how can I stop yo yo dieting?

Question

over the past two years I have lost a lot of weight in 2004 I weighed 12 stone and was a size 16 when I went to univeristy I went down to eight and a half stone and a size eight but I couldn;t maintain this as I had been v.strict with my diet 1000 calories a day and gym 3x a wk plus an active job. About three months ago I started putting on weight mainly because I had dplit up eith my partner and started going out and drinking more and also I was binging on average once a week however I controlled this by fasting some days and doing fad diets every now and again. Now im up to 1o.5 stone Im not as fat as I used to be but I just want to go back to the old size 8 me but every time I start a diet with 2/3 wks I have a binge and sometimes these can last for two wks especially when Im staying with my parents as they don't take my weight loss attempts seriously,

I weigh 10.5 stone and Im 5"6

Answer 1

Weight loss Success comes from FINDING WHAT WORKS then DOING WHAT WORKS.

I can help you with the first but the second part is up to you.

Before you can turn your body into a fat burning machine, here’s what needs to happen: your body fat needs to be released from the fat cells. You can accomplish this step successfully with your nutrition program. Here are some specific tips that you can apply right away to achieve that.

1.Eat 4-6 small, frequent meals and never skip meals.
2.Eat natural foods; avoid processed & refined foods
3.Eat lean proteins with each meal.
4.Eat more complex carbs, fruits & vegetables.
5.Drink plenty of water


How does your body burn the fat?

When you go on a restrictive diet and then combine it with excessive cardiovascular workouts. You are destined to reach the dreaded weight loss plateau.

Here is the reason behind the plateau; you have burned more muscle tissue than fat with your workouts (and restrictive dieting). This is the worst thing that could happen if you want long term and permanent results.

Let me explain.

Excessive cardio + restrictive dieting = Less Muscle mass = slower metabolism = Weight loss plateau = Yo-Yo dieting

So how do you break this vicious cycle?

How to burn fat instead muscle mass?

You need to do some MODERATE cardio training. The key word here is moderate.
Combining restrictive dieting with too much cardio can be detrimental and I am sure you have seen those people that are doing cardio on a daily basis and still not getting anywhere. The result is a low metabolism. Low metabolism means, your body fat is not going anywhere, anytime soon. Here is what you need to do:

1.Do some moderate cardio training; the key word here is moderate
2.Never “diet” but consume just a little fewer calories than you do burn on a daily basis (No starvation diets, Please...)

Your muscle tissue is your best friend when it comes to burning body fat. You need to preserve muscle tissues in order to keep losing weight.

Most people go on a starvation diet combined a lot of cardio to lose weight. At first it may seems like this is working because the scale is saying so.

Now think about, scale weight does not tell you if weight loss is from fat, water or muscle tissue. Starvation diets combined with excessive cardio make you lose mostly muscle mass, water weight.

Scale weight by itself is not a good indicator of success.

The solution

To maintain muscle mass you need to:

Do some resistance training. (This is not optional, it is mandatory)

CHANGE IS HARD, but it's also worth it. Not getting results makes change EXTREMELY HARD.

Get support from friends, family or a coach who knows about body transformation. Losing weight is not as hard at it seems once you know what works for YOU.

Visit http://www.charlesblain.com to get the Forbidden Weight Loss Secrets™ Mini-Course.

Answer 2

Hi there,

I used to be just over 10 stone and was like this for years, sometimes I'd go on a crash diet and lose quite a lot of weight but then put it all back on again...and some extra!

Last year my mum gave me a book called 'I can make you thin' by Paul McKenna which i read once....i didn't stick to everything as it says in the book but i took on board some of the information and this has helped me in many ways.

Firstly, i now eat whatever i want, but i stop eating when I'm full.
Secondly, i chew my food up slowly instead of rushing.
And third, i eat when I'm hungry, whatever time it is... even if it's just a piece of fruit or slice of toast... just as long as I'm never hungry for more than say 30 minutes....

The results of doing this have been amazing! i have so much more energy, my skin is healthy, I'm so much more happier in myself, but the best bit is that my body shape has changed... my boobs are more full and shapely and i have lost a lot of weight from my thighs, these were my problem area as far back as i can remember...whether i was fat or thin i always had saddlebags... but now they are gone!

I would definitely recommend either try out what i have said or buy the Paul mckenna book, because it works!

Good luck!

S x

Answer 3

Do not diet because once you have starved yourself for however long it takes you will put weight back on, unless you intend to diet forever, what you need to do is make a lifestyle change but do it slowly.
First do some moderate exercise each day 5 Min's brisk walking to start with ( I cycle to work only a half mile) or even little things like going to a further bus stop can add up, later you can get a bike ,treadmill or weights.

