AverageJanesFitness.com

Worrying about the weight won’t help you lose it!

Jane — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 19:36:36 +0000

My friend Catherine recently told me about a 50-year-old friend of hers who’d been a member of a sewing circle for 10 years and was now dying of brain cancer. “I labored and sweated over my crooked stitches,” her friend said. “And I always felt ashamed for not making stitches the right size or shape. As if making straight stitches actually meant something about me or my life. Now, the doctors say I have six months to live, and when I think about the time I wasted worrying about those crooked stitches…”

She left the sentence unfinished.

Most of the people I see spend most of their lives worrying about their own version of crooked stitches; the size of their thighs, their hips, their abdomens. As if those things signify something true or real about their lives. As if when we get to the end of our lives, a number on a scale will mean anything at all.

I was in a car accident recently. We were burbling away, two friends and I, on our way to a party, when suddenly we got sideswiped by someone who ran a red light. After our car crashed into two lampposts, three other cars and one stop sign, it came to a total standstill. I crawled out of the hole in the side that used to be the door and, although my ankle throbbed, my head felt as if a brick had fallen on it, and I couldn’t breathe very well, I was alive.

And suddenly, just being alive was enough — even miraculous — suddenly nothing was important except the fact that I was still breathing.

I needed a wheelchair for six weeks because of a sprained ankle and a set of bruised ribs, and sometimes, when my husband was busy and couldn’t transport me from the dining room to the living room, I’d sit outside and stare at the feast in my backyard. It wasn’t anything out of the ordinary. Just the usual: clouds, trees, sun. Dog barking. Birds trilling. Wind blowing. The everyday jubilee I’d been passing on my way from desk to kitchen to desk as I worried about the stitches of work, family, errands and responsibilities as I rushed frantically to keep up with the pace of e-mails, text messages, book deadlines. But since I had a concussion and couldn’t think clearly, and since my usual mode of running around was impossible, I had a good excuse to stop everything and contemplate the little things. Like living and dying.

There is nothing like a brush with death to get a girl thinking.

The first time I taught my retreat after the accident, I asked my students to make a list of 10 things they loved most about being alive. They wrote down things like: “reading to my daughter before bed,” “swimming with my son,” “holding my husband’s hand,” “being in the forest,” “taking a hot bath.” Then I asked them what they would spend their time on if they knew they had only a year to live. All of them elaborated on different versions of doing what they loved and of loving the people they cherished. Not one of them mentioned losing weight, although some of them did say that they would eat only what they really, really liked. Which brings me to the subject of dieting and weight loss and being fully alive.

I recently read a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine in which 300 “moderately obese people” were followed on three different diets: the low-carb diet, the low-fat diet and the Mediterranean diet (healthy fats, some dairy products, abundant fruits and vegetables). After the first five months of tightly controlled dieting, the dieters lost an average of 10 to 14 pounds. However, by the end of the two-year study, all the participants gained back some of the weight they had lost. Two years of strict dieting and the end result is that you lose 10 pounds and gain back four?

Hmmmm. There’s gotta be a better way to spend your time.

There is. It’s called: Live the life you have.

Love the body you’ve got. (This is not the same thing as: Give up and binge.)

Part of the reason that diets don’t work is that when we are obsessively focused on how much we weigh, we are not focused on doing what we love or on loving what we love. We are thinking about what we will look like when we lose weight. We are spending our days counting calories or fat grams; as if we have forever to be alive, forever to become what we truly love.

When the late Carnegie Mellon professor Randy Pausch’s last lecture swept across the Internet, when he spoke about having pancreatic cancer and six months to live, he spoke as a man whose priorities were clear. He wanted to spend every second he could with his family; he wanted his kids to have a visible record of his love. “I am maintaining my clear-eyed sense of the inevitable,” he said. “I’m living like I’m dying. But at the same time, I’m very much living like I’m still living.”

Every one of us has a terminal illness: It’s called life.

Although we want to believe that death only happens to other people, it only takes a second or two to realize that the “D” word is going to happen to us, too. A car accident. A serious illness. An iffy mammogram. Suddenly, it’s our life that is at stake. Our life whose stitches are numbered.

