How to Stop Overeating When Diets Aren't Working by Chelsea Lorynn O'Brien

How many times have you seen a "skinny" person eating some sort of junk food, and thought to yourself, "I don't know how she does that. If I ate that it would go straight to my thighs!?"

Do you know the difference between the skinny person that can eat whatever they want and you, who feels you can't?

The difference lies in the perception of the food.

If you perceive that the food is a treat, a delight to indulge in, and you eat it with pure joy, your body is relaxed. Your body receives it in a relaxed mode. When this happens, your mind tells your body, "This is okay." It's enjoyed and passed along. Gallons of ice cream are not needed to get the pure joy when you are indulging in the delight of it.

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But if you think, "Oh, I shouldn't be eating this... " or "I'm eating too much... just a little more though... ", you start to feel guilty, shameful, angry with yourself, whatever. With these emotions, your brain releases stress hormones into your body, like cortisol and norepinephrine.

According to Wikipedia, "Stress hormones such as cortisol and norepinephrine are released by the body in situations that are interpreted as being potentially dangerous. The hormone regulating system is known as the endocrine system. Cortisol is believed to affect the metabolic system and norepinephrine is believed[by whom?] to play a role in ADHD as well as depression and hypertension.

Stress hormones act by mobilizing energy from storage to muscles, increasing heart rate, blood pressure and breathing rate and shutting down metabolic processes such as digestion, reproduction, growth and immunity.

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Constant stress causes continual release of various stress hormones which can cause:

- A depletion of energy storage
- Stress-induced hypertension
- Effects on metabolic processes
- Ulcers (digestion)
- Hampered growth
- Decrease in testosterone levels in males and irregular menstrual cycles in females.
- Increased likelihood of infectious diseases."

So when you're eating with negative emotions fueling your body with stress hormones, your metabolism changes--among other things. Your body shuts down, loses energy and becomes vulnerable to ulcers, sickness, heart disease and more. As your metabolism slows, the calories you just ingested can't be burned. And so they go into storage in your fat cells.

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Not only do the extra calories get stored because the metabolism slows, but they get stored as protection. If your body is under attack from stress hormones, it goes into protective mode. It knows that something is up. Something is happening that is causing these hormones to be released. Not knowing how long the attack will last, or if it's coming again soon, the body hangs onto as much as it can.

The same thing happens when you restrict your food intake. When you start restricting, this triggers the metabolism once again. This creates stress, as your body thinks it's being starved. Once again, the stress hormones are released and the metabolism slows. If the body thinks it's being starved, it will hold on to all the energy that it can. The calories that may have ordinarily been burned up are now stored for safe-keeping in the fat cells.

When you take on the rules of a diet, you employ willpower as your guide. It can work for awhile. However, as it becomes a requirement for the success of your diet, you set yourself up to protect against vulnerabilities: you remove all the "bad" food from your house, you avoid going out to social situations where food not on the diet will be involved, etc. Your control has shifted from inside of you to outside. When this happens, you no longer have control over food. It has control over you.

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If diets were simply about restricting food intake, the success rate of gastric bypass surgery would be much greater. According to one 11-year study of gastric bypass patients by Drs. Nicolas V. Christou, Didier Look, and Lloyd D. Maclean, they found that just 34% had maintained a loss of 80% of their excess weight. Listing multiple other studies, they say that the average gastric bypass patient maintains a loss of between 50% and 75% of their excess weight 10 years after surgery.

The stomach has the ability to stretch, so it's not unusual for people to gain most or all of the weight back that they have lost from surgery--just like diets.

A friend of mine that I grew up with had gastric bypass surgery a few years ago. It went well, and she had no complications. Several weeks after the surgery, she checked in with a 38 pound weight loss. You would think she'd be happy, but it was actually the opposite. My friend said that she felt like she had "lost her best friend". She slumped into a deep depression. In the year that followed, she stopped taking her vitamins and eventually had to be hospitalized until she was stable again. 8 years later, she's gained back a little more than half the weight lost. She had 5 years of counseling to coach her through her depression so she could start to enjoy her life again.

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Why does this happen? Why do we so often hear about (or experience) weight gain after dieting or surgery?

Because the attack was on the physical result, not the internal triggers that had caused the result. It's like a band-aid. If the emotional needs and psychology that causes weight gain aren't addressed, the result is a life-long battle with weight gain and constant dieting.

Sometimes the internal shift can happen in a few moments, and the physical change in the body follows. It's a process that evolves with a persistence in self-development. By understanding yourself in a new way, you can begin incorporating new behaviors around food. As your internal beliefs shift, you can work to build a support system around you to build your momentum.

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Using Yoga to Connect With Daily Life By Judy Ringer

Using Yoga to Connect With Daily Life By Judy Ringer
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Stretching to the edge of discomfort, I shift into Triangle Pose, struggling to keep breathing, hips forward, head turned up, one arm reaching for my toes, the other for the ceiling, all while trying not to over-stretch and go over my edge into pain and possible injury.

Triangle is challenging for me, as is the entire practice of yoga, and every moment presents opportunities to stay present and learn important lessons.

