Why Dieting Makes You Fat

[BodiesByBija]

WHY DIETING MAKES YOU FAT
by Bija Satterlee, BA in Dance, BodiesbyBija Certified Personal Trainer and Master Fitness by Phone® Coach. 3 Times U.S. Representative to the World Senior Dancesport Championships (Standard and Latin).
Published in Dancebeat, Jan 2005


DANCERS LOVE TO LOOK GOOD! All dressed up, dancing our hearts out, and we’re in Heaven! But doesn’t it wreck your party when you can’t zip into your favorite outfit due to recent weight gain?! Well, “the Holidays” are over, and Resolutions are still fresh; so what are YOU doing to get back your lovely, svelte figure?

WAIT! DID YOU SAY “DIET”???

Everyone has their favorite diet. But did you know that diets have only a 5.2% success rate? Dieting strikes at our survival instincts because it mimics semi-starvation. The mere thought of dieting makes people run and eat their last indulgent treats before boot camp starts. (There’s your first sign of trouble). Everyone wants quick and permanent weight loss. But beware! Rapid weight loss is rarely sustainable, and when the pendulum swings back at you, it is much stronger than before.

This is a great time to compare popular diets, examine their limitations, and check out alternatives while you are still motivated to shape up!

DIETING, DEPRIVATION *** sigh ***
Weight-loss diets are based on deprivation. Every diet specifies what you cut out: (calories, fat, carbohydrates, etc.) so you will lose fat. In the early stages of any diet you see results, and it is satisfying! The scale drops quickly, though mostly from water. At some point, however, you stop losing weight. It’s that stubborn plateau where you can’t get any further, no matter how hard you try.

DIETS BASED ON “Cutting It Out”

• Cutting Calories
If you cut more than 500 calories a day from your diet, your metabolism slows way down, making you feel listless and weak, and low energy. You won’t have enough energy for normal life, much less to dance or work out. When you finally eat more, weight gain is inevitable.

• Cutting Fat
If your diet is high in fat or saturated fat, cutting some of it is a good idea. But cutting fat out all together results in loss of fat-soluble vitamins, which are needed for healthy skin, eyes, nerves. People usually feel hungry all the time on ultra low fat diets, due to lack of satiety, and cannot sustain it for very long.

• Cutting Carbs
The Zone and Atkins Diets are based on eating low carbohydrates. These diets are both low calorie diets as well. They require a lot of measuring and package-reading. If you truly eat only 40% carbohydrates, and are dancing and working out, you will begin to feel very tired, and low-energy. Also, when you do reintroduce carbohydrates to your diet, the pounds tend to pack on quickly. Research shows most of the low-carb dieters had regained their lost weight by the one-year point. Cutting out empty carbs like white flour and sugar isn’t a bad idea though.

DEPRIVATION ITSELF is the biggest drawback of dieting, no matter which diet you’re on. Even though you may feel you have control over things (a great feeling), there is a strain quietly building. And BUILDING. Until one day you are faced with one of your ‘forbidden foods,’ you’re excessively hungry, and then... WOOPS! There goes your control, there goes the WHOLE PLATE OF COOKIES, there goes your diet!

This is not such a great feeling! But you resolve to begin again. Tomorrow. And so it goes, diet after diet, and your weight creeps up on the scale year after year.

DIET DEPRIVATION BACKLASH is the predictable result of dieting. Dieters are always walking a fine edge, trying to ‘stick to their plan’ and avoid at all costs their ‘forbidden’ foods. This is an absolute setup for for rebound, for failure. At some fateful moment, you and your excessive hunger are going to party! But let me reassure you, YOU HAVE NEVER FAILED ANY DIET. RATHER, THE DIETS FAILED YOU! It is absolutely NOT a matter of willpower.

EMOTIONAL EATING
Have you ever eaten something when you weren’t even hungry, and instantly regretted it? This is one sign of emotional eating, and if left unexamined, can go on for years, making weight loss nearly impossible.

EATING is truly one of life’s big pleasures. Fortunately, we have plenty of food available. But somehow we have forgotten how to eat the way Nature intended. We eat when we’re not hungry! We eat for fun! We eat for companionship. We eat to console or reward ourselves. And it works, but only for those brief moments! Then you may feel even worse than before.