Ask yourself how you want to live. Ask yourself what you would do with your time if you found out that your days were numbered. (Because they are. You just don’t know what the number is.)

And, oh, ask yourself what you would eat.

While you might be tempted to say, “I’d eat pizza and cheesecake nonstop, because who cares about clogged arteries when time is limited,” ask yourself if that’s true. If life is so precious, why would you spend one minute of it making yourself sick?

When I was 19, my college roommate and I were traveling from Pisa, Italy, to Rome in a rickety airplane. We were convinced that it was going to crash and, in the last few minutes of the flight, I figured that as long as I was going to die, I might as well die eating chocolate. Despite the turbulence, I managed to polish off the entire 5-pound box I’d bought for my mother. If I had died, I would have gone out burping and in a sugar coma. Not exactly a graceful exit.

Rather than focusing on dieting and depriving yourself, which we all know does not work, turn your attention to what you love. Because if you love your life, you want to take care of your body. Even if you knew you only had six months to live, you might eat differently, you might even begin exercising every day, but it wouldn’t be because you were ashamed of your body. It wouldn’t be because your thighs weren’t thin enough or the stitches of your life weren’t good enough. It would be because you didn’t want to miss a minute of the time you had left.

Why wait?

Why not cherish every crooked stitch of your life before another moment passes?

Geneen Roth is an international teacher, speaker, and writer of best-selling books on emotional eating. www.geneenroth.com.

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Trying to lose weight? It’s about what you add in, not take away

Jane — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 19:04:16 +0000

Just because you want to lose weight doesn’t mean you have to lose your favorite foods in the process. “I often see clients avoiding food that would help them control overeating and ultimately lose weight,” says D. Milton Stokes, a registered dietitian in Stamford, Connecticut. But diets don’t have to be so strict.

In fact, he says, taking away all of the foods you love could backfire and lead to bingeing. So before you put chocolate and pasta on your no-no list, read on to learn which forbidden foods top nutritionists want you to keep in your diet equation.

+ Cheese
Yes, just 1 ounce of cheese contains about 100 calories and 5 grams of fat. But it’s also a source of calcium (about 200 milligrams per ounce), which improves your body’s ability to burn calories and fat, according to a recent research review.

In a University of Tennessee study, dieters who included an extra 300 to 400 milligrams of calcium a day lost significantly more weight than those who ate the same number of calories, but with less calcium. Choose light varieties to save on calories, and limit yourself to a 2-ounce portion.

+ Peanut butter
Women who eat one serving (2 tablespoons) of peanut butter (or nuts) two or more times a week gain fewer pounds than women who rarely eat it, according to recent research from the Harvard School of Public Health. That’s because peanut butter helps you stay fuller longer.

+ Bread
Whole-grain bread is a source of carbohydrates, something your brain needs to produce serotonin, a neurotransmitter that promotes feelings of comfort and satisfaction, says Nina T. Frusztajer, M.D., a Boston-based physician who specializes in nutrition and is co-author of “The Serotonin Power Diet.” When serotonin levels are optimal, she says, you feel calm and happy and have fewer cravings.

+ Pasta
Like bread, the carbs in pasta boost serotonin to help curb overeating. Plus, their high fluid content (cooked pasta and rice are about 70 percent water) keeps you satisfied longer, compared with dry foods, according to research from the British Nutrition Foundation. Choose whole-grain varieties for filling fiber.

+ Potatoes
When boiled or baked, potatoes become what’s known as a “resistant starch,” meaning it resists digestion. Unlike other types of fiber, resistant starch gets fermented in the large intestine, creating fatty acids that may block the body’s ability to burn carbohydrates. In their place, you burn fat. Just resist the temptation to top them with sour cream or butter.

+ Chocolate
It’s not surprising that chocolate tops the list of women’s most commonly craved foods. Try to fight that desire and chances are high you’ll not only cave, but you’ll go overboard and binge, says Sari Greaves, a registered dietitian and spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association. Scientists at the University of Copenhagen have found that dark varieties are more satisfying than milk chocolate. But measure your portion and try to slowly savor the treat.

