So apparently I labeled two posts for day 64 – oops. Then I skipped 66 altogether. Hmmm ….
I was just thinking today about the many things that make dieting a challenge. I certainly have done my fair share of attempts at this. And many naysayers believe diets don’t work. That only 2 in 100 people loose weight and keep it off. Those aren’t very encouraging statistics. I visited with a gal in DC that had a lap band two years ago. She lost 160 pounds but has gained back 80 since then.
I think most diets also set you up for binging. Diets are restrictive – no getting around it – so we get very hungry, or at least think we are hungry. I read that obese people experiencing hunger tend to crave high calorie foods. Great. The very heavy also have more trouble stopping when full. Is there any good fat people news? Oh wait, there are a couple: reduced risk for rheumatoid arthritis, less likely to develop dementia, stronger immune system, organs are protected in the event of an accident. So there you go – I can survive a crash, won’t catch a cold, and keep my marbles.
One of my greatest concerns is that over time, I’ll be completely out of touch with my appetite. On the diet, the menus, schedule and portions are rigid. But when you eat normally, amounts vary and you eat according to desire and need. A couple of studies I read recently noted that losing touch with internal feedback contributes to long-term failure on most diets. It may also encourage cheating. I know I sure struggled to stay on track while in DC.
Most diets don’t teach you how to feed yourself for the long run. My diet does have a maintenance plan, and I’m hoping when I get there it will be helpful. Will I have learned how to feed myself in a healthy way for the rest of my life? That’s the hope.
I think many diets are based on self-hate and punishment. Think of all the ads you see on television for pre-packaged diets, where they show a healthy thin person and a photo of their fat, unhappy, former self. Or television programs that exploit the pain and embarrassment of obesity. They imply that if we are disgusted enough with ourselves, we will change. But that isn’t how change works. We change when we are ready to work toward a different life – for all the reasons an obese person experiences.
We know that harmful effects of losing and gaining again – and the likelihood it will happen. There is good evidence that yo-yo dieting is unhealthy. Since health is one of my concerns, I’m looking for an overall life-change rather than just thinking of this as weight loss. Some say focusing solely on dieting narrows our sense of who we are and encourages us to think of foods (and ourselves) as “good” or “bad.” But evaluating my day based on calories eaten and pounds lost is really helpful.
How often have I said, “When I lose weight, I will…” I’d like to say I can live the life I want now. But I can’t. So I have to look to those “I wills” for happy motivation. I think it’s a sum of all these things … keeping track, seeing the incremental improvements, looking toward the things I really will do when I lose weight!