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But suppose you could lose the habit but not the
fulfillment? Make new associations that would still sooth
the soul during times of stress or pressure? Just think: If
you could make new food traditions that actually served to
keep mind and body happy, you could lose the weight and keep
the satisfaction.
First there's the matter of hunger. According to Dr. Danny
Penman, co-author of the "No Diet Diet" book,
"It's not a question of willpower, but one of biology.
We have all been honed by millions of years of evolution to
seek out and consume food." Biology makes us hungry,
Penman notes, but so do emotions, desires, and habits. They
all combine to create what psychologists call a "false
hunger," a sense of emptiness that most diet programs
claim to fill. Behold the liquid diets, the soup diets, the
lo-carb/high protein get-in-the-zone diets: It's a regular
diet smorgasbord.
Despite these programs' promises, those hungry habits get in
the way, subtle ancient instincts that whisper food equals
survival equals happiness. The first day on any diet regime
may leave a body feel deprived and depressed and soon
resorting to chocolate, the traditional cure for the blues.
Then comes the hard-core stuff: sugar, caffeine, and
high-caloric carbs that provide a quick fix of good
feelings. Never mind the negative long-term effects, the
immediate benefits of sweet Sara Lee's cuisine are not in
dispute. Problem is, the results of overindulgence are just
as legendary: increased risk of heart disease, diabetes, and
hypertension, not to mention the general angst one feels
when being overweight in a body-conscious society.
To be successful, then, at making new food traditions, the
satisfaction factor has to be addressed. Human beings are
born creatures of habit, inspired by good feelings and
compelled by instinct to seek nourishment with a side of
comfort. Everyone shares this lifelong challenge to eat
right but each has different needs, wants and desires. What
satisfies one person might not satisfy another and
vice-versa. Finding the right balance of healthy and
hedonistic is the key to weight control.
Certainly there's no lack of eat-right options. Everything
from Atkins to Weight Watchers is ready and waiting to
satisfy the public's weight-loss needs. The neighborhood
grocery store is saturated with low cal, low fat, low carb
foods. Pocket guides on staying healthy and eating light are
lined up at the checkout stand. The desperate dieter can no
longer claim there is nothing else to eat but brownies when
even restaurants, those traditional sanctuaries of
self-indulgence, are adding healthy alternatives to the
menu. So why is losing weight so hard?
In his landmark study on habits and obesity, psychology
professor Ben Fletcher confirmed personal change is
difficult due to deeply ingrained patterns of behavior often
set during childhood. "Unless we tackle our strong
tendency to return to old habits, we revert to eating the
foods we are used to, and the weight returns." Last
year, Dr. Fletcher and his team set out to discover which
diet programs were tied to long-term weight loss - not just
the more easily achieved ten-pounds-in-two-weeks plan. They
predicted if their subjects included lifestyle and eating
behavior changes in their programs, the longevity of their
weight loss would increase.
They predicted wisely. Instead of asking participants to
follow a specific diet or exercise, the scientists
encouraged them to break their usual habits and try
different approaches to tasks and situations that deviated
from their norms. The researchers discovered discarding old
habits and forging new ones forces individuals to think
about the decisions they make, the food they intake.
Although participants were not told to improve their eating
regime or exercise more, they chose to do exactly that --
without having to apply the willpower needed to persevere
with a normal diet.
New habits can appease old ones; new traditions can be just
as soothing for the soul. Embarking on a healthy eating plan
can be a time of helpful introspection, a time to find the
cause behind the unhealthy habits and forge new ones that
give new perspective and insight. When people change the
patterns of their lives, the rewards are sweet, indeed.
Just ask Fletcher's study group. Six months into the trial,
most of the 55 participants had kept the weight off, even
losing an average of two pounds more. Some subjects, the
study reports, had lost as many as 40 lbs by the end of the
first year.
Making new habits as enjoyable as the old ones, an orgy of
nutritional fulfillment, ego stroking and non-food-related
gluttony, is exactly the sort of healthy behavior to aspire
to. Nutritionists agree that a variety of food and
activities are the best defense against the lure of the
goodie. Grab a nap instead of a snack, an evening stroll
instead of dessert; even a pie for a pie but one with less
calories, and in a portion size to live well with.
Take time to try new things, new foods: cottage cheese
instead of cream cheese on your bagel (topped with tasty
raisons), a banana dipped in non-fat chocolate pudding or
how about non-fat croutons instead of a handful of caloric
Keebler fish to swim in your soup. Don't be shy about
bringing healthy substitutions when venturing out. Sneak in
a 100-calorie snack pack of chips to sub for that side of
fries. Does breakfast equal pancakes? No problem. By
replacing nonfat milk for whole milk, apple juice for sugar,
vanilla for salt, and using only egg whites instead of the
whole egg, you turn a normally high-fat stack into a hearty,
healthy portion with fewer calories.
And don't forget to add in a dash of exercise. Whether your
habit is to walk, swim or join other endorphin fans at the
gym, regular exercise is one tradition you'll want to
cultivate. Just think of all those extra calories you can
cash in, and if you make exercise a regular part of your
routine, your body will routinely make better use of the
calories you feed it.
So
take a good look at your old habits and decide if they're
the best fit for the new you. If you're ready to lose
weight, don't put yourself through another round of denial,
obsession, and starvation. Instead, do what many others have
discovered and plan to do each day: eat what you like and
like what you eat -- within your new healthier traditions,
of course. Chocolate cake included.
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