Have you ever grabbed a bite for the following reasons?
• boredom
• anxiety
• loneliness
• anger
• depression
• happiness

It doesn’t even matter if it’s positive or negative, reaching for food at a time other than when you’re hungry is emotional eating. Almost everyone does it sometime. The problem is, it doesn’t solve the problems, it just makes you feel bad about yourself.

Infants don’t have hang-ups about food. They’ll let you know when they’re hungry and they’ll push it away when full. Yet children and adults are plagued with eating issues. By adulthood, many people find themselves overweight, eating for all the wrong reasons, and are constantly on diets. People who have dieted extensively can tell you how stubborn the scale can get with each attempt. This can lead to trying even more extreme diets the next time. All this is very hard on the body.

ENOUGH, ALREADY!
At some point you’ll know you’ve had enough of dieting! Only then will you be able to make the move to Intuitive Eating. It’s the way most thin people eat naturally.

INTUITIVE EATING, What’s that?
First of all, it is not a diet! It is really an Un-Diet. There is not enough room in this article to fully explain how to implement Intuitive Eating, but the main features are:

• Finding your true physical hunger
• Distinguishing emotional from physical hunger
•*Eating only when you are physically hungry
• Sensing how full you are as you eat
• Dealing with emotions in ways other than food
• Making peace with food
• Learning to trust yourself with food
• There are no ‘forbidden foods’
• Give up the idea of ‘dieting’ ever again

Ask yourself before eating, “How hungry am I?” Every time you reach for food, ask yourself “Am I physically hungry, or is this emotional eating?” It is important not to let yourself get completely EMPTY, because excessive hunger is a cause of overeating.

NO FORBIDDEN FOODS
‘Forbidden foods’ may be one of the biggest reasons people get fat! Depriving yourself leads to backlash bingeing. By reassuring yourself that special foods will still be there helps takes the mystique out of it.

Intuitive Eating is a method for improving your relationship with food. Weight loss is the natural result! It’s an honest process, starting with uncovering food myths and fallacies. Instead of focusing on cutting carbs, or calories, you learn how to eat what your body needs, and you deal with the emotions making you overeat. People lose weight when they stop using food for comfort and then calling it the enemy.

DANCERS AND BODY AWARENESS
Dancers have above-average body awareness. This is a key to success with Intuitive Eating. The more awareness you have, the more successful you can be with it. Some people pick it up quickly and have success right from the beginning. It is liberating for people who have felt like ‘food junkies’ to begin to trust themselves with food. I have seen marvelous transformations when people give up dieting for good, and tune into what their bodies (and emotions) really need. They are universally surprised that they actually lose weight eating according to their physical hunger!

There is more to Intuitive Eating than just these points. But this would be a good place to start. You probably know thin people who don’t struggle with food. They are naturally Intuitive Eaters. You can be too!

You may be tempted to speed things up by dieting again. Just know that eating intuitively with non-diet thinking has an 82% success rate, compared to dieting, with only a 5.2% success rate! Contrary to popular belief, it isn’t about willpower or finding the perfect diet! It’s about finding peace with food. Weight loss is the natural result.

IF YOU ARE READY TO END THE FOOD/DIET STRUGGLE, and would like more ideas you can implement right away, sign up for Intuitive Eating through my web site. We have 8, 16, or 24 week coaching blocks available. To discuss this or any fitness issues, call Bija at (781) 861-6548 or go to www.bodiesbybija.com.

In Joy and Good Health,

Bija Satterlee
Fitness Coaching for Dancers
Get Fit to Dance!

[DancePoet]

I am really impressed with this article!

Thanks for posting! :D

[BodiesByBija]

Glad you enjoyed it, DP!

[squirrel]

:) I should show it to a colleague of mine... she's obsessed with eating very little, she currently eats dairy exclusively... :( She is trying to lose about 5 Kgs... but she should work out if you ask me! She's not doing anything all day long (sitting for 8 hours at least on a chair is not an activity likely to help you lose weight) and then going home and doing the same... it is sad when you see people doing such things to their bodies...

[pygmalion]

Another fantastic article, BBB. 8) And what you say is totally true, IMO. You can't force an un-hungry infant to eat ... even foods they like. I've worn many a strained plum to prove it! :lol: :lol: But, somewhere early in childhood, people learn that food-emotion connection. Pretty scary.

What helped me figure it out (but not completely solve it, to be honest) was keeping a food diary -- what I ate, how much I ate and what times of day I ate. I didn't have to keep the diary for long to begin seeing patterns emerge. 8)

[Vince A]

And all this time I thought it was the food I ate!