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7 Workouts that Work

Jane — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 20:52:41 +0000

Find an activity you enjoy

How many times have you tried the latest exercise craze only to discover it didn’t live up to its promise? You want to get healthy and stay active, but you find yourself overwhelmed with all the fads and fast-fixes. Well, don’t give up. There are simple and effective exercise programs out there just waiting for you to give them a try.

How do you know which workout is right for you? The cardinal rule of fitness is to find an activity that you like. “If people don’t enjoy what they’re doing, they’re more likely to skip workouts and end up hating exercise altogether,” says Marci Lall, a weight loss and body sculpting specialist in Toronto. Finding a workout that inspires you is the key to your success. “The right type of workout and one that works well for your body can be the determining factor in whether or not you see results,” says Lall. Here are the best exercise programs that Lall suggests to help keep you motivated, challenge your body and burn calories.

1. Circuit Training

Circuit training, a combination of strength training and aerobic exercises, is great for cardiovascular health and building up muscle. This workout usually involves a range of stations utilizing resistance equipment and space to do a series of exercises that could include squats, skipping, push-ups and jumps. Circuit training can also incorporate interval training, or alternating between low- and high-intensity exercise. Circuit training can be done on your own, as a group or in a class setting.

2. Boot Camp

Participating in a boot camp allows you to work as a group to get fit, lose weight and increase strength. Often taught outdoors, boot camp classes offer a combination of running, interval training and exercises involving weights. The goal is to utilize the social support of those around you to encourage you on your fitness journey. Instructors have participants do things like body weight exercises, machine weights or even plyometrics (jumping/leaping exercises). Hit your local gym or community group and check out a class in action.

3. High Intensity Training (H.I.T.)

H.I.T. involves very short, intense training sessions of aerobic and muscular exercise. It’s beneficial for burning fat and strengthening cardiovascular health. A typical session would start out with a short warm-up. Then, the participant would rotate between a moderate aerobic exercise (e.g., jogging), an intense aerobic exercise (e.g., sprinting) and a movement that involves many muscle groups (e.g., lunging) for short bursts of time. The cycle can be repeated with different types of movement.

4. Spinning

This aerobic exercise is done on a stationary bicycle in a class format. Motivational music plays and the instructor take you through different visualizations that mimic an outdoor ride (uphill, downhill, turns, etc.). Spinning is a popular choice as classes can burn up to 450 calories in 45 minutes and help to tone the thighs, glutes and arms. Spinning requires intense focus so it is a great option for people who enjoy being challenged both mentally and physically. If you are new to exercise, you might want to consider a beginners’ class that is less intense and will introduce you to the various movements.

5. Fitness/ dance hybrid classes

There are many dance-based fitness classes popping up at health clubs. Zumba is a great example of this and one of the most popular. This class uses Latin rhythms in a highly choreographed routine. Not only do Zumba classes help tone and sculpt the body, but they also have the same fat-burning power as regular exercise routines do. Hybrid classes are a great option for women who have a lot of energy and love to strut their stuff.

6. Stability ball workouts

Stability balls improve your workout because the unstable surface of the ball forces the body to engage more muscles to maintain balance. The core body muscles (abs and back) are targeted along with the muscles you are exercising. For example, instead of standing while doing upper body exercises, sit on the ball and perform the movements. Stability balls are great for home use and there is a wide variety of DVDs available to help you with your workout.

7. Combat workouts

Boxing or kickboxing moves are great for self-defense as well as general fitness. There are many different types of combat workouts, depending on the instructor and level of proficiency. The classes will include a variety of jabs, ducks, punches and kicks. Many fitness clubs offer a modified version of boxing without any physical contact. Boxing employs both cardio and resistance training, and you can burn 600 to 800 calories in a 45- to 60-minute class. Your agility, endurance, and coordination will also improve.

What workouts work for you? Share them in the comments.

