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Dieting... are you fighting a losing battle?

This page contains general nutrition information only.
To obtain advice for a particular situation, consult the appropriate medical professional.

By Jennifer Andrews, RD

What you will find on this page:
- downfalls of dieting
- about natural body weights
- the 3 keys to a healthy lifestyle
- 10 tips to guide you along the way
- a self-profile quiz
- about HUGS - a non-diet program for health

Pills, potions, creams, patches, scents... if you want to lose weight your options seem limitless. The 1997 Slim Chance Awards (nominated by Healthy Weight Journal) for the year's worst weight loss products prove that new weight loss gadgets are continually bombarding the market. Some of this years Slim Chance Awards go to slimming insoles (shoe insoles that cause weight loss with every step you take) and the svelt PATCH (a stick-on patch that claims to absorb fat, speed up metabolism and control appetite). These products represent weight loss quackery and are not recommended!

If you're a dieter whose tried almost everything, then you've learned the hard way that diets don't work. Ninety to ninety-five percent of people who diet, regain lost weight within a five year period and sometimes gain even more than they lost, putting them at a higher weight than when they started the diet.

So what is one to do when so many of the options don't produce lasting results? Allow me to walk you through the dieting maze. You'll discover what mind set and attitude are essential for lifestyle change as well as some do's and don'ts when attempting weight loss. I'll also provide you with information about a non-diet program making headlines around the world.

BUT FIRST...Do you need to lose weight?

In today's fat-obsessed society, it's easy for many people to feel that their bodies just don't measure up. The ideal body types are continually flashed before our eyes (the ever-thinning female body and the lean muscular male body). However for many people it's unrealistic, if not impossible to reach these ideals. Even if you're not trying to be model-thin, these ideals still send the message that thin equals health, happiness, success and strength, so many people continually struggle to be thinner "than they are now". Let's continue on our journey to discover if and how you should attempt weight loss...

Natural Weight
Genetically, we seem to have a natural weight or weight range our bodies like to be at. We are at this weight when we:
* respond to internal cues of hunger and satiety
** are eating a well-balanced diet
*** have activity built into our lives.
To lose weight below the natural weight often results in weight and food preoccupation and weight cycling (weight fluctuating up and down). It is a struggle to maintain an unnaturally low body weight.

* Responding to internal cues of hunger and satiety or eating when hungry and stopping when full.
Internal cues of hunger and satiety guide us to eat the right amount for our bodies. We are born with theses internal cues and the ability to respond appropriately to them. They tell us when we should be eating and when we've had enough. Just observe children eating. They will seek out food when their internal hunger cue strikes - they start getting physically hungry. When they leave food on their plate, it's often because they are responding appropriately to internal cues of satiety - their bodies have enough fuel to keep them going for awhile.

As we grow up we can lose touch with internal cues or respond inappropriately to them for several reasons:
* encouragement as a child to "clean the plate" despite feeling full
* following a specific diet which indicates how much to eat and when to eat despite feelings of hunger or fullness
* erratic eating patterns where there's long periods between meals or fluctuation between periods of undereating and overeating
* eating too quickly
* engaging in other activities while eating (watching television, reading)

If you feel you are out of touch with your internal cues of hunger and satiety or aren't responding appropriately to them, there's a chance you're eating more calories than you body is asking for and hence, overeating. The HUGS program for better health can help you eat the right amount for your body (HUGS information follows further down).

The two other considerations in achieving or maintaining a natural weight are as follows:
** Eating a well-balanced diet
A well-balanced diet is made up of plenty of carbohydrate rich foods, moderate levels of protein and some, but not too much, fat. Keep in mind that high fat, high sweet foods can be part of a balanced diet. No one food needs to be eliminated (unless of course you have allergies or certain medical conditions).

*** Activity built into lifestyle
Being active not only keeps your metabolism up, but also makes you feel more energetic and good about yourself.
It's ironic that by focusing more and more on weight loss over the past few decades, North Americans are now heavier than ever. Physically and psychologically humans rebel against dieting. Often when we follow a diet we can only follow it for so long and then we go off the diet only to regain weight. Dieting equals denial and deprivation and therefore causes overeating once we allow ourselves to finally eat the foods we were restricting. We end up eating more than we were before we starting dieting.

It's becoming more and more clear that we need to take the focus off "weight loss at any cost" and on to being as healthy as we can be. So even though you may or may not be at your natural weight, there is an even more important question to answer...are you leading a healthy lifestyle? Ask yourself these questions:

Do I eat a well-balanced diet that energizes me?
Do I make room for physical activity and at the same time be not overdo it?
Do I feel good about myself?

Tips to Get You On the Road to Healthier Living

TIP #1 - Don't Diet
Many popular commercial weight loss programs are still "diets". You weigh in every week and the end goal is weight loss. Your risk of regaining weight is high if the only reason to make lifestyle changes is to lose weight.