[pygmalion]

I wish it was that simple. My Mom (a Type II diabetic) has been eating NOTHING for years, somehow thinking she'll lose weight. No! She gains, if anything. I keep telling her to eat healthy, balanced, and maybe bigger meals and get more exercise, but she doesn't believe me. She thinks fewer calories always means fewer pounds. Not quite. :?

[Vince A]

I wish it was that simple. My Mom (a Type II diabetic) has been eating NOTHING for years, somehow thinking she'll lose weight. No! She gains, if anything. I keep telling her to eat healthy, balanced, and maybe bigger meals and get more exercise, but she doesn't believe me. She thinks fewer calories always means fewer pounds. Not quite. :?
I truly know where she is coming from . . . I'm there . . . and until just recently "seeing" what the correct foods for those of us with the Type II diabetes can do . . . I too was gaining way too much weight . . . dieting and exercise is not all of it. Eating only those foods that are low on the GI charts is the only way to go. You have to start with the right foods . . . then go easy on them and exercise too! Oh, and id she is taking meds . . . she can get off of them within a year, and she can get rid of her high blood press ure pills too. You didn't mention those, but I'd bet she is taking those as well???

Tell your Mom to hang around some friends who have Type I, then tell her that if she doesn't straighten up . . . that's where she'll be. Worked for me!!! I was scared straight!

[pygmalion]

Yes. She's taking the blood pressure pills too. She's from the older generation, and has a lot of faith in pills. :? But I have to keep working with her to try and raise her awareness. A little at a time. :?

[Vince A]

My goal this year . . . besides exercise and more dancing . . . is to rid myself from taking OTC medicines, and by the end of this year, to ween myself of the medications that I have to take for the high blood pressure and Type II Diabetes!

[pygmalion]

I have a friend who did that -- he had to lose quite a bit of weight. But, when he lost the weight, the eyeglasses, the insulin, and all the pills were no longer necessary. He's still diabetic, of course, but it's hard to tell from looking at him. He's got it all under control. 8)

[jon]

And all this time I thought it was the food I ate!

Certainly worked that way for me. When I started eating about 600-800 calories/day less than I'd been accustomed to, weight came off fast.

I don't doubt people with seriously messed up metabolic issues like diabetes or hypoglycemia have a tougher time of it, but the bottom line is to eat less than you use.

[DWise1]

I only quickly skimmed the article, so I might have missed it, but it looks like it left out another major reason why semi-starvation diets don't work: the body won't let it.

I'm remembering this from a popular-science-type magazine in the early 1980's, "Science 80" (& 81, & 82, etc, until 1987, I think). As part of an experiment, prisoners who voluteered were put on strict diets (hence controlled so that they could not give in to their cravings) and their weight measured and it was found that they hardly lost any weight. But when they were put on an exercise regimen, particularly aerobic exercise, they did lose weight.

It was as if the body has a thermostat set for the amount of body fat that it needs and it does what it can to maintain that level. So when you go on a diet that greatly reduces your caloric intake, the body thinks it's being starved and so it acts to conserve the fat.

The solution, said the article, is to change the setting of the fat-level thermostat. And the way to do this was to change your level of physical activity; ie, exercise more. The more active you are, the less body fat your body thinks that it needs and so you will burn it off and keep it off more readily. Aerobic exercise seemed to be the best form for changing the thermostat.

Therefore, dieting alone will not achieve weight loss, but rather you need to exercise as well as watch what and how much you eat.


Interestingly, they mentioned dancing, but not how we would imagine. They specifically mentioned ballet dancing and said that it did not constitute aerobic exercise because it was not somewhat continuous motion but rather had a lot of rest periods in it.

Although they did not mention social dancing, I think that it would have been found to be closer to aerobic exercise (requires about 20 minutes of continuous motion to be considered aerobic, as I recall). And I think that our own collective personal experience will bear out that social dancing does help us to reduce body fat and to become and stay fit.

[pygmalion]

It was as if the body has a thermostat set for the amount of body fat that it needs and it does what it can to maintain that level. So when you go on a diet that greatly reduces your caloric intake, the body thinks it's being starved and so it acts to conserve the fat.

