Have you been struggling to lose those extra pounds that see to pile on at menopause and wondered why – no matter what diet you do – nothing seems to work? Well if this is you, a new book could give you the answers and hopefully some practical help too.
What’s Your Excuse For Not Eating Heathily? is the new book from health and wellness coach Joanne Henson and she can tell you exactly why diets just don’t work.
Dieting is a short term solution – how often have you lost weight only to put it straight back on again? For Joanne Henson the problem is actually the whole concept of dieting, not the dieter. And this is why:
· Diets are restrictive – and when something is declared off limits, guess what? You can’t stop thinking about it. In the words of one of the dieters Joanne interviewed for her book ‘What’s your excuse for not eating healthily?’; “When you’re told you can’t have things you immediately want them”.
· Diets require food intake to be constantly monitored – points, calories, red and green days, fat grams, etc. So guess what? You end up thinking about food all the time.
· And that’s another problem with diets – they generally concentrate on reducing food intake, either generally or for certain food groups, so you’re constantly feeling deprived.
· Diets also foster self-hatred. Listen to a dieter and you will hear them use words such as “bad” and “naughty” to describe the times they’ve strayed from their diet plans. Dieters generally spend most of their time feeling guilty and angry at themselves.
· Finally, diets are usually marketed as a sort of project – something with a start and an end date, or an end target weight. And when dieters reach the end of that project, they revert back to their pre-diet lifestyle, which is what caused them to gain the weight they have just worked hard to lose!
All of these things set you up for failure, over and over again. And the more you diet, the worse your relationship with food will become. Also, the reduction in food will mess up your metabolism so that when you reach the “end” of your diet, your body will be primed to store fat much more readily, and before long you’re likely to end up back where you started.
So what do you do if you want to lose weight and keep it off?
First of all, understand that the problem isn’t you; it’s the whole concept of being on a contrived and restricted eating plan with a start and an end date.
The alternative and effective route to a permanently slimmer you is going to come as no surprise = it means adopting a lifelong, permanently healthier lifestyle. Don’t despair this is not about life-long deprivation, and does not mean being on a permanent diet. Get the food you eat right and you can still have the occasional treat as well. l be no need to cut out the occasional treat either.
Give up your resolution to go on another diet and start by making small changes like these:
– Eat a healthy breakfast every day
– Drink more water
– Add more vegetables to your meals
– Replace sugary drinks with healthier alternatives
– Have healthy snacks to hand at all times to prevent hunger getting the better of you
– Do some regular exercise
– Have a few alcohol-free nights each week
Recognise these excuses?
One of the key elements of this book is how she asks you to examine the excuses you use, so that she can help you to overcome your personal obstacles and sticking points. These cover your mind, the weather, food, your body, social life, finance,location, logistics and time – these are some of my favourites:
I hate cottage cheese
I have no willpower
I am too stressed to
I am starting diet tomorrow so I can eat anything I want today
I deserve a treat
I am a chocoholic
I need to prepare foods the kids will eat
I am eating out tonight
I don’t like leaving leftovers
More information
Joanne Henson is a health and wellness coach, specialising in helping people with a history of failed diets and fitness regimes to change their relationship with food and exercise for good. Her book is available on Amazon as both paperback and Kindle versions.
Hormone balance is also an essential component in weight control. Progesterone supports thyroid function, and also acts as a diuretic, encouraging the excretion of excess fluid from the body. In the USA Dr CW Randolf has written a whole book, (‘From Belly Fat to Belly Flat’), about the ways progesterone can contribute to weight loss.
https://www.bio-hormone-health.com/2012/11/01/menopause-rearranges-womens-fat/
https://www.bio-hormone-health.com/2014/01/13/how-to-stop-that-bloated-feeling-naturally/