Ditching Dieting with Resolve for 2012

One of my "New Year" posts from several years ago listed 10 reasons to not go on the diet for the new year.  (That might be a good one to review.)  This year I have a challenge for all of you.  Whether you have an eating disorder, disordered eating or just have a wacky relationship with food, eating, activity and body image issues, truly become a rebel against all things "diet".  One of my colleagues, Deb Burgard, made a brilliant recommendation for the new year.  She suggested that a more accurate term for the diet industry would be "weight cycling" industry.  This $60 billion dollar per year industry (latest estimate from Marketdata Enterprises) depends on people desperate to cure everything from holiday overeating, poor self-esteem, broken hearts to job loss and recession woes by cycling from one failed diet or diet product to another.

Make this year's resolve about compassion towards yourself and others in all areas.  Especially vow to change the way we talk to ourselves in judgemental and negative terms about food, eating and weight issues.  Monitor how you speak to and about others.  Don't be a "weightist".  Continue pursuing health, wellness, and moderation.  Look towards "the middle ground" ... not perfectionism.  I would encourage all of you to check out information regarding the "Health at Every Size" movement and the website http://www.dietsurvivors.com/.


May God grant all of you a healthy, joy filled (we can have joy even when we are not happy!) and balanced new year.  May you make peace with food and find joy in eating and activity.

I will end with an appropriate quote from Mark Twain about changing habits.  I do believe that much of what trips us up as we try to find the middle ground in all of these issues does boil down to our habits.

"Habit is habit and not to be flung out of the window by any man (or woman .. my edit), but coaxed downstairs a step at a time."

Let's start stepping!  Please feel free to share how you plan on ditching dieting in 2012!
Reba

The Fallacy of Relying on BMI Measurements for Health and Weight Management

The topic of "normal weight obesity" has been discussed a lot in the news lately. The results from several studies have given us one more reason not to diet; one more reason to throw away the bathroom scales. These results also reiterate that inaccuracy of counting on BMI measurements as an indicator of health and fitness.  A child with a "high" BMI might have a report sent to the parents with a "warning".  On the other hand, a child with a "normal" BMI may be given the impression that all is well despite getting no exercise and eating foods very low on the nutrition totum pole. The bottom line is that you can be at a body weight that has been deemed appropriate for your height via BMI and be obese. Without pursuing a healthy relationship with food and exercise aimed at being lean and fit, you can be at a level of "fatness" that is unhealthy; no matter what you weight or BMI registers!

There are several factors that can contribute to a high percentage of body fat. Dieting is not the solution to this dilemma. In fact, dieting can actually set your body in motion to become especially effective at storing body fat. When you consume too few calories your body actually produces extra enzymes that enhance fat production and storage. This is a biological compensation mechanism that allowed your ancestors to survive cycles of famines-feasting- and more famines. Keep working on following the basics of eating more fiber, fewer processed foods (not zero), increase intake of veggies and foods and be active.  Learn to hear and honor both your hunger and satisfied signals that might be in a bit of a state of confusion if you have engaged in dieting or disordered eating.  It takes practice and patience and you will never be perfect!!

And, remember ... always eat clean.  (Meaning .... always wash your hands and food!)

Food Cravings: Friend or Foe?

Should cravings be "controlled"? If we acknowledge and honor food cravings, does that mean that we will get out of control with our eating? Will our weight balloon up to an astonomical size? Dieting and disordered eating can lead us to the conclusion that any food that we find pleasurable must be excluded. Many of my clients have become so fearful of enjoying food that they are unable to discern between a food preference and a food fear. Recently one of my clients was talking about a delectable gourmet pastry that she used to enjoy eating. Then she quickly blurted "But, I don't like it anymore!" This same person binge eats tasteless store bought sheet cake while sitting alone at home in front of the T.V. I suggested that maybe she really does still enjoy the tasty sweet and perhaps if she had the gourmet dessert once in awhile she might be able to reduce her binge eating behavior. She looked frightened by that proposition, but acknowledged that she might be up for testing that theory in the future.

One of my clients who struggles with more of a restrictive eating disorder continues to assert that she never enjoys food of any form or fashion. She consumes the same bland, repetitive food choices day in and day out. One day I asked her why she thought God had given us taste buds. She looked at me like I was out of my ever-loving mind and said "So we won't eat poison!" I know she wanted to add "you idiot" ... but she restrained herself. Later she admitted that she is terrified that if she eats anything flavorful or gives any credence to having food cravings or preferences that she go completely ballistic with her eating.

Two sides of the same coin. These are cases of people who have bought into the diet mentality that we must deny ourselves and any food craving to stay in control of body weight, eating behavior, cholesterol, blood sugar, etc. Food cravings can be our friend. Once we don't view food as the enemy, we can learn to manage cravings in a way that we don't get out of control. As mentioned in earlier blogs, consider finding the middle ground in relationship to your food, eating and weight as a skill development; a process. Enjoy what you do eat, what you crave. We don't have to "overdo" to have a pleasureful eating experience. Learn to trust yourself with food again. Embrace the concept that no food is illegal and go from there!

