Yo-Yo-Dieting
Posted on January 28, 2008 (taken from RobbWolf.com)Sue left the following question which I think is important and offers some interesting insights:
Thanks for the great post. It made me think and stop acting like such a victim because of my weight gain. What do you say to the yo-yo dieters out there like me?
Sue
The dieting merry-go-round is an interesting thing. So much information and good intention, so few favorable results. One result is a sense of failure on the part of dieters that takes on the likeness of a relationship gone bad. Promises are made, only to be broken and a sense of betrayal ensues. Instead of the dynamic describing two lovers this is the personal hell that many people face. Rosy picture isn’t it!
Part of what makes this situation so difficult is that people are facing tough biological, social and psychological issues when attempting to alter eating habits. All of these issues end up stuck together and the glue, not surprisingly, is carbs. WHOA! you might be saying…that’s a lot to lay on a piece of toast or a plate of potatoes…but in my experience this is exactly the issue. Lets take these apart one at a time:
Biological- When folks mention they are yo-yo dieting they are NOT having a problem eating meat, veggies, nuts and olive oil to excess. Whatever the clueless Mcdougalites may say, it’s not being ON the low carb diet that’s a problem, it’s going off the rails and eating every carbohydrate in site down to the bark on trees! Calorie restriction doesn’t work and just feeds into neurosis. It sounds great and plays into our puritanical leanings but it is a failed venture. I’m not sure why but everyone from the government to doctors to theologians LOVE this whole calorie restriction thing…”Eat less, be prudent..have more water dense vegetables…drink a glass of water before a meal to blunt hunger.” Bullshit. None of that crap works and it just leads people down a path towards failure.
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What group do you fit in? (1) You know what you need to eat and you eat it. (2) You're still addicted to the crack and eat too much of the bad things way too often. (3) You don't eat enough. Post thoughts to comments.
WOD
Rest/Benchmark Day.
It has been a rough past few days and I would recommend those that have worked out three consecutive days to take today off and get some R & R. Remember, tomorrow's training sessions is only as good as today's recovery.
As for the article there is a strong social problem with diet that I face consistantly. It is the fact that we as Americans celebrate everything with food (always seems to be high carb too). Tonight at work we are celebrating a safety milestone with pizza. For your birthday: cake and ice cream. For the Fourth of July: hamburgers and hot dogs with all the fixins. Let's not talk about Thanksgiving and Christmas or all the weekend get togethers that involve massive amounts of adult beverages. If you don't partake in the food then you are viewed as a killjoy. ANYTIME I have every gotten my act together with diet it has always been some sort of celebration that has derailed me.
I would defintely say I am a #2 still. I have never liked vegetables (other than carrots and celery pretty much) and I recently started trying eating more of them. So I go to the grocery store and buy all the things I SHOULD eat, but when it is time for a meal, I end up craving a big bowl of pasta, a hot juicy burger or a couple of giant slices of pizza. Then I run off and pick up some fast food. So yes, I am still addicted to the crack.
I should have gone harder... I wasn't really too tired when we got done. I hate when I do that!
Looking forward to tomorrow.