Whole-body Exercise Band Workout

Jane — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 22:47:34 +0000

Exercise bands are great exercise accessories. Not only are they portable and easy to use, they’re extremely effective for developing muscular strength and endurance. And, as we show you here, it’s easy to get a whole-body workout. Ten to 20 minutes, twice a week is all you need to build and maintain muscular strength and endurance. Complete one or more sets of 20 repetitions of each of the following exercises. Proper form is essential. Follow the directions given and concentrate on performing each exercise in a slow and controlled manner while using a relaxed grip. Once the exercises begin to feel too easy, you may need to graduate to a band with greater resistance.

1. Leg Abduction
Stand behind a chair and step both feet inside the loop and position around your ankles. Place your hand on the chair for support and balance. Maintaining erect posture with contracted abdominals, shift your body weight onto leg closest to the chair. Keep supporting leg softly bent at the knee throughout the exercise. Flex your foot and lift your outer leg out as far as comfortably possible, keeping the hip and shoulder stationary. Slowly lower and repeat.

2. Hamstring Curl
Stand behind a chair, placing one or both hands on it for balance. Step both feet inside the loop and position around your ankles. With good posture and contracted abdominals, shift your body weight on to one leg. Keep supporting leg softly bent at the knee throughout the exercise. With knees aligned and foot flexed, contract the hamstring and bend your “free” leg ninety degrees toward the buttocks. Slowly return to starting position and repeat.

3. Leg Adduction
Stand behind a chair and step both feet inside the loop and position around your ankles. Place your hand on the chair for support and balance. Maintaining erect posture with contracted abdominals, shift your body weight onto leg furthest from the chair. Keep this leg softly bent at the knee throughout the exercise. With your foot flexed and toes pointed outward, lift the leg closest to the chair slightly forward. From this starting position, cross the leg in front of the body, leading with the heel. Keep the hips and shoulders stable as you slowly return to the starting position and repeat.

4. Squat
Stand with feet approximately shoulder-width apart. Place the band under the arches of both feet, holding the ends comfortably in each hand. Look at a point slightly higher than your head and contract your abdominals to maintain proper posture. Bend your knees until your upper legs are just above parallel in relation to the floor. Keep your heels down, your body weight over the ankles and your abdominals tight with your low back in a natural arch. Make sure you can see your toes as you bend your knees. Return to starting position and repeat.

5. Lateral Raise
Stand with feet shoulderwidth apart and place one end of the band under the right foot. Comfortably grasp the other end of the band in the right hand, maintaining a slight bend in the elbow. Position the right arm straight down from the shoulder with the thumb pointing forward. Keep your knees soft, your posture erect and abdominals contracted. Lift your arm laterally to shoulder height, keeping your wrist firm, thumb pointed up and palm facing forward. Slowly lower and repeat.

6. Chest Press
Stand with feet shoulderwidth apart, knees soft, posture erect and abdominals tight. Grasp the ends of the band in both hands and place behind your back, under the arms, at chest level. Bend and raise your elbows to chest level. Keeping your wrists firm and palms parallel with the floor, extend your arms straight in front of the body; do not lock out the elbows. Return to starting position and repeat.

7. Upper Back
Stand with feet shoulder-width apart, knees soft, posture erect and abdominals tight. Grasp the band so hands are slightly wider than shoulderwidth apart. With your palms facing the floor, bend your elbows and lift your arms to chest height. Expand your chest and pull your shoulder blades back and together. Keep your lower body stationary and maintain good posture throughout the exercise. Return to starting position and repeat.

8. Lat Pulldown
Stand with feet shoulder-width apart, knees soft and abdominals tight. Grasp the band so hands are slightly wider than shoulder-width apart. Lift your arms just above your head, palms facing front; look straight ahead. Extend arms laterally at shoulder height with firm wrists and slightly bent elbows. Pull your shoulder blades back and together and expand the chest. Return to starting position and repeat.

