The trick to losing weight is to learn how to eat appropriat

salp02

I recommend everyone to read the below statement from Active.com's very own nancy Clark:

http://www.active.com/nutrition/Articles/The_Biggest_Loser.htm

The unfortunate message perpetuated by The Biggest Loser is “eating is cheating.” False. Eating satisfies a physiological requirement for food. Just as people need to sleep, urinate, and breathe, they also need to fuel their bodies, ideally with appropriate portions of healthful foods. Yet, you don’t need to eat a perfect diet to have a good diet. There's little harm in enjoying a slice of pizza or piece of birthday cake. The E in eating should stand for Enjoyment, not for Excruciating hunger.

The E in Exercise should also stand for Enjoyment. When exercise feels like punishment for having undesirable body fat, the day will come when that dieter no longer feels like whipping his or her body into shape and instead reverts to lazing on the couch. The Biggest Losers lose-out in the long run, because extreme diets (either on TV or in your life) teach nothing about sustainable eating and exercise practices that can be enjoyably maintained for the rest of one’s life. What about moderation, balance, quality of life?

So how does a person lose undesired body fat? Not by dieting! We know that diets do not work. If diets did work, then every person who has ever been on a diet would be lean. We know from research that students who dieted in middle school still struggled with weight in high school. None of their efforts to lose weight resulted in the desired outcome. (1) Rather, diets linked with hunger, denial and deprivation of favorite foods set the stage for binge eating and weight gain. Hence, the question arises: Do diets contribute to the obesity problem? Perhaps. The first six months of food restriction tend to result in fat loss. But then, the fat generally creeps back (if not rapidly returns)—plus more.

It’s time to take a different look at how to lose weight. A new task force on obesity suggests people chip away at losing undesired body fat by eating just 100 calories less per day (and for non-exercisers, moving 100 calories more). (2) This contrasts to the Biggest Loser approach of skimping on breakfast, nibbling on salad for lunch, and exercising exhaustively on fumes—all unsustainable efforts that require enduring extreme hunger. How about eating just a little bit less at the end of the day: two fewer Oreos, one less can of soda pop, a smaller snack while watching TV? How about trade-in grueling workouts to burn off calories for meaningful ways to move your body throughout the day: training for a fun event, biking to work, playing with the kids, running with a friend. The rigor of hard training can lose it’s glow; even athletes need rest days and an “off season.”

Food for Thought

I repeat: Eating is not cheating! The trick to losing weight is to learn how to eat appropriately—a difficult task in an obesity-producing society. A sports dietitian can help you create a personalized food plan that embraces food as one of life’s pleasures. You can find this weight management expert using the referral network at www.SCANdpg.org.

People who eat appropriately tend to be thin; dieters tend to be heavy. Clearly, the eating approach to weight management paves the road to success. To manage to eat wisely, we need to learn how to manage stress, get enough sleep, exercise our bodies enjoyably, and take care of our souls. Curiously, this self-care has little to do with food...

salp02

I recommend everyone to read the below statement from Active.com's very own nancy Clark:

http://www.active.com/nutrition/Articles/The_Biggest_Loser.htm

The unfortunate message perpetuated by The Biggest Loser is “eating is cheating.” False. Eating satisfies a physiological requirement for food. Just as people need to sleep, urinate, and breathe, they also need to fuel their bodies, ideally with appropriate portions of healthful foods. Yet, you don’t need to eat a perfect diet to have a good diet. There's little harm in enjoying a slice of pizza or piece of birthday cake. The E in eating should stand for Enjoyment, not for Excruciating hunger.

The E in Exercise should also stand for Enjoyment. When exercise feels like punishment for having undesirable body fat, the day will come when that dieter no longer feels like whipping his or her body into shape and instead reverts to lazing on the couch. The Biggest Losers lose-out in the long run, because extreme diets (either on TV or in your life) teach nothing about sustainable eating and exercise practices that can be enjoyably maintained for the rest of one’s life. What about moderation, balance, quality of life?