The solution, said the article, is to change the setting of the fat-level thermostat. And the way to do this was to change your level of physical activity; ie, exercise more. The more active you are, the less body fat your body thinks that it needs and so you will burn it off and keep it off more readily. Aerobic exercise seemed to be the best form for changing the thermostat.

Therefore, dieting alone will not achieve weight loss, but rather you need to exercise as well as watch what and how much you eat.



Exactly what I keep telling my Mom. But she doesn't understand why eating 2000 or 2500 calories (rather than 1200 or 1500) won't make her gain weight. It doesn't make sense to her. :?

Added to that is what I've been reading lately (can't remember where) about the body needing a certain minimum amount of fuel in order to build muscle. And muscle burns more calories than fat, even when at rest. So, even though it's counterintuitive, it's possible to eat MORE and lose weight... within reason, of course.

What jon said originally is basically right, though. Burn more calories than you take in, and you'll lose weight. It's just a matter of understanding how to get your body to burn the calories.

[Swingolder]

I was on that diet boat for many years. Actually tried living on 600 calories a day for many years. Metabolism was probably zero! Course that led to binging periodically and then horrible guilt. I suppose I blame it all on a very unhappy marriage.

Now that I eat "normally" maybe not 2000-2500 a day, but whatever I want, and am very happy, I sympathize with those who say they eat nothing but carrots for lunch and salad for supper. I automatically think of them as very unhappy as I was.

[pygmalion]

I *will not* ever count calories. Sorry. I know that approach works for some people, but it makes me obsess about food. There has to be a better way. I did Weight Watchers for about six months -- also weight gain as the result of an abysmally bad relationship. Counting points was bad enough, but, once I got into the swing of it, I didn't count those much either. I just did what I call "modular eating." I knew approximately what I was allowed to have for breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks. (And my nightly glass of red wine!) Then I didn't think about food anymore.

btw. The food diary was one thing that convinced me my relationship was going south, fast. He would yell at or criticise me for something, and I'd reach for the cheetos. :lol: Seriously, anytime you can't have a conversation with your SO without gorging yourself on cheetos, there's something really wrong! :lol: :lol:

Anyway... so where was I? Uhh... for me, any diet where I have to think about food all the time is not going to work, long term. It's like those twelve step programs where you're allowed to transfer your addiction from one thing to another, in my mind. You're a recovering food-aholic, but it's okay to become a diet-aholic? No work. :lol: Sorry. I'm an opinionated twit. :lol: :lol:

[randomMysh]

I'm fairly anti-diet, but I did do 2 weeks of Atkins not that long ago, and I'm very glad I did that. I didn't do it for weight loss, I'm fine with my body as it is. I simply realized that most of what I was eating was refined carbs--cereal for breakfast....bagel for snack...pasta for lunch...some sort of piece of meat and rice for dinner...I was miserable, too. Blood sugar swings caused crazy mood swings, sudden physical exhaustion and eating round the clock. It was particularly scary because my great-grandma had diabetes, which I did NOT want. I tried rebalancing my eating gradually, but because that's what I was used to, it wasn't working. So I did the two weeks of Atkins (hellishly hard, by the way), and got used to reaching for lean meats and whole grains and vegetables when I'm hungry instead of a bagel. It's still working and I feel much better! :)

I wouldn't call it a diet, just a change of habits, although some people would probably say that because I don't eat sugar and white flour most of the time, I'm on a diet. Dunno....am I?
Thoughts?

[Vince A]

I *will not* ever count calories.
Me too! Never, ever count calories!

It's just no white rice, potatoes, white bread, and nothing with white flour or sugar in it! "Do I sound prejudiced???" J/K

I watch saturated fats extensively, although I do eat peanut butter, as for a diabetic, PB is one of those bad foods that is good for you. I eat a ton of brocolli everyday, as well as an apple a day.

Lots of vegetables, fruit, lean red meats, chicken, fish, Splenda-based sweets - ice cream, candy etc., (which all tastes like hell). And other than the red meats . . . as much of the others as I want.

Lots of water, max of one diet Pepsi per day if I do that at all, coffee, etc.

Oh . . . the water . . . cool idea . . . refill your own bottle if you have filtered water at home, and add some Crystal light to slightly flavor it . . . kinda tastes like Propel water!

[MacMoto]

Excellent article, Bija -- thanks!
Eating according to my physical hunger is something I'm trying to re-learn this year. I have noticed I do a lot of comfort eating when I'm alone -- always going for sugary things.