9. Triceps Extension
Stand with feet shoulderwidth apart, knees soft and abdominals tight. Grasp the band on either end, placing one hand behind your back with the back of your hand against your waistline, and the other hand at the back of your neck with your thumb pointing down. There should be no slack in the tube, so adjust as necessary to create a slight tautness. Keeping your hand stationary at the waist, extend the top arm above your head by moving just the elbow; your shoulder should remain stable in order to isolate the triceps muscle. Keep your hand directly over your shoulder, so your palm faces forward and your knuckles face the ceiling. Slowly lower and repeat.

10. Biceps Curl
Stand comfortably with feet shoulder-width apart, knees soft and abdominals tight. Grasp the loop in front of you with both hands, keeping your left hand slightly below waist level with palm facing down, and your right hand just above it with palm facing up. Tuck your right elbow in close to your side. Without moving your left arm, bend your right elbow and bring your palm up until it is facing the front of your left shoulder, with your thumb pointing out and away from the body. Be sure to keep your wrist straight. Slowly lower and repeat.

11. Back Extension
Lie face down with your arms by your sides, palms facing up and legs extended and relaxed. Hold your head up slightly or rest your forehead on the floor. Relax your shoulders into the floor, but keep your abdominals tight. Contract the gluteals and use your lower back muscles to slowly lift your shoulders and chest off the floor. Lower and repeat.

12. Reverse Crunch
Lie on your back with your thighs perpendicular to the floor and your knees bent at a 90-degree angle. Grasp the loop in both hands and place it on the front of your thighs just above the knees. Position hands against the outside of your thighs, palms facing the floor as they hold the band. Rest your head, neck, shoulders and lower back on the floor. This is your starting position. Contract your abdominals, roll your hips up and bring knees toward your face as you lift the upper body slightly off the floor. With each crunch, press your hands toward the feet, pushing against the resistance of the loop. Try to relax your shoulders and neck and don’t lock out your elbows. Return to starting position and repeat.

Just the Facts: Exercise for Life

Jane — Fri, 29 May 2009 21:51:00 +0000

Why is exercise important to me?

No matter how old you are, exercise can make you stronger, more flexible—and keep your heart healthy. If you stay fit, you will be more able to do things, like go food shopping or visit friends.

Exercise gives you energy. Think of your body as a rechargeable battery. Exercise recharges you! It helps control blood pressure, too. If you are diabetic, exercise can lower blood sugar. It aids circulation and helps you sleep. Exercise can also help keep your bones healthy.

Mood lifting chemicals are released in your brain when you exercise. So exercise can fight depression and help you feel more positive about your life.

How should I start to exercise?

First, tell your doctor that you want to exercise. He or she can make sure you do not have any special problems that would be made worse by a workout.

After checking with your doctor, write down a goal you would like to reach. Goals might be walking around the block without stopping, bike riding with your family, shopping at the mall with a friend, or going dancing.

Make an exercise plan that will work for you. What kind of person are you? Do you prefer to do things alone, or would a group help keep you motivated? Write down how often you will exercise, what time of day, and for how long. Start with small blocks of time, like 10 minutes every other day. Increase it by a minute or two each week.

How will I know exercise is helping?

It takes time—a few weeks or a few months—to feel better with exercise. Start a log or notebook. Keep track of when you exercised, what you did, and how it felt. You will be able to see your small but steady progress. This can keep you from getting discouraged and quitting.

Once you reach your goal, set a new one. Exercise should become a long-term habit. It can also be fun!

Can people in wheelchairs exercise?

Yes. There are many stretching and strengthening exercises that can be done in a chair. Moving the arms (and legs, if possible) can help strengthen the heart. Using hand weights can build muscles.

Benefits of Mediterranean diet affirmed, again

Jane — Fri, 29 May 2009 20:44:46 +0000

Although there is no single “Mediterranean diet,” the term has come to represent a food pyramid consisting at the base of bread, pasta, rice and other whole grains, and potatoes, supplemented with fruits, beans, vegetables and nuts to which olive oil is added, along with cheese and yogurt. Fish, chicken, eggs and refined carbohydrates are eaten less frequently (weekly). Red meat is consumed infrequently. The whole pyramid is supplemented with moderate alcohol consumption.