The Spring Break Diet

The chatter in my office of late has been about needing to lose weight for Spring Break! Dieting to "look good" in a swimsuit is a yearly ritual that many embark on each spring. Even my clients who are aware that dieting would just magnify their struggle to escape eating disorders and disordered eating are tempted to participate in this cultural phenomenon. If you ever wanted to feel like a social outcast, try taking a stand against dieting when you are in a room of sorority sisters, a ladies Bible study or a hair salon! You have this sense that you suddenly grew an extra head on your shoulders. It takes a brave woman to "just say no!"

What are you going to do to ditch dieting for Spring Break?

“I Know What I need to do BUT…”

How many times have you heard yourself repeat the refrain above? Whether I am counseling someone recovering from chronic dieting, anorexia nervosa, bulimia or a client desiring to make nutrition and exercise changes to fight diabetes this seems to be a common theme. We often have the intellectual knowledge and an abundance of facts and figures to back up that insight. The rubber meets the road as we attempt to translate what is in our brain into action. True, sometimes we have faulty facts. Perhaps you are still buying into some diet mentality chatter. Perchance you still believe that you need to cut out all of your favorite foods or that if you don't work out at the gym for an hour it doesn't count as exercise. The trouble is with the flawed thinking, not your inability to take appropriate action. We have confronted that type of challenge in this "Ditching Dieting" blog. If the "all or nothing" is still your challenge, take time to review some of the previous blogs. If that is not what is keeping you from doing what you need to do, read on!

Take time to consider barriers that arise when you are determined to provide your body with the nutrition it needs. Are you preplanning to address schedule or environmental challenges that could arise as you focus on fueling your body? What would motivate you to make efforts to supply your body with healthy nutrition that focuses on a balance of lean protein sources, fruits and vegetables and higher fiber carbohydrates sources? Making weight change of any kind a focus will not be effective long-term. Whether your body is underweight or overweight from imbalances in your food and activity, fixating on the numbers will only serve to frustrate you. Brainstorm and come up with outcomes that are important to you. It might be better energy; fewer or less sever medical problems that are nutrition related, or the satisfaction that you are making wise investments into your future health status.

Making peace with a reasonable activity/exercise plan is sometimes more challenging than addressing the food issues. It can seem nearly impossible to limit your activity if you have a tendency to abuse exercise. There are others who hate exercise; even though they know that their body needs activity. Once again, the state of imbalance is the issue. Redefine your definition of exercise. Think non-stop movement. Make activity about getting more flexible, releasing stress and having some fun. Giving your body the activity that it needs should not always feel like drudgery and should definitely not be all about calorie burning and weight issues.

You do know what you need to do to pursue health and wellbeing. Do it for yourself. Others will benefit! If you are not doing what you know you need to do … find out why! Don't beat yourself up with the mental ball bat or blame others for your lack of action. That is a defeating way to think and will only serve to immobilize you!

How to Manage Your Weight without Losing Your Mind!!

So … you have determined to give up dieting. You know it doesn't work. However, you may now be dealing with anxiety over what comes next. Dieting and disordered eating behaviors can give you a false sense that you are in the driver's seat. You are the one in control of your eating, exercise and your weight. Wrong! When you are practicing rule laden dietary restriction, obsessive exercise, avoidance of eating out or social situations with food you are the controlee. Not the controller! Ditching dieting and disordered eating behaviors does not mean that you will not be able to maintain a natural, healthy weight range. Now you get a chance to learn controlled -balance in your dealings with all issues connected with food and activity. The by-product of these efforts will be arriving at a weight/size that is truly you. Remember, a weight or size that is achieved by engaging in diet or exercise practices that you cannot live with forever will only be a temporary victory. Weight management endeavors should not rob you of your peace of mind! For more on this topic go to: http://www.intuitiveeating.com

Ditching Dieting is NOT for Sissies!

Taking an anti-diet approach to your health, well-being and long-term weight management is truly the road less traveled! As summer approaches and thoughts turn to bathing suits and sun dresses there seems to be a spike in diet chatter. Many of my clients are almost feeling like social outcasts as they bravely take a stance against hopping on the latest diet bandwagon. To fortify you for the fight here are some sobering statistics regarding dieting:

• The commercial diets and diet products generate 50 billion dollars per year in profits, yet they have a 90 % failure rate!
  
• We are the fattest nation on earth, yet dieting is a national pastime.
  
• Nearly 35% of "normal" dieters move into dangerous, pathological dieting and 25 -30 % of these people develop diagnosable eating disorders.
  
• Nearly half of all chronic dieters will experience episodes of compulsive or binge eating.
  
• Research demonstrates that when you lose weight by rigid dietary restraint you will have a heightened emotional response to food. (Possibly leading to binge eating.)
  
• Low calorie diets kick the production of fat storing enzymes into high gear. You may actually become "fatter" as you lose weight. This can lead to medical problems such as insulin resistance and high cholesterol.
  
• Dieting can cause a decrease in basal metabolic rate which can make it much easier to regain lost weight.
  
• Dieting can disconnect you from your own internal cues regarding hunger, craving, satisfied and full.
  
• The act of dieting can have a negative impact on self-esteem and body image.
  

Join the non-diet revolution! Choose foods that boost your energy, satisfy your taste buds and fulfill your nutritional needs. Don't go for "perfect eating". There is no such animal. Proudly proclaim to your dieting friends and family members …"I don't do diets!"

Share your experiences encountered as you ditch dieting!