[Larinda McRaven]

I think Bija hit the nail on the head when she said to eat only when you are physically hungry. This is a super hard lesson..."do I really need this or do I simply want this?"

[dTas]

i try to follow the 4 corners methodology to eatting...

when you shop at the supermarket (at least on the west coast USA) you try to shop in the 4 corners only and avoid the middle where the processed foods are. there's the fresh produce corner, fresh meat corner, fresh baked corner, and dairy/eggs (which should be fresh anyway).

its actually a pretty easy way to shop. no isles to go up and down, just once around the store and you're done!

[randomMysh]

I think Bija hit the nail on the head when she said to eat only when you are physically hungry. This is a super hard lesson..."do I really need this or do I simply want this?"

That is a very good point. Actually, it applies to just about everything else, and not just dancing. I think so often people let themselves "indulge" in just "this one little thing", whether it's a sweet or a new pair of shoes (i'm the sinner here!), and don't notice how quickly it all adds up until the end result of that approach kicks them in the butt.

I like Pygmalion's food journal idea. How about an "indulgence" journal? "This week I did this this and this simply because I wanted to". Could be very therapeutic, actually....

[pygmalion]

At least for me, a big part of the problem was not knowing when I was hungry. Until Weight Watchers, I was pretty much perpetually thirsty, but never realized it. From what I've heard and read, a lot of people mistake feelings of borderline dehydration for hunger.

So Vince's idea about drinking lots of water kills at least two birds with one stone. 8)

[Swingolder]

I have a 9 month old granddaughter who as the point where if she has had enough milk, she grabs the bottle out of my hand and flings it!

We all just need to stop when we have had enough (although I think the flinging part is not necessary!) I have gotten really pretty good at stopping. I know that since I am not dieting, and I can have another piece of candy later, or more chips, or ice cream, or whatever, then I don't stuff myself on all the available chocolate (whatever) right now.
It took me a long time to get to this place...something I owe my dh and running and now dancing.

[angelbaby]

Mmmm am also doing the thing about watching what i eat and when. Journalling when i get to it. Always was underweight (like many of us) until Type I diab about 7 yrs ago and then coeliac diag. this yr. Now have curves :roll:

Dont often feel real "must eat right now!" hunger but am retraining myself to improve my eating and try to identify my hunger cues. Is a bit of a hassle cos also have to eat when bloodsugar levels go too low but may not be actually hungry then and have to make sure no gluten at all (easy at home but can be tricky when out and about needing food immediately but having to be so fussy about it :roll: ).

Am getting better at getting it managed, remembering to eat, trying not to gorge on junk cos i am tired/stressed etc, making sure i always have gluten free food on me esp. hypo supplies. Also i find it embarrassing if ppl notice or pay it too much attention so sometimes it is a bit awkward but happily i am toning really well at gym and have been researching intuitive eating and am starting to apply the principles with success :)

I tend to think it all happened cos i didnt pay my body enough attention lol. Now i have to pay it constant attention :?

[Vince A]

I tend to think it all happened cos i didnt pay my body enough attention lol. Now i have to pay it constant attention :?
I'm with ya' . . . wish we could teach that to all, or bottle it up, so everyone would do it BEFORE they have to!

[Swingolder]

I simply realized that most of what I was eating was refined carbs--cereal for breakfast....bagel for snack...pasta for lunch...some sort of piece of meat and rice for dinner.. :)


That is the basis of what I eat, toast for breakfast, bagel for lunch, lots of pasta for supper. On the weekends, unfortunately, lots of fast food.

[BodiesByBija]

I enjoy reading your discussion on my articles! You know, eating is a lifelong learning process. After trying different "experiments" and diets, a lot of people do find their way to Intuitive Eating. All the diets in the world cannot teach you how to eat how Nature intended.

The hard part about it is really that it's not a Quick Fix, but rather a lifestyle change.

It's true, if you neglect your body for some years, it's going to need a lot of attention to make up for it. But you CAN get back in balance, learn healthy habits you can live with. The reward is you FEEL better. It is so worth it!

My clients have a lot of success with Intuitive Eating, and every one of them has found or is finding their particular 'keys' to freedom with food. From all my years as a personal trainer and fitness coach, this has been the most important change in thinking I have seen. "Bravo!" to all of you who are doing it!

