SubscribeNon-Dieting Weight Loss: A Simple 6-Step Primer
Restrictive dieting often backfires. Maybe it's better to take a long-term, sustainable, holistic approach to healthy weight management.
- Don't go on a diet. The word diet means a "way of life" and unless you are going to stay on some type of diet for the rest of your life, then it's really not a "diet".
- Learn to know when you are "hungry" for something or if you are "craving" it. If you are hungry then eat it, however only eat until you are not hungry anymore (this is hard to do).
- Health doesn't happen without some form of exercise. Try and walk a little each day. Only walk when you enjoy it, and stop when you don't like to walk anymore. You don't have to walk a certain amount of minutes or miles a day. Just do what is enjoyable and what you feel like doing.
- When you really "crave" something, wait 15 minutes before consuming it. Usually the feeling goes away during that time.
- Chose a "ME" day once a week. On that day you can do or eat anything you like. You can go shopping, take in a movie, read a book or anything your heart desires. Don't let anyone or anything interfere with your "ME" day unless it is unavoidable, i.e. family pressures, sickness, etc.
- Learn to smile more and relax.
Hat Tip - Lon
More like this in Health · Jul 21, 2008
Great tips J.
You are 100% right when you say that learning to eat only when you are hungry is hard to do.
It is a skill to be learned or a muscle to be developed.
It won't happen overnight.
ReplyI totally agree. These steps make life more enjoyable. Thanks for another awesome post!
ReplyI agree with diet - bad word. Kinda like saying AMWAY.
I like the ideas here, but I would caution many who are in the midst of losing weight to be wary of trigger foods - those that once you get a taste, you can't stop yourself. When you allow yourself a totally free day to eat what you want, you can sabotage your weight loss plans. I would instead allow yourself to eat what you want, but also trade out that food for what else you are eating that day. If you have to have that bowl of ice cream, then have it, but know the calories consumed. Many people will dispute me and say that it takes 3500 additional calories to add a pound of fat to your body - and they'd be right. But I know of those who can actually do that, even if its protein bars, etc. Moderation is always key. If you are in a maintenance mode and have already lost the desired weight, know of the potential dangers of overeating and can limit it, then a true ME day may not be as big of a deal.
Another great component of a ME day is the ability to reward yourself for a great week - but finding other ways besides food to reward efforts. With a newly shaped body, reward yourself by a hike you never thought you could do, a swim you never thought you could accomplish, etc.
ReplyGood tips. I totally agree with #1 - in fact, I recently railed on the negative connotations our society has given the word "diet," when it really just means what you eat.
ReplyI'm a firm advocate of #4 ... it's amazing how many cravings pass after 15-20 minutes.
I really like the idea of a "me" day. Maybe eating EVERYTHING you like is going a bit too far, as JPickett1968 says, but it's definitely a good idea to have at least one day a week when you relax a bit and have a few treats. And making lots of those non-food treats is important too.
ReplyThe "Me Day" is very important. I find I can keep to a much stricter diet during the week if I know on Saturday, I can go eat what I want. Not to GO CRAZY but to have the beer and fries if that is what I have been looking forward to.
It makes the rest of the week much more doable.
BZ
ReplyCravings are little speed bumps that can have a heavy impact on the body =( Sometimes they are very strong to get over...but with a lot of work and self control cravings will go away!
Is it sad had how happy and how much I look forward to having ME time...especially when it comes to food..when I know I am going to reward myself it makes me do better during the week like BZ said and it makes things more "doable" even if the treat is something small!
ReplyI like the idea of a "me" day too. It doesn't HAVE to be about food, you know...sometimes just taking the time to do something nice for yourself (like buying a new outfit, getting a manicure, going to the library and just hanging out, etc.) can take your mind off of food entirely.
I also hate the word "diet". When I was a kid, my mom was always "going on a diet" which meant that for a month or so, she'd be buying Alba shakes and Snackwell's and Lean Cuisines. When she got sick of eating "diet" foods, she'd go back to buying ice cream and Little Debbie cakes. You have to think of your new way of eating as a permanent change or it'll be really tough to stick with it for too long.
ReplyA lot of people think about dieting as a form of self abuse. That is the connotation the word has these days. You will never be happy with that kind of thinking. This is a good list because it points out that it doesn't have to be that way.
Replyis walking really that helpful? i've read widespread studies singing its praises, and i agree that any type of movement helps truly sedentary people lose weight and eases them into more rigorous activities. but i live in nyc and everyone walks - even if it's just to and from subways/buses (and that sometimes includes numerous flights of stairs) or during a trip to the supermarket. yet there are still many overweight and obese people.
ReplyIn response to bijou,
Is walking helpful? Oh, my gosh, yes! I lost 30 pounds by walking, lifting weights twice a week and changing the way I ate. Also, just walking 20-30 minutes a day is good for your heart, your digestive system, your bones and your mood and so much more, even if you don't lose weight.
ReplyThere are some really great tips here Jim. I agree that you should decipher between craving and hungry! Many people fall into this trap.
ReplyI've got to make a quick comment on #3. While I agree that you should do what's enjoyable, if don't work and put a little effort into it, it's not going to be a success. I think you should find exercise that you enjoy, yes, but the key is to go past the point at which you feel like stopping. You won't make progress if you just let yourself stop.
I tackle this problem by 1) doing exercise I enjoy in the overall sense (they don't hurt, they're fun, they get me excited) but 2) recognize that there are going to be times I feel like stopping, but I'll need to get over that mental block and 3) in order to combat that, make a goal before you leave or while you're thinking about stopping (I will go 5 more telephone poles on this run; I will do 4 more pushups than I think I can; Before I go to the BBQ this afternoon I will walk around the block a few times....things like that.) Go a little further than you "want to".
ReplySounds like a really sensible approach to me!
Replyits nice to read that take a me day n all that but peoplw with small kids have ristrictions. i'd love to have me time, me day.. i have no family here, friends r already busy with their own kids, husband works from 7am to 9pm.... trying to save money with the current recession.. i cannt take a break for movie or dinner or a baby sitter..!!! but i can always take a walk and play loud dancing music in my house n dance my pants off!!!!
ReplyYeah, I have a lot of issues with overeating, so what I try and do is drink 8 ounces of water before dinner, 8 ounces of water during dinner, and then 8 ounces of water an hour after dinner. I track all the food I eat in a day and the quantity of it, so if I get hungry after dinner and my tricks to feel full then I'll eat a piece of fruit.
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