Archive for the ‘“Thin From Within”’ Category
How Much Weight Can You Really Lose?….And what can you do?
Friday, January 13th, 2012Here is a recent post from my Psychology Today blog (http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/thin-within) These recent studies confirm the wisdom of a sane eating approach….
Just as we all start resolving to lose, we’re hit with the news that it may never work. If you’ve been overweight for a while, if you’ve dieted only to keep regaining, the problem may well exceed willpower.
In this season of “20 Lbs in 20 Days!” other headlines ask “Do You Have to be Superhuman to Lose Weight?” Or, “Are We Programmed to Pack on Pounds?” Unpopular questions, for sure, but ones to which science increasingly answers “probably”.
Research from around the world concurs. Once we’ve carried the weight, our bodies seem to adjust to that new “normal”. Our chemistry then seems to fiercely defend the larger body size. We’ll experience this as relentless hunger as well as painfully slow losses and discouragingly quick regain. The ramped-up hunger, the sluggish metabolism, the rapid accumulation of fat: all of these are hormonally driven, arising from the extra weight itself. Losing weight, then, becomes at the very least a mighty struggle against biology. (more…)
IF WOMEN STOPPED HATING THEIR BODIES
Thursday, December 8th, 2011Here’s a radical question: “What do you think would happen if women stopped hating their bodies?!” The revamped Overcoming Overeating website (www.overcomingovereating.com) asks just that. OO follows the work of authors Jane Hirschmann and Carol Munter, who see compulsive overeating as a “dieting disorder”. While they offer some solid answers of their own, my thoughts run to sane eating, and how much easier that is, when we’re not hating ourselves and trying to whip ourselves into shape.
So eating sanely: learning to eat the foods and amounts that support healthy weight. That nourish the body and keep it strong. That don’t cause suffering and worry and loss of control. All that becomes much more possible when we’re not fighting ourselves. Revisiting the OO materials, I think of the work on self-compassion and diet that I wrote about earlier this year (4/8/11, 4/11/11), as several new books on that topic emerged. Change happens more easily when we’re calm and accepting. And it’s hard to tolerate abuse of the body—which overeating and weird diets both do—when we’re caring about it.
We’re so immersed in the culture of craziness around food and body size, especially for women, that can be hard to imagine getting comfortable with a less-than-perfect-physique. Fighting it doesn’t work, though. Paradoxically, we can care for ourselves better when we accept where we’re starting from. Easier said than done, yes. But not impossible—and there’s help, too, as more people recognize the craziness for what it is.
IF SELF-CONTROL’S A MUSCLE, WHY CAN’T I EXERCISE IT?
Friday, September 9th, 2011A new book on willpower asserts that it’s a muscle. That is, you can strengthen it with practice, and you can exhaust it with stress and overuse. This makes sense, and years of research back the idea. For those trying to eat differently—to lose weight or simply to choose more wisely—the strength of this muscle can determine whether change occurs or not. As with physical exercise, many of us struggle to start and stick with it. However, even those who can flex the muscle in other situations can find it too weak to budge when it comes to food. So if self-control’s a muscle, why can’t you exercise it here, too?
The book Willpower: Rediscovering the Greatest Human Strength, by Roy F. Baumeister and John Tierney, draws on Baumeister’s work on self-control. The benefits of self-control have been documented for decades. And studies have established that practice indeed bolsters self-control (even if people vary genetically in that trait). Baumeister’s work goes farther, finding that self-control can fizzle out—when people’s minds are taxed and fatigued, when they’ve been struggling at self-control for too long a stretch at once. Here is more solid evidence against restrictive dieting. And here is support for the idea that small, persistent efforts will become habits. That’s all good news, and helpful for those working to lose weight.
It can be hard to see, though, how this applies to those who say “It feels like a force comes over me”, as they head for the ice cream. Or: “I just wasn’t thinking,” as they pull into KFC. “I knew I was doing it but didn’t care,” as they attack the brownies.
And what’s going on when a person’s done well for months, then suddenly finds herself slipping into old ways, regaining every lost pound? These are the stories of many, maybe most, overeaters. (more…)
INTUITIVE EATING: A plan can help you get there
Friday, July 15th, 2011This recent post appeared at http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/thin-within
Eat when you’re hungry; stop when you’re full. The perfect prescription for weight management. Well, maybe. As with much related to food, it gets complicated.
“Intuitive eating” is the popular term for attending to inner hunger and fullness cues, and eating accordingly. The idea of intuitive eating appeals to those who know that we overeat for emotional reasons, and that diets make it worse. If you tune into your body, trust it, and eat what it’s asking for, you won’t get caught up in diets. You’ll separate emotional hunger from true physical hunger.
Studