Archive for Weight Loss Tips
The sustainability factor of a diet
Posted by: | CommentsWhen humans are allowed to eat as much as they want of high quality, high nutrient, wholesome food, studies have shown that they can be satisfied with as little as 1,500 calories. When given refined and processed food, these same people will consume as much as 3,000 calories to feel equally satisfied.
Lessons learned: the quality of the food (in terms of nutritional density per calorie) has an effect on satiety levels, and in the long term, will determine the effectiveness of a weight management strategy. Caloric restriction, without regard to optimizing nutrient content, is difficult to sustain over the long run. I think this is one of the main reasons why typical (i.e., nutritionally defective) “dieting” has a built-in negative loop that makes it extremely difficult to practice and maintain as a lifestyle. It becomes very draining, psychologically and physically, to sustain a non-optimal, low caloric diet over the long haul. In contrast, a high nutrient, mostly plant-based, wholesome diet has its own “positive feedback loop” that makes it easier to maintain as a long-term practice.
The food journal as mindfulness tool
Posted by: | CommentsAn important tool in changing behavior and reaching a weight or fitness goal (e.g., losing weight, getting stronger etc.) is the act of recording the behavior one wishes to change. This action forces us to observe carefully the phenomenon we are trying to manage and improve.
According to Daniel Kirschenbaum Ph.D., one of the foremost experts in the application of cognitive therapy to weight management, self monitoring is the single most important aspect of effective weight control: “The studies show that when people write down at least 75 percent of their eating and exercising behaviors they often succeed in losing weight and maintaining weight loss. Writing down very little of these critical aspects of weight control usually results in very minimal or temporary success.”
I think that learning this habit is so effective that the behavior of monitoring itself can be effectively used as an initial goal, rather than immediately adopting a weight loss goal in pounds. Only when the act of monitoring has become a habit can we then choose what weight goal to strive for. These are two discreet goals that can be “unlinked” and treated as organic (and sequential) stages in the change process. The information gathered from the monitoring process can then be used to strengthen the resolve to lose the weight and/or adapt a more nutritious diet. In most instances, the mere act of “neutrally” recording and paying attention to what we eat (without judgement) causes a positive change in our eating behavior.
Food monitoring and weight loss
Posted by: | CommentsEating as a “practice” can be developed just like any other discipline. One must be able to create the necessary social and internal structures that support sustainable and optimal eating habits. One of the most important skills to develop in losing weight is the mindfulness towards what we put into our bodies.
A basic approach to developing mastery over this ability is the discipline of creating a food journal. For people disconnected with true hunger (i.e., those who use food primarily for emotional, social, or recreational purposes), a journal that identifies the qualitative aspects of hunger or appetite is very useful. The quality of the hunger, the time of day, the amount and type of food, all the way to keeping track of calories and/or nutrients that one eats can all contribute to understanding the dynamics of our eating behavior. Most often, the mere act of observing and noting the behavior is enough to change the behavior.
Monitoring can also be treated as an intermediate step; it is sometimes beneficial for a person not to “change the diet” as much as merely to observe what one consumes over a period of time. In the past I have organized groups to post their food intake in a site like Basecamp, where folks can see what everyone else is doing, and provide social support for each other. This can be very effective in developing a consciousness about food, and has the power to shape our behavior over the long run. A lot of times people become hopeless in their repeated attempts to lose weight, and bite off more than they can chew. Monitoring (as an individual or social activity), as a discipline and skill, installs accountability and provides feedback on our eating behavior. We measure so we can ultimately manage what needs our attention.
Depending on an individual’s psychological profile or “wiring,” monitoring can function as an outlet or activity for imposing or restoring order into an otherwise chaotic or stressful life. Of course, it can also become a burden — one more thing that has to be done. However, when done as a ritual (with the accompanying visual or tactile positive reinforcement, over a period of time) it can serve as an effective “infrastructure” for moving our goals forward.