Eat normally but go for heathier options if you can IE. oven chips, boiled or mashed instead of fried, low cal margarine,skimmed milk , eat lot of fruit and veg , cut out the stacks but allow yourself a treat occasionally ( I eat and drink what I like every Saturday this works for me). but importantly don't eat things you don't like maybe even eat slightly smaller meals.

After a while you can do more exercise, 20 minutes 3 times at week is considered the minimum.

The beauty of this is that its not a diet so you don't feel like you've got to keep to it.

I ve done this for a few people on answers have a look - http://uk.answers.yahoo.com/question/ind..

Answer 4

Yes, you can.
Throw the whole idea of dieting out the window, because it doesn't work for anyone else, either. It causes a lot of health and happiness problems with a lot of people, and it's simply non-sensical. Your body NEEDS food, and that's it.
Here are some pointers that will help you achieve your ideal body weight and maintain it without any effort:
1. Add a little extra protein to your daily food intake. Not much, just about 1 ounce. Studies have shown that a little extra protein satisfies hunger for longer than carbohydrates and/or fat. It naturally reduces appetite and builds muscle fiber instead of fat fiber.
2. Eat SLOWLY. Most people wolf their food down and eat way more than they need because it takes a couple of minutes for your brain to register that you're full. If you eat slowly, your brain will register the fullness before you have eaten way more than you need.
3. Begin your day by drinking 1-2 glasses of pure water, and make your first meal of the day a fruit. Wait 1/2 hour before you eat anything else. This cleans out the night toxins from the body.
Do not fast.
Fasting triggers a 'fat response' in your body. Your body wants to hold onto the fat reserves it has to protect you from the famine.

Eating SLOWLY is your best bet. It will help you enjoy your food more, eat less, and happily carry your ideal weight.

Answer 5

The best way to loose weight is to do it slowly. Try to loose 2-3 pounds a month by diet and exercise, and don't do anything that you can't keep up. Inversely, the best way to gain weight is to try to loose it very fast, crash diets are very effective is causing short-term weight loss, but people can't keep them up, so they usually end up binging at the end and gaining as much or more weight than was initially lost.
So I would say, find a diet that you can live with, but still is healthy and allows some slow weight loss, exercise as much as you can, and just try to be a couple of pounds lighter per month - the people who do things this way are generally the most sucessful is keeping the weight off.

Answer 6

Imo, dieting is pointless and depressing itself, and most people who do are always looking for a diet to tell them what to eat now. All that does it get your hopes up that this time it will work, but after you fail the diet you feel even worse about yourself then you started. So I say Blah to dieting. What I think you should do is make sure to get the basic nutrition your body needs i.e protein, carbohydrates, good cholesterol, and start with that. You don' t need all the Dieting Dogma that makes you feel like crap. Diets are unrealistic since everyone is different, what works for someone wont work for someone else, so running around looking for the next best diet that's actually gonna work this time isn't gonna help or make you feel good. But if you want to enjoy a cookie sometimes or have some ice cream, go ahead and find balance with that because you know when you deny yourself something completely, like diets want you to do, you just end up finding yourself eating away at whatever you were denying yourself. And as someone said earlier, food journals are very effective, since they show you what you have eaten because honestly your not gonna want to see Egg Apple chocolate nuts chocolate chocolate... So think about starting one of those, it can be very helpful. I'd advise you to get this book "Perricone Prescription" if you can afford it. It has information on all types of different foods and their pros and cons, so you can find for yourself food that work for you.

Answer 7

Look up where your nearest Slimming World class is, it should be in the local paper or library.
You do not feel as though you are on a diet and nothing is banned, you learn to eat more carefully and portion control. I love my food more now than before, you have the rest of the class to support you as well as the group leader and your weight is never revealed. I have lost 1 stone 10 pounds in 6 months and feel great. You dont count calories it works on the type of food you eat each day, one day you eat more meat, another day you might have more pasta, the choice is yours, give it a go.

Answer 8

Its up to you to control the calories going in. Don't blame everyone else for your failures as thats what it boils down to. Be serious about it and write down your goal then attach it to your mirror in your bedroom and read it every morning before getting dressed. Also go for a good walk for about 30-40 minutes three times weekly.
Believe it or not, sex before sleep has a very beneficial effect as it speeds up the metabolism and this continues throughout the night.
Good luck, you sound nicely rounded at the moment which is what most men like.

Answer 9

Stop dieting, start exercising. Eat normal, fresh food, not junk. Have three or four modestly sized meals a day. Stop eating when you feel full. Get a pedometer and aim for 10,000 steps a day.

Try this website for pedometer enthusiasts, its not commercial, not selling anything

http://walk.ideacog.net/

Good luck

Answer 10

try figuring out a diet plan where you don't cut out everything you like... if all you eat on a diet is food that you hate but eat because it's healthy, it'll never last...
don't fast because your body will think you're starving, so next time you eat it will turn your food into fat instead of energy in case you stop eating again...
good luck!