TIP #2 - Focus on important measures of success. Benefits like these make it all worthwhile.
-increased energy
-sleeping better
-increased self-esteem and self-confidence
-stress relief
-taking time out for oneself

TIP #3 - Make gradual changes
"One step at a time" will keep you moving in the right direction. Even though you may get impatient with gradual progress, the changes are more likely to remain permanent.

TIP #4 - Have Fun
Remember that you want to be able to live with the changes on a long term basis. Having fun doing different physical activities and experimenting with healthy foods can provide great motivation to continue with your lifestyle shift.

TIP #5 - Start your day with breakfast
Breakfast eaters tend to have higher metabolisms, have less food cravings and eat less at night compared with those who skip breakfast.

TIP #6 - Refuel every 3-6 hours
Refuel at regular intervals throughout the day while responding to internal cues of hunger and satiety. Going too long between meals inevitably leads to overeating.

TIP #7 - Eat slowly in a relaxed atmosphere
It takes about 20 minutes for your stomach to signal to your brain that you are full. If you eat quickly, you're more likely to overeat.

TIP #8 - Do not do other activities while eating
This distracts from the meal and encourages overeating. Eating should be an event it itself to be enjoyed.

TIP #9 - Be conscious of emotional eating...
and find ways to directly deal with emotions other than eating. Swallowing your emotions with food doesn't help in the end.

TIP #10 - Take the HUGS profile quiz below...
to examine your eating behaviors and attitudes about food and weight

and REMEMBER... forget the cabbage diet, the thinning creams and slimming insoles. To achieve true health:
- listen to your body and eat the right amount
- choose healthy energizing foods
- do fun physical activities
- feel good about yourself
- tap into professional resources to guide you along the way

And Now for Your Self-Profile Quiz

(adapted from HUGS International Inc.)

Check any that pertain to you.
- It seems as though I am always on a diet
- I lose weight only to gain it again
- I am preoccupied with the desire to be thinner
- I feel guilty when I eat "illegal foods"
- I have a closest full of clothes in different sizes
- I have lost touch with my natural hunger feelings
- I am unhappy with the way I am now
- I fluctuate between periods of sensible, nutritious eating and out of control eating
- I think about burning calories when I exercise
- I am tired of being at war with my body
- I want to give up dieting, but don't know how
- I want to make changes to my lifestyle
- I want to be more energetic

If you have checked off even one item on the list, you would benefit from a healthy approach to lifestyle change. Read on to find out about the HUGS program.

HUGS International Inc. is a Canadian organization founded by Linda Omichinski, Registered Dietitian, and has caught the attention of people from around the world.
The HUGS program focuses on health and self-acceptance rather than dieting and weight loss - a refreshing change from many commercial weight loss programs. Participants accomplish a gradual lifestyle shift that involves eating for energy, enjoying physical activity and feeling good about themselves.

Look at what you learn in 10 weeks. Small groups are counselled by qualified facilitators who demonstrate how to break the diet cycle & rebuild a confident new lifestyle.

1. Setting the Stage
- Shortcomings of dieting
- Body image, body composition
- Why people diet
- Facts & myths
- Program concepts

2. A new beginning
- Frequency/types of meals
- How-toís of fat & fibre
- Getting the most energy out of foods
- Active living

3. The Balancing Act
- Balanced meals - hands on
- Hidden fats
- How much to eat
- External vs internal cues
- Warm-up portion

4. Tuning In
- How to modify recipes
- Getting a taste for lower fat foods
- Tuning into natural hunger signals
- How to combat automatic eating
- Aerobic portion

5. Hunger explained
- A blue-print for label reading
- Triggers to eating
- Hunger defined
- Willpower vs confrontation
- Cool-down portion

6. The Whys and Hows of Fluids
- How much & types of fluids
- Enjoy foods with less sugar
- Do artificial sweeteners have a role?
- Putting skills into action
- Relaxation portion

7. Are you really hungry
- Tasting food
- Physical vs psychological hunger
- Visualization
- Are rewards necessary?
- Cleaning your plate

8. Lifestyle Strategies
- Problem solving for everyday situations
- Reasons for losing control over food
- Building relaxation into life
- Eating out

9.The Perks of Physical Activity
- Making exercise a lifestyle change
- Setting goals that count
- Intensity level
- REAL benefits of physical activity

10. Your New Attitude - life balance
- Evaluating progress - making it work for you
- How to make stress work for you
- Learning from setbacks - a growth process

Plus resource Materials that support all facets of your new lifestyle decision!

*To find out more information about HUGS programs in your area, click here.

HUGS International Inc.
Box 102A, RR#3 Portage la Prairie, Manitoba R1N 3A3 Canada
Tel 1-800-565-4847
Fax 204-428-5072
Eamil: linda@hugs.com
Website: www.hugs.com