It has long been observed that people living in Mediterranean countries have lower rates of coronary artery disease and cancer and live longer than people in other European countries. Clinical trials of similar diets imposed on patients with coronary artery disease or who had had a recent myocardial infarction showed that they experienced fewer deaths and fewer coronary events than patients who had other diets. However, prospective studies are rare.

Do people who regularly consume a traditional Mediterranean diet experience a lower mortality rate?

Between 1994 and 1999 as part of the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition, 22 043 people living in Greece completed a validated food-frequency questionnaire and were traced through official death registries (people with coronary artery disease, diabetes mellitus or cancer were excluded). The questionnaire included questions about alcohol intake, physical activity and smoking. The authors measured adherence to the diet by constructing a scale based on consumption of 9 components of the diet. The scale ranged from minimal adherence
to the traditional Mediterranean diet (0) to maximal adherence (9).

Patients were followed for a median time of 3.7 years. The mortality benefit seen in this study was in the group aged 55 years or more who, as expected, accounted for most of the deaths. After adjustment for age, sex, smoking, body mass index, waist–hip ratio, education, level of physical activity, consumption of potatoes and eggs, and total energy intake, the hazard ratio for death from all causes for all ages combined resulting from a 2-point increment in Mediterranean diet score was 0.75 (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.64–0.87), for coronary artery disease 0.67 (95% CI 0.47–0.94) and for cancer 0.76 (95% CI 0.59–0.98).

The authors also attempted to identify a single food item that was predictive of mortality. After adjustment, the only statistically significant predictors of lower mortality were higher intakes of fruits and nuts (hazard ratio 0.82, 95% CI 0.70–0.96) and a higher ratio of monounsaturated lipids to saturated lipids (hazard ratio 0.86, 95% CI 0.76–0.98).

Dietary habits are difficult to determine. This study used a snapshot (in the form of a validated questionnaire) to measure usual and presumably lifelong dietary habits. The short median time of follow-up to measure death rates had the result of providing more information about older people. Nonetheless, in multivariate analysis taking age into account, the health effects of a 2-point increase in Mediterranean diet score are evident.

The study may have lacked sufficient power to measure the health effects of individual components of the diet. An alternative hypothesis is that the health effects result from a synergistic or interactive effect of the various components of the diet.

The results provide further observational evidence that eating a daily diet of unrefined cereals and grains, beans, legumes, nuts, vegetables, fruits, olive oil and yogurt or cheese with moderate alcohol consumption is associated with longevity and reduced numbers of deaths from coronary artery disease and from cancer.

The limitations are those of an observational study and the fact that the data, although population based, are from a single country. Nonetheless, there appears to be no evidence of serious harm that could result from the Mediterranean food pyramid and potentially much benefit. In addition, clinical studies support the use of this diet as one of the therapeutic options that can be offered to patients with coronary artery disease.

Exposing the Diet Myth: Diets Make You Eat Less

Jane — Fri, 29 May 2009 17:21:28 +0000

Research in the area of dieting and eating behaviour reveals a great discrepancy between
what people think dieters do and what dieters actually do. Most people think that dieting
is a simple process, and in theory it is. To lose weight, you simply have to eat less.
However, in reality, dieting is not a simple task and much of the time dieters do not eat
less than do non-dieters. This article debunks the myth that dieters actually eat less than
do non-dieters by reviewing the evidence comparing the eating behaviours of dieters and
non-dieters, and in particular what triggers episodes of overeating in dieters. Next, the
possible mechanisms that lead dieters to eat more than non-dieters are considered.
Finally, alternatives to dieting are presented briefly.
MYTH: Diets make you eat less
Although dieters try to restrict their intake and there are some studies to show that they
eat less than non-dieters do, the evidence suggests that under many conditions, dieters
typically eat the same or more than do non-dieters. In one study researchers found that
the average daily caloric intake of dieters did not differ significantly from that of non-dieters.