5 Lessons From the Yoga Mat

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It seems I can't practice a physical discipline without finding applications beyond the kinesthetic. Yoga is no exception. And since I entered the world of Bikram Yoga last fall, the instructors seem to be speaking directly to my penchant for connecting physical experiences with daily life. Here are five life lessons I've learned on the yoga mat (so far!):

#1) Be a beginner.

It's been a while since I started a new practice. I began aikido 20 years ago, and it has become a part of my life in ways that are familiar and no longer intimidating. It's fun to be a beginner again.

#2) Learn to be comfortable with the uncomfortable.

When I heard the instructor say this, I instantly imagined its daily applications: difficult conversations, conflict, presenting, saying no; the list goes on. When you can stay present under pressure--be comfortable with discomfort--you have a rare and priceless power.

#3) Keep breathing.

--through the difficult, the easy, the edge. An excellent centering practice is to notice when you hold your breath. You'll be surprised to learn how many times throughout the day you stop breathing. As soon as you notice, however, you can open your throat and start breathing again. This practice will make you more intentional about everything.

#4) Find your edge and explore it.

On the yoga mat, we find the edge: comfort/discomfort; breathing/not breathing; present/checked out. Is this too much/too little? How do I make that call?

Driving away from a recent class, I noticed at the periphery of my awareness a feeling of rushing to get home. I saw this as an edge. I could slip over the edge into that rushing space so easily. Instead I sat back and enjoyed the ride.

In daily life, we're often faced with choices that involve edges: react/stay present; resist/connect; tighten/relax; see limits/find alternatives. Instead of checking out, stay with that edge and explore it. You'll increase awareness, power and presence.

#5) Meet the resistance you feel in any posture with the breath.

Ah! When the instructor offered this nugget, I was all ears and imagination. There are many similarities between yoga and aikido, but this is the primary one: transform resistance.

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She was referring to our physical and mental resistance to performing the posture. But what if I meet my resistance with my breath:

• Every time I'm asked to try something outside my comfort zone?
• Whenever I'm face to face with a difficult person, conversation, or situation?
• While performing a responsibility that feels like a burden?
• Anytime I don't like what is currently happening?

Enjoy Yourself

A page on the Bikram Yoga Portsmouth Website says: "Enjoy yourself. This is a life-changing practice. It is challenging, important and serious, but can also be a lot of fun."

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Life is challenging, important and serious, too. And, it can also be a lot of fun if we remember we are all beginners learning to meet each new uncomfortable edge with the power of our awareness, breath, and presence.

Judy Ringer is the author of Unlikely Teachers: Finding the Hidden Gifts in Daily Conflict and the award-winning e-zine, Ki Moments. Judy is a black belt in aikido and nationally known presenter, specializing in unique workshops on conflict, communication, and creating a positive work environment. 

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Is Coconut Oil The Ultimate Fat Burner For Weight Loss? By Guy Lawrence

When I was working in the fitness industry, the amount of people that would ask me about fat burning and fat blocking products was unbelievable (think high caffeine and guarana). They generally speed up your metabolism which will come with longer term side effects. The reason for this is that they elevate your heart rate which will end up raising cortisol levels. If you know anything about cortisol then you will understand that this prompts the body to hang on to body fat (hint: I feel this is why stressed people struggle to loose weight).

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WHY COCONUT OIL FOR WEIGHT LOSS?

Without trying to get technical, coconut oil is a saturated fatty acid that is predominately a MCT oil (medium-chain triglycerides). This is very different to most of the vegetable oils on the market today.

The short and medium-chain fatty acids which can be found in coconut oil (and grass-fed butter which I use too), are sent directly to our liver and used directly for energy. So this means:

1. It does not get stored in fat cells as easily as long-chain fatty acids, and produce ketones which gives us a steady source of energy
2. Enhances thermogenesis which increases fat burning
3. Helps eliminate food cravings with increased feelings of satiety

According to Christine Cronau's book the Fat Revolution, there are studies of participants that were fed the same diet which was not designed for weight loss. But some of them were fed medium-chain fatty acids and they lost weight, whilst the weight in the rest of the group remained the same.

It also compared diets with three types of fat intake. Low fat, monounsaturated fat and coconut oil. There was a 60% reduction in fat storage for the groups consuming coconut oil.

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SO WHATS THE MAGIC DOSAGE?

If you do not consume many natural fats including coconut oil, start in small amounts or the toilet may come calling. Add a teaspoon to a smoothie, or if a sugar craving comes calling eat a teaspoon straight from the jar as this will kill those cravings. Cook with it or just start adding it to things where you usually wouldn't. I have it in a high fat smoothie most mornings.

I consume up to 3-4 tablespoons of coconut oil a day. But I eat a low-carb and natural high fat diet, especially after getting my DNA results back.

So if you are on a weight loss plan, eliminate sugar, grain, soy and all processed fats & oils. Increase your coconut oil up to 2-4 tablespoons a day for your steady source of energy and over time you will feel the magic happen!

Do you use coconut oil? Are you worried about saturated fat? Are you a weight loss plan but are frightened of fat? Would love to hear your thoughts...

Christine Cronau - The Fat Revolution
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