Don't Diet?

[cmcole]

Well, I'm all for eating healthier and not calling a life change a "diet"; I think it needs to be combined with an entire lifestyle change, including exercise.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/6206572.stm


Obese should exercise not 'diet'

http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/42385000/jpg/_42385042_large_woman203.jpg Obese people can get healthier without losing weight

Women who are clinically obese don't need to diet to improve their health, say UK researchers.
A programme which encouraged women not to diet but to take part in exercise classes found significant improvements in health and mental well-being.

The women in the study were also taught about good eating habits, such as how to cook, and received social support. After a year, the women had only lost a little weight but were significantly fitter and happier with themselves.


For entire article, follow link above



They were required to do four hours a week of exercise, such as tai chi, aqua aerobics or circuit classes.

The programme also included educational sessions to teach how to read food labels and cook food, and behavioural therapy to help the women respond to body cues such as hunger and feeling full.

One exercise used by the dietician encouraged participants to eat a chocolate bar in small portions over the course of a week.

But the women were encouraged not to diet and eat whatever they wanted in moderation.
Women who took part in the scheme lost a small amount of weight from 17st (108.4kg) to 16st 7lbs (104.6kg) after the first three months whereas women in the control group put on an average of 7lbs (3kg)





Blood pressure, heart rate and cholesterol fell and respiratory fitness increased.
Women also felt better in terms of general well-being, body image, self-perception and stress.
Dr Erika Borkoles, exercise psychologist at Leeds Metropolitan University said health professionals needed to shift their focus from weight loss to helping people become healthier.
"What is important is we don't set people up for failure. Psychological and physical health and metabolic risk factors greatly improved so that should lead us to think differently about intervention programmes. "Don't go on a diet," she advised. "Change the way you eat, you can eat what you want in moderation."

is quite well known that you can improve your lifestyle and reduce your risk of cancer, stroke and heart disease.

"You can improve fitness without losing weight as you can gain muscle and lose fat and weigh the same or even gain weight. "But I don't think we should move the focus, it's important to think across the board," he added.

[deirdra]

"But the women were encouraged not to diet and eat whatever they wanted in moderation." - That may work for people who are not insulin resistant, but for those of us who have problems with sugar, gluten, etc., it is a recipe for disaster. If you are eating things that cause enormous cravings, it is impossible to eat them "in moderation" for the rest of your life. It is easier to eliminate them and find yummier & more satisfying LC foods to eat instead. Without cravings, eating "in moderation" is possible. The rare carb treat may be OK, but not "whatever you want in moderation" evey day - it only makes you think about how you want more than a "moderate" amount, and you either feel deprived or cave and binge. Just think of what they could have lost by revising the amount of carbs & protein they ate. I eat chocolate every day, but it is homemade with stevia, and I never feel the need for more than 1-2 Tbsp/day - that is what satisfies me if no sugar or sugar alcohols are involved.

I DO agree with the "do not diet" idea in terms of not eating a measly 1200 calories/day and focusing on deprivation. I achieved success for the first time in my life by eating the number of calories for someone of my height and GOAL weight for my entire "diet", which was the same as what I eat in maintenance. All I do is make sure I get my minimum protein and less than my max carbs and let the fat fall where it may (~65% of my daily 1700-1800 calories).

[joanneb608]

Sorry, but what a laugh! ". . .encouraged them to eat a part of a chocolate bar . . .":eek:

Maybe I'm weird but it is VERY rare for me to be able to stop at "one small piece" of anything sweet and carby. I think it's great if some people can actually eat some sweets in moderation, but it is a strong craving thing for me. Probably once in awhile I am able to eat something like that in a small portion, but I'm much better off if I just eliminate the option of eating it. Or replace it with lc substitutes.

And exercise - when I am really obese, it is just plain very difficult, awkward, uncomfortable and totally unappealing in any sense to want to exercise. I find if I lose some poundage first, it becomes easier physically to WANT to try exercising. I don't think I'm alone in feeling that way about it.

And what about improving obese people's health by normalizing their insulin levels? Isn't that the root of many health evils in the first place? It seems to me that this approach wouldn't restore too much health or be very effective with lots of people who are obese.

[cmcole]

Yesterday, I was reading an article in a magazine while I had the electrodes on my arm (physiotherapy treatment). There was a woman, and bless her for being able to do it, but she "allowed" herself indulgences on weekends - I just skimmed through the article, but I remember reading - "if I saw my son having a chocolate bar through the week, I just told myself, you can have one on the weekend".

I can't see the benefit of the hop-scotch way of eating - feeding the cravings for carbs either one day, one meal or whatever, and then going back to deprivation (which is more or less what she was doing).

There are very few people who can have "controlled" portions and not overdo it. They start to obsess over what they cannot have - and it becomes their life's goal to get it.

[joanneb608]

Yes, CM, I say amen to your observations.:)

I've read about some Hollywood actresses who say they stringently control themselves during the work week and then eat whatever they want only on the weekends, and they maintain their low weights that way. Sometimes I have tried that approach myself, but I am the type of person who usually allows that to begin to seep into Monday, and then Tuesday, etc. until you aren't maintaining anything. I can't see either how hopscotching would do much to normalize insulin levels on a regular basis either.

It's remarkable to me, always, how if I follow either PP or PPLP diligently, the cravings really go away, and I find I'm not fighting the urge to binge frequently.:cool:

[deirdra]

The hopscotchers probably aren't insulin resistant. Even if I were able to contain the carb-eating to the weekends, it would take until at least Thursday for my body to get rid of the carb cravings ... just in time for the next weekend!