Dieters in this study ate slightly more (on average 2234 cal/day) than did the non-dieters (on average 2066 cal/day).The dieters also ate significantly more snacks and ate
more frequently than did the non-dieters.
Many studies have found that across a variety of conditions, dieters typically eat more
than do non-dieters. It appears that maintenance of control of eating in dieters is rare.
Numerous laboratory studies have revealed a variety of “diet disrupters” or triggers of
overeating. These include anxiety, distress, depression, positive emotion, alcohol, actual
or anticipated consumption of a “diet-breaking” food (e.g., a milkshake), or the mere
exposure to the smell and thoughts of such foods. Many of the factors that trigger
overeating in dieters typically inhibit eating in non-dieters. For example, non-dieters eat
less than they would otherwise if they are anxious, distressed, or depressed. Research
shows that people are good at maintaining their diets only as long as they are not exposed
to any diet disrupting triggers. Unfortunately, in the real world the dieter is constantly
subject to these, and is therefore likely to overeat frequently.
The link between dieting and binge eating
Dieting has been identified as a risk factor in the development of eating disorders and in
particular, binge eating. This is best illustrated by a classic study documenting the effects
of starvation at the University of Minnesota in the 1940s. Thirty-six normal,
psychologically healthy males volunteered to be in the research study as an alternative to
active military service. They were put on a strict starvation diet with the goal of reducing
their body weight by about 25 per cent. Soon after being on the starvation diet, the men
started to exhibit the psychological and physiological effects of starvation—symptoms
strikingly similar to those experienced by people with eating disorders. Several of the
men lost control of their eating and appeared to experience bulimic episodes. Both during
the re-feeding phase, when access to food was unlimited, and after the men were weight restored,
several of them continued to experience extreme hunger and would eat huge
quantities of food without feeling satisfied. This study provides compelling evidence that
extreme food deprivation can lead to excessive eating and, in some individuals, to binge
eating.
However, it is not necessary to experience extreme physiological deprivation for
overeating and extreme hunger to occur. Evidence shows that psychological deprivation,
induced by short periods of caloric restriction is enough to trigger overeating and increase
hunger. In a recent study, a group of young, healthy non-dieters were placed on a four week
intermittent dieting schedule. Participants followed a strict calorie-reduced diet
(below 600 cal/day) on four days of the week and were able to eat without restrictions on
the remaining three days of the week. The researchers found that the participants reported
that the tendency to overeat, as well as the amount of calories they consumed, were
significantly increased from the baseline on the days that participants were allowed
unlimited access to food. The participants in this study also experienced increasing irritability and fatigue, worsening of mood and impaired concentration over the course of
the four-week period, all common amongst dieters. After the four weeks, they did not
experience a substantial weight loss, suggesting that the psychological deprivation
inherent in dieting is a significant factor leading to episodes of overeating. In fact,
longitudinal studies of weight fluctuations in dieters and non-dieters show that chronic
dieters do not usually lose weight over time, despite actively attempting to do so.
Self-presentation or cognitive distortion
So why do people believe that dieters eat less than non-dieters do? Well, presumably, the
easiest way to lose weight is to eat less, and the expectation is that dieters should eat less
because this is the best way to achieve their goal. Dieters, themselves, are motivated to
think they are eating less or perhaps, to present themselves to others as eating minimally.
In this way, they are succeeding at their socially acceptable goal: to be a good dieter.
Research has shown that dieters significantly under-report what they have eaten—they
tend to believe that they eaten much less than they actually have. In comparison, nondieters
tend to be very accurate at reporting the amount they have eaten. This and similar
findings may represent a cognitive distortion, functioning to protect the dieter’s selfesteem,
which is more heavily dependent on weight and shape than that of the non-dieter.
It is also possible that the dieter is motivated to under-report consumption to others, as
eating minimally is a socially desirable goal.
Adherence to dietary rules: when do dieters eat less?
When dieters come into the laboratory and are presented with an opportunity to eat as
much as they like in the guise of a bogus “taste perception task,” they typically eat less
than do non-dieters. But, this is true only when no disinhibitory triggers are presented or
