In my practice as a dietician, there is one case that used to frustrate me to the core, and that’s the case of dieters who, despite their commitment to the diet, barely lose any weight.
It would be easy to say they’re lazy; they’re not doing the right thing. However, the problem is that the human body and mind don’t always react to our orders the way we would want them to. So many reasons, and so many different people come to the clinic and do not lose weight, and yet, each and every one of them has a different reason for their ”failure”.
Case #1: Slow metabolism
We are not all created equal. As a matter of fact, going back in time, retaining energy (in other words fat) when food was scarce was considered an added value. As a matter of fact, “survival of the fittest” meant that, those with the slowest metabolisms; i.e. those able to maximize the energy obtained from small amounts of food were the ones who survived. The tremendous change in humans’ lifestyle was faster than any evolutionary genetic change. Therefore, the ones considered the fittest back in the days, are now the ones suffering from excess weight and related diseases. The bottom line is, don’t be so harsh on yourself, not so long ago, your ancestors survived from this slow metabolism.
Case #2: The compulsive/emotional eater
A diet is a lifestyle change. You are changing the way you eat, and we all know that eating has moved from a survival instinct, to a pleasure instinct very often in our modern society. We no longer eat to feed ourselves. We eat to enjoy the flavors, the mood, and we eat to sooth ourselves. Many of us turn to sweets while facing a bad day at work. Many of us treat themselves to a fatty meal at night, as a reward for a tiring day. And, many of us consider that at this point in their lives, food is their sole source of comfort and pleasure. We all have comfort foods. Mine is pasta with cheese and ketchup or cream. For some its ice cream, or cake, or chips. Whatever brings you back to that safe memory is a comfort food. It’s only natural to indulge in a comfort meal from time to time. But the line between an occasional binge and a regular binge is very thin. The minute you start relying on food for satisfaction in your daily lifestyle, you slim down your chances of being able to cope with the changes a diet brings into your life. I very often recommend to my patients to channel the negativity in them into something other than food. For some, it could be crying, for others a hot bath, or going to the mall, or any artistic activity. And for many, dealing with these issues requires help from a therapist. Keep in mind when exploring such an option that your health’s at stake.
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