So how does a person lose undesired body fat? Not by dieting! We know that diets do not work. If diets did work, then every person who has ever been on a diet would be lean. We know from research that students who dieted in middle school still struggled with weight in high school. None of their efforts to lose weight resulted in the desired outcome. (1) Rather, diets linked with hunger, denial and deprivation of favorite foods set the stage for binge eating and weight gain. Hence, the question arises: Do diets contribute to the obesity problem? Perhaps. The first six months of food restriction tend to result in fat loss. But then, the fat generally creeps back (if not rapidly returns)—plus more.

It’s time to take a different look at how to lose weight. A new task force on obesity suggests people chip away at losing undesired body fat by eating just 100 calories less per day (and for non-exercisers, moving 100 calories more). (2) This contrasts to the Biggest Loser approach of skimping on breakfast, nibbling on salad for lunch, and exercising exhaustively on fumes—all unsustainable efforts that require enduring extreme hunger. How about eating just a little bit less at the end of the day: two fewer Oreos, one less can of soda pop, a smaller snack while watching TV? How about trade-in grueling workouts to burn off calories for meaningful ways to move your body throughout the day: training for a fun event, biking to work, playing with the kids, running with a friend. The rigor of hard training can lose it’s glow; even athletes need rest days and an “off season.”

Food for Thought

I repeat: Eating is not cheating! The trick to losing weight is to learn how to eat appropriately—a difficult task in an obesity-producing society. A sports dietitian can help you create a personalized food plan that embraces food as one of life’s pleasures. You can find this weight management expert using the referral network at www.SCANdpg.org.

People who eat appropriately tend to be thin; dieters tend to be heavy. Clearly, the eating approach to weight management paves the road to success. To manage to eat wisely, we need to learn how to manage stress, get enough sleep, exercise our bodies enjoyably, and take care of our souls. Curiously, this self-care has little to do with food...

running4myhealth

Great post

For every meal I consume I try to leave one or two bites. Over time, those one or two bites add up to 100 calories... then 200 calories...

lucky01day

Great post

For every meal I consume I try to leave one or two bites. Over time, those one or two bites add up to 100 calories... then 200 calories...

that's a great way to think... I do that too, of course I think part of my reasoning is it makes me feel like i'm just not eating close to as much b/c I still have food left on my plate... but the more I do it, the harder it has become for me to honestly finish EVERYTHING I have on my plate... in the long run, def a great thing for me!!

shalinik78

I started on the fitness mission just a week back and this is exactly something that I needed to read - learning is always a big help Now I will eat everything and also stay healthy

neeterskeeter

I agree, great post, thanks for sharing.

I was just thinking of this yesterday, that when I pay attention to what I'm putting in my body, and I make sure to eat light and healthy, I really, really *enjoy* eating. I used to be totally consumed (pun intended LOL) with this obsession about dieting, calories, losing weight... to no avail. I would lose weight, get un-obsessed, and gain it back... and the cycle would continue.

For me personally it is so true that I've only been very happy with my results once I realized that FOOD IS MY FRIEND. It nourishes me, gives me energy to do all the things I can do in a day if I take care of myself properly, it replenishes me. The only thing that is the "enemy" is BAD stuff I put into my body, which damages it and makes it more prone to diseases and illnesses. And even then, if I "splurge" on a little bit of sugar or more carbs in one day than I would otherwise prefer, I don't beat myself up for it because MOST of the time, I eat healthy and treat my body right.

It was only by taking care of my body that I have learned to love it (very, very recently). It's the first time I actually look in the mirror and love what I see. It's the first time I'm proud of myself instead of beating myself up. So I am *convinced* that dieting and punishing myself over food is NOT the answer. Learning how certain foods affect my body and the right way to eat the right things was definitely the answer for me. Now that I don't even care so much about the number of calories, they fall into place, because I am eating filling, healthy food. Now that I don't even care so much about the number on the scale, it is dropping, which I like of course :laugh:, but not nearly as much as I love the feeling of being healthy, confident, and in control of my body.

So thanks for sharing and thanks for letting me share my recent revelations, which happen to be right in line with what you posted.

salp02

I really enjoy food also. I used to beat myself up over what I ate and how I ate.
You are very right! Once I started not obssessing over How many calories I eat, and more about how to make myself more healthy, I have also lost the lbs!
I have to get a beach body by June, and I intend to keep it that way and continue working on it.
Of course, going to the beach means a few margaritas, but as long as I keep exercising and eating healthier, then one or two drinks wont bring me down!