[pygmalion]

Thanks, BBB. Great article, with lots of "food" for thought. 8)

[ChaChaMama]

I highly recommend the book _Thin for Life: 10 Keys to Success from People Who Have Lost Weight and Kept It Off_ by Anne M. Fletcher.

Fletcher argues that the statistic that only 5% of people who diet keep the weight off is exaggerated and based on out-moded studies. She suggests that the real number of success stories is closer to 20%. She draws on sources including an article by a researcher from The University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Maureen McGuire (PhD), whose research was based on a representative sample of 500 individuals, and who published her findings in "The International Journal of Obesity." Fletcher further stipulates that all this negative talk about how impossible it is to keep the weight off is highly counter-productive. So if you do want to lose weight, DON'T be discouraged by that kind of statistics! It's not easy, but you CAN do it!

Also, don't be snowed into thinking that there is only ONE right way to lose weight. That obviously is not true. Fletcher documents the fact that her long-term weight loss success "masters" lost weight in a wide variety of ways. There were, however, certain commonalities in their approach: exercise, positive self-talk, food journals, regular weight checks and definite action plans to nip any relapse in the bud, etc.

I personally do Weight Watchers flexpoints plus exercise. That's not to say that it's the best plan or that anyone else here will like it, but it works for me. I lost the weight I needed to lose in two months, and have been on maintenance for FOUR solid months as of Friday. I have, if anything, lost a little more weight. Weight Watchers really works for me, because there are no forbidden foods and you can splurge and still stay on plan--you just need to be aware that there are trade offs. (E.g., if you want to have a piece of birthday cake at a party on Saturday, maybe you go light on your snacks during the week; if you are going out to a fantastic restaurant for dinner, you might eat lighter earlier in the day.) I personally am entirely uninterested in methods like Atkins, because I love carbs, and I really do NOT see myself severely limiting them for the rest of my life. Other people feel differently, and that's great for them, but for me, WW is something I can do forever without feeling deprived.

And I agree with those who say that a food journal is really helpful. It keeps me honest with myself.

:) ChaChaMama

[pygmalion]

Yep. I also read somewhere that one characteristic shared by people who keep weight off successfully is that they eat breakfast. 8)

[Sagitta]

Yep. I also read somewhere that one characteristic shared by people who keep weight off successfully is that they eat breakfast. 8) True. Eating regularly throughout the day..also small meals so one does not gorge and fast...

[cocodrilo]

I don't diet and I ALWAYS make time to eat a good breakfast!

[pygmalion]

I'll have to see if I can find that older article somewhere. In the US, there's a registry of people who've lost a significant amount of weight (30 pounds, I think?) and kept it off for two years or longer.

Folks on that registry were polled, and they had a short list of specific things in common. The ones I remember were regular exercise, eating breakfast, and drinking water. I think there were other things, but I really can't remember them all.

Either way, those three are a good place to start, I think. 8)

[pygmalion]

Oops. I was wrong. It's thirty pounds, but you only have to keep it off one year to be eligible to join the registry.

Interestingly, walking is the most common form of exercise among the registrants. 8)

http://www.uchsc.edu/nutrition/WyattJortberg/nwcr.htm

I saw more info about this group in a longer article somewhere, but I don't have time to find it. Busy day. :?

[Twilight_Elena]

Read this article by accident again. This year, I have been in a rather intense (for me) regime of dancing, and I felt/feel that I could lose a little weight. When I saw the scale numbers going up instead of down, I panicked and started counting calories. Oh boy. That made me neurotic to the point of anorexia.
Emotional eating is a very good point. It's not the only point. Eating a burger full of saturated fat from cooking oils and processed bread is quite different than eating a grilled burger with whole wheat bread. Yet I'm sure that my body would be sated just the same with both. So quality of food still counts, but not to the extent of nowadays neurotic diets.
But it's still a solid point. As pygmalion said, if you're reaching for the chocolate brownies after a bad day or a fight with someone (and eat the whole box without realising it and STILL feel lie crap) then something is wrong. I can't count the times I've found myself doing such things. Hell, I draw too much emotional satisfaction from eating! I actually feel emotionally better for a little while after having eaten a tasty meal. I'm quite sure that's the brain talking, not the stomach.
The eating diary sounds like a good idea, actually. Might make me actively eat better and understand my habits more.