manipulated. It would seem that dietary restraint is quite tenuous and that virtually
anything can induce dieters to break their diets.
A factor that induces “normal” eating (i.e., eating comparable to that of non-dieters) and
even decreased eating (i.e., eating less than non-dieters) in dieters is an increase in the
dieter’s self-awareness. Increased self-awareness at either the private level (i.e., increased
consciousness about what they are eating) or at the public level (i.e., increased awareness
that others are monitoring what they are eating) promotes adherence to the diet and
suppresses eating in dieters. Given the laboratory research, one would expect to see that
in naturalistic studies, dieters’ patterns of food intake would be characterized by
alternating periods of restriction and overeating. Contrary to these expectations, several
naturalistic investigations have found that dieters report eating less than non-dieters.
However, when we examine the methodology of these studies, a number of problems
emerge. The majority of these studies must rely on the self-report intake using dietary self-monitoring forms or food diaries. The validity of a dieter’s self-report of intake is
questionable given the evidence that dieters to tend to under-report their food intake.
Self-monitoring may also increase self-awareness, a factor shown to suppress eating in
dieters.
If chronic dieters were truly eating less than non-dieters, it would seem reasonable to
expect that they would also weigh less. However, many studies consistently find that
dieters weigh significantly more than do non-dieters, and that they do not lose weight
over time. This is further evidence that dieters may actually eat more than they report.
Given the evidence that dieting leads to overeating or bingeing, it is possible that the
consumption of such excess calories is manifested in an increased body weight in
dieters—an unfortunate, and ironic, consequence of trying to lose weight. Many people
who have dieted on and off for many years can look back at a picture of themselves when
they first started to try and diet and wonder why they ever went on the diet in the first
place, as over the years dieting has pushed up their weight.
What prevents dieters from consistently eating less?
What prevents dieters from achieving their goal of consistent caloric restriction? One
explanation for the association between dieting and overeating and for the proposal that
dieting may lead to bingeing is that dieting involves substituting the cognitive regulation
of eating for physiological control, in order to override the body’s natural defence of
weight. Cognitive regulation of eating is problematic because it is vulnerable to
disruption by conflicting cognitions and emotional factors. In addition, ignoring the
physical sensations of hunger and satiety in favour of a cognitive diet program leaves one
lacking a mechanism to stop intake if and when cognitive regulation fails. Other
mechanisms of diet failure that have been proposed include pressures from physiological
and psychological deprivation. Short-term physiological deprivation from periods of
restriction could increase vulnerability to episodes of overeating. For example,
physiological indices suggest that dieters may be “hungrier” than non-dieters. The most
probable mechanism is a complex one that encompasses a number of factors, including
cognitive restraint or psychological deprivation combined with cognitive, emotional and
situational pressures. This conflict between physiological and psychological cues and
internal and external forces in dieters is one specific example of a more general
phenomenon: the inhibition of a motivated behaviour typically leads to excess—the
opposite of the intended suppression.
The non-dieting alternative
In conclusion, dieting does not seem to produce reduced food intake. Dieters appear to be
able to adhere to dietary rules for only a transitory period of time, at which point, inhibition is lifted by a diet-breaking trigger. This could be caused by almost anything—
from a fight with a friend, to being given a piece of birthday cake at a party. For the most
part, dieters are not able to meet their goal of eating minimally.
Alternatives to dieting have been described in various ways as “normal eating,” “antidieting,”
and “undieting.” All of these approaches advocate several measures: (1) Giving
up dieting and restriction of intake. These programs advocate “normalizing” eating with
the goal of controlling eating by hunger and satiety, rather than cognitive and external
factors. The elimination of the concept of “forbidden” foods also eliminates the
psychological frustration associated with dieting. (2) Getting rid of the dieting mentality.
If there is no diet, there is no opportunity for failing at it, and thus subsequent self-derogation
is averted. (3) Working on accepting or tolerating the body at whatever its
size. This frees up a lot of energy to work on other aspects of the self from which the
dieter can derive esteem and satisfaction and suggests a better area for making those New
Year’s resolutions.