Overcome Weight Cycling and Overeating
Have you frequently lost weight only to regain it? Many individuals struggle with yo-yo weight loss for most of their lives.
What causes yo-yo dieting (or weight cycling)?
It may seem that cutting drastically on your food intake will bring quick results. Sooner or later, however, your body prepares itself for fewer calories coming in. The body adjusts and chooses to conserve energy and lowers the way the body burns food for energy. The weight loss that was earlier attained starts to slow down or stop.
By this time most dieters struggle to maintain their diet program. And the weight slowly starts to creep up again. To make things worse, the decrease in metabolic rate will cause the body to live on less calorie intake. Every low-calorie dieting episode makes the body more efficient.
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
Hope for a long term supportable approach instead of a quick one. Aim for a modest weight loss of 1-2 pounds a week instead. I you plan on decreasing caloric intake, do it gradually. Depending on how much you have to lose, two hundred up to a 500 calories decrease a day would be commendable.
Imagine your diet as a healthy living design instead of a temporary weight loss program.
Increase your level of physical activity. Take the stairs not the elevator, park far from the entrance or pick up on activities you enjoy such as hiking, biking or dancing.
Plan on eating frequently throughout the day. Eating frequent smaller meals will prevent you from overeating later on.
Overeating and Emotional Eating
Okay, maybe your problem is not yo-yo dieting. It is possible that you are a habitual eater. Example, eating junk snacks while watching TV.
Perhaps you are an emotional eater. Do you skip meals when stressed and overeat when bored?
Overcoming emotional or habitual eating
If food is meeting an emotional need, perhaps it is time to examine your options. Find alternatives to eating. Perhaps you can take a brisk walk to clear your head during your lunch break. Invite your friends to play miniature golf on your birthday instead of having cake and ice cream. Have healthy snacks such as a bag of carrot sticks or an apple which you can grab when you are too busy to make time for yourself.
Manage your hunger by eating small meals frequently. Do not go hungry. When you go hungry, you could make poor choices or overeat.
Yes, you can train your body to be satisfied at 60% capacity at meal time. Therefore, do not fill yourself. Besides, you will not help starving children by eating everything on your plate.
You know what junk food can do to you. Therefore, just get rid of them. Instead stock your kitchen with whole-grain breads, vegetables and fruit.
It may sound corny, but try to do things to keep you focused on your goal. For instance, put a sign over your bed that says: The difference between fat and fit is I. Stick a sign on your dashboard that says: none of these foods taste as good as a size 8 (add a picture of a cheeseburger and fries).
In the end, it all boils down to staying on track. Do not fall off the wagon even if you overate once (or twice).
Rochester Gyms, Fitness Programs in Rochester and Rochester Weight Loss Programs dedicate their themselves to keeping you fit, healthy and trim.