[hamstersphere]

T_E, there's a Web site called SparkPeople out there that makes it very easy to keep a food diary for a while, just so you know what you're really dealing with. (It's also good at keeping track of your nutritional levels, which can be pretty enlightening.) Hopefully it's OK that I've mentioned it without giving a link - don't want to endorse anything and there are plenty of similar sites on the Net, too!

[elisedance]

I lost over 20 lbs over the last 5 months or so and have not gained any back. Moderate loss with careful meal planning - and yes, I rely on breakfast. In fact, I have a traditional one eggs, toast, one small sausage link - but without potatoes. My secret weapon, is a pile of grilled (actually usuall fried in vegetable oil) tomatoes. These are very good for you, have virtually no calories and because they are not porous unlike potatoes they do not take up the fat. That gets me to lunch when I have a greek salad without dressing (or with oil free). If I don't eat regularly then hunger kicks in and I gorge. Yesterday I worked tthrough lunch and suddenly had a hunger pang - next thing I knew I was attacking a whole chicken leg!

[Peaches]

So what happens if you smoke (makes you thin) but you're on a diet (makes you fat)? Hmmm...something to ponder...

[elisedance]

I think you end up like a nice cured ham... :)

[biggestbox]

carbs==energy, unused energy==fat.

I always eat carbs in the morning and afternoon, and never at night.

If you really want to loose weight, just stop eating carbs. seriously that is the fastest way. However, loosing weight in my opinion is not very important. (Unless you are in a pull up competition) I'd rather be 5-10 pounds heavier and strong. Also if you are physically active and don't have enough carbs, you are VERY prone to injury. I hurt myself this way, so now I always make sure to eat a lot. I eat about 3000-4000 calories, and am about 7% body fat.

Interestingly, before a competition, pro body builders don't eat any carbs to reduce their body fat. The day before they load up on carbs, both for energy and to "fill" their muscles.

[Twilight_Elena]

I lost over 20 lbs over the last 5 months or so and have not gained any back. Moderate loss with careful meal planning - and yes, I rely on breakfast. In fact, I have a traditional one eggs, toast, one small sausage link - but without potatoes. My secret weapon, is a pile of grilled (actually usuall fried in vegetable oil) tomatoes. These are very good for you, have virtually no calories and because they are not porous unlike potatoes they do not take up the fat. That gets me to lunch when I have a greek salad without dressing (or with oil free). If I don't eat regularly then hunger kicks in and I gorge. Yesterday I worked tthrough lunch and suddenly had a hunger pang - next thing I knew I was attacking a whole chicken leg!

Breakfast is SO important! I basically eat a small breakfast and a big lunch, which sometimes leads to craving throughout the day, especially in the morning.

[elisedance]

carbs==energy, unused energy==fat.

I
Interestingly, before a competition, pro body builders don't eat any carbs to reduce their body fat. The day before they load up on carbs, both for energy and to "fill" their muscles.

I read about this - long distance runners do this too. However, I also read that 'carb load' has little impact unless you are going to do something that requires more than 1 hr work.

On the other hand, chocolate load.....

[Ballroom Dru]

I need to chime in on this when I have more time. I went from 255 to 205 in 2002 while dancing. Now I am at 200 and the skinnies I have been since I was 14. I will write up on how soon.

[danceronice]

I'm dropping ten pounds after a word from one pro (well, he said I'd need to lose ten pounds to wear a particular dress but I'm interpreting that I need to lose about fifteen.) On the 'lots of vegetables, lots of fiber, low-fat dairy, stationary bike, crunches, and try to stay away from the milk of magnesia this time" plan. (I have issues.) I've been feeling flabby anyway and looking at the video of my Rhythm I'm not pleased.

[Masaya]

Seven years ago I went from 165 to 135 in 3 weeks. I just ate cereal, vegetable, and fruit with milk and walked an hour every day. After that I started going to the gym to gain muscle, now I weigh 160...

[chocolatchica]

This is so true. I would tell people about how starving will just make it worst. It's funny because I read a study one time talking about how they ran a study that had a group of people eat whatever they usually ate not worrying about dieting for a couple of months. Then they told them that they had o diet (not sure of of the details with the exact diet and what not because I read it so long ago) and they found that the people ended up weighing more after their diet and were more depressed and prone to anxiety than when they were eating normal. I tried dieting to get rid of a problem area in my tummy and I ended gaining weight from dieting. Imagine that! Lol.