By Lisa 
Up in the gym just working on yo’ fitness just isn’t working?
Counting calories and not believing how many calories EVERYTHING has? Tummy growling like a grouchy Chihuahua with a Tbone?
Back to back spinning class just making you dizzy?
Scale not moving despite having traded your entire social life for Lean Cuisine dinners?
You aren’t alone. You can see you aren’t alone if you simply head to the nearest shopping mall or even your own gym. People sweating to the oldies as well as newies and most make very little progress. A recent article in Time magazine stated that even past winners of The Biggest Loser have gained back most of their hard fought off weight:
http://time.com/4314053/biggest-loser-weight-loss/
So what’s the ding danged deal?
The Problem: Cardio plus restricting calories = hunger.
Two problems with that:
First, it is impossible to sustain the willpower needed all day, every day to fight off gnawing hunger. Add in every other commercial on TV about food, social events mostly centered around food, and the smell of Mama’s home cooking and no wonder willpower doesn’t work.
The second problem is that continually denying your hunger pains makes the hormones in your body go into starvation mode. More exercise and less calories for fuel tell your body that you are in danger and it will (very efficiently) lower the amount of calories burned.
Do this long enough and your body will stay that way, even when you eat more. Not good. That’s what happened to some of the folks on The Biggest Loser–their bodies got stuck on starvation mode. When they try working out to burn more calories, their bodies fight back even harder. Ugh.
Your body is smart. The cravings that come in starvation mode are brutal and focused on getting the quickest hit of calories for energy. That is why when you are hungry and tired you don’t crave a big bowl of veggies with brown rice, you crave desserts and greasy fast food.
Jimmy Buffet’s ‘Cheeseburger in Paradise’:
“At night I’d have these wonderful dreams.
Some kind of sensuous treat.
Not zucchini fettuccine or bulgar wheat,
but a big warm bun and a huge chunk of meat.”
BTW, there is nothing wrong with having an occasional cheeseburger. Occasional is the operative word. The problem with a steady diet of overly salty, sweet, fatty meals is that they will cause you to crave MORE. Too much salt dehydrates and causes cravings, sugar speeds up your system and causes a big drop which causes cravings, fat causes inflammation which causes…you guessed it…cravings.
So how can you lose weight without exercising like a hamster and eating like a Buddhist monk on a spiritual quest?
The Solution: Treat your body like the machine it is. You wouldn’t put a Snickers into the gas tank of a Ferrari and expect it to run well, right? It actually would not run at all once that candy bar dissolved to gunk up the motor. Same thing with your own body. (Luckily our bodies do allow a Snickers every now and then but not as a steady diet).
The trick is to maximize the performance of your body so you lose weight, get strong, and maintain optimal health. Three areas of focus are needed:
ONE: Use the best fuel (food) for your body MOST of the time. Lean protein, green and other colorful vegetables, slow carbs such as brown rice, whole wheat protein, sprouted grain bread, beans should make up most of your diet. You won’t feel hungry when you are eating like this. Pat yourself on the back as you eat one healthy meal, then another, then another until it becomes a habit. Your cravings for junk and sugar will diminish as your body adjusts to being fed well.
BTW, you don’t have to give up your life long obsession with certain foods. When you do have a craving, indulge it occasionally. Think: a square of chocolate, a kid sized burger, share small fries with a buddy. If you crave yo’ Mama’s spaghetti and meatballs, have them…just eat a little less than usual and add a green vegetable. Or, stick to your clean eating 100% and schedule a weekly or 2X a month cheat day where you save up all the “bad” foods you had craved for that day only. Don’t eat like a NFL player though…make it an “all you CARE to eat” day versus an “all you CAN eat” day.
TWO: Move your body more. Your body was meant to move, not sit. Take a walk after dinner instead of plopping down in front of the TV. Start an exercise program with a buddy or by yourself while listening to some great music. Dust off that bike in the garage and take a ride around the neighborhood. Think about how many hours are wasted every day by mindlessly watching TV or surfing Facebook. What will you remember when you get old–that you watched every episode of The Simpson’s, or the conversations with your best friend while walking after work?
THREE: Encourage yourself. Celebrate small victories like choosing a healthy option at lunch vs what everybody else is eating, or walking around the block then a block and a half tomorrow. Not everyone around you is going to encourage you–fair warning. Humans, sadly, often will discourage rather than encourage when they see someone else making positive changes. Maybe it is because it makes them feel guilty about THEIR lack of motivation…ignore ’em. Just keep going.
Keep in mind that change doesn’t happen overnight. You will feel discouraged sometimes, and you may not see the scale moving for a while. That’s normal–your body is trying to figure these healthy changes out!
It will adjust and begin acting like the Ferrari it is! Best part is, no nippy Chihauhau’s will be needed!