. So,  its bit like interval training.
  • Keep your stomach pulled in at all the time, this will train your  abdominal muscles.
  • Clean your house vigorously at least once a week.
  • Shop for clothes till the pounds drop, try on at least ten outfits, both pants and shirts. No need to buy.
  • While grocery shopping, use a basket instead of the cart.

  • Carry your grocery shopping in your hands home.
  • Take always the stairs instead of an elevator.
  • Get more active in the office : Hit a bathroom or a copier on another floor,  walk to your colleagues to deliver a message instead of picking up the phone.
  • Go dancing with your friends.



What is your experience with dieting so far? Any luck with shedding the pounds? And what are your tricks and tips for staying in shape?


xxx Marina





7 comments:

  1. This is just a great post and just minutes before I was thinking about going to the gym tonight and then just naa don't think I will, but after reading this I think I'm actually going to drag my sorry as there! My experience from diets are not that good. One get all hopefull when a new comes out and then 2 weeks later you're back in your old pattern and guess what- no weight loss! So I think it's better to do the 80/20 and try to exercise more on a daily basis.
    Phlox

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    1. Good girl... I know, once you are in a gym,it's not that bad, and you are happy you went, because you feel so much better...
      xxx

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  2. great post and very good advice. I know ho it feels like when you diet and diet and you finally reach your goal, and than you start eating normally and you put it back on!!! unfortunately it happened to me right before I fell pregnant, my body was in shock after a diet and I started gaining a looooot of weight as soon as the baby was there... a total of nearly 80 pounds!!! shocking!!! :/

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    1. Oh I have been there myself Sandra, so many times... not that I ever was really overweight, but there were always few pounds I wanted to lose... I am so much happier, since I gave up dieting and now I really can eat what I want, and don't have to worry anymore to put on weight, because natural food will never pile on the pounds... its just the sugary junk food!
      xxx

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  3. Hi there! You have a Lovely blog, I follow you! Please check out my blog and if you like, please follow me also on Google Friend Connect =) Thanks! Have a Nice Day =)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Judith! Following you back!
      xxx

      Delete

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