Dieting Can Make You Fat

Dieting can make you fat because diet books and weight loss establishments often assume that the body's metabolic rate is static.  It isn't.  Most of these diets imply that most, if not all, weight lost is fat.  It isn't.  The initial big loss during a diet is of water and glycogen, a form of glucose stored with water in the liver and muscles.  

Metabolic rate slows dramatically during a diet because much of the weight loss is tissue which, unlike fat, is designed to be metabolically active.  Hence the slowing down of weight loss as the diet continues.  The body will shed active tissue that consumes a lot of energy (lean mass) and will protect the relatively inactive tissue (fat) which is vital to store in times of starvation or famine.  The body of an active person will adapt to protect muscle that is constantly used.  The body of a sedentary person will shed muscle because it isn't used very much.  

Constant dieting trains the body to endure diets.  It does this by a process of shedding some lean tissue and replacing it with fat.  Therefore, the metabolic rate of the dieter drops from one diet to the next.  Dieting slows down the body and creates the conditions for gaining fat.  Gradually, dieters get fatter and fatter on less and less food.  Since fat weighs less than lean tissue, you can lose weight by dieting and still gain a greater volume, as well as proportion, of fat to lean tissue.


Copyright 2011  Lynn Borenius Brown

For more information about video classes and individual sessions, please visit: http://EmpoweredDieter.org

Three Truths

There are three fundamental truths about how we should see ourselves in relation to food.  They need to become a part of your new, thinning perspective so you can overcome your resistance to the many changes that are a result of weight management.

The first truth is that the purpose of weight management is to learn how to maintain your goal weight once you have gotten there.  The purpose is not to have you in a state of constant food deprivation or to deny you the sensory pleasure of eating.

Truth number two is that permanent weight management is achieved by learning personally-appropriate habits.  It is the personally-appropriate habits that must become your normal pattern.  Weight loss cannot be sustained if the old habits remain.

The third truth is that weight management is successful only when your attitude changes from that of haste and impatience to taking as much time as necessary for the transformation to be complete.  Weight that is lost slowly and thoughtfully has a much better chance of staying off

Copyright 2011 Lynn Borenius Brown

For more information about video classes and individual sessions, please visit: http://EmpoweredDieter.org

Three Myths

Myth 1:  It is best to lose as much weight as quickly as possible.
The truth is that it is not best to lose weight quickly.  In order to do that you would have to resort to a fad or crash diet.  These types of diets can be hazardous to your health if they do not provide a proper balance of nutrients.  An average weekly weight loss of one pound is recommended.


Myth 2:  You will lose weight every week when following a weight management program.  
No.  The truth is that you probably won't.  Anyone can reach a plateau where there is a temporary halt in weight loss. This is normal. As long as you continue following your program, making sure you don't eat less, thinking this will make you lose more, you will eventually begin losing again.


Myth 3:  Your stomach will shrink after losing weight for a few weeks.
This is not true.  Studies have shown that if a person permanently reduces the quantity of food eaten, not as much food will be required to feel full.  But, the stomach does not shrink.  Research has also shown that if a person stays away from sweets and rich foods, the body becomes accustomed to not having them.  Some people actually report feeling ill when they eat these foods again.


Copyright 2011  Lynn Borenius Brown

For more information about video classes and individual sessions, please visit: http://EmpoweredDieter.org

Apples & Pears

As I have already indicated, heredity seems to influence where fat settles.  And, there are two general body shapes:  apples and pears.  Apples, mostly men, have beer-belly profiles, carrying the extra pounds in the upper torso and around the abdomen.  Pears, usually women, collect excess weight below the waist, in chunky hips, fannies, and thighs.  Fat distribution appears to be related to the balance of female and male hormones in the body.  For example:  apple women, those who put on weight along the male pattern, tend to have higher than normal levels of male hormones.  Medically, it is better to be a pear than an apple since apples carry an unfair share of the health risk.


Also, there are small molecules called alpha and beta receptors on the surface of fat cells.  The alpha receptors stimulate fat accumulation and the beta receptors stimulate fat breakdown.  It has been found that the fat cells on women's hips and thighs tend to have predominantly alpha receptors, which means they tend to hold on to fat.  It appears that your shape will remain fairly constant over time.  But all is not lost.  After getting to your goal, you'll be a beautiful or handsome shape, whatever it may be.


Copyright 2011 Lynn Borenius Brown

For more information about video classes and individual sessions, please visit: http://EmpoweredDieter.org