Are You A Chronic Dieter?

Warning! Dieting increases your risk of gaining weight.

Most people looking to lose weight don’t have a weight problem, but a diet problem. Weight loss treatments, diet products and guides continue to boom. But what most people don’t know is that dieters weigh, on average, seven percent more after they finish than they did before they began.

That doesn’t sound very promising. In the book “The Diet Cure” by Julia Ross, I came across an interesting chapter called “How to Undiet”. In it, the author recommends avoiding diets and instead paying attention to the following:

Do not skip meals
You should eat at least three meals a day containing carbohydrates, fat and protein. Those who skip breakfast slow their metabolism and thus tend to have cravings during the day.

Eat at least 25 % of the day’s calories at breakfast
Eating breakfast helps your body burn fat. Plus, there is less chance of giving into sweet temptations when you consume about 20 g of protein with your morning meal.

Do not undereat
Your body needs plenty of energy to burn fat and fuel your muscles.

Eat unlimited amounts of green vegetables
You can’t eat enough green vegetables. Try adding some color and variety to your meals: Red and yellow vegetables taste good and are healthy, too.

Focus on high-quality fats
Adding nuts, seeds, avocados or cold-pressed oils to the foods you eat is good for filling you up and curbing your sweet tooth.

Be sure to include protein in each meal
Doesn’t matter if it’s fish, poultry, eggs, vegetarian or vegan alternatives… 20 g of protein per meal reduces hunger attacks.

Stop counting calories
Counting every gram of fat or calorie isn’t going to get you very far. Tune instead into your natural sense of hunger and satiety.

I like this idea of “undieting”. Even if it isn’t really new, the tips are helpful and make sense.
And I have always been a big fan of getting in touch with your body’s sense of hunger and fullness and eating intuitively. Once you do, you should see those extra kilos just melt away.

Bye for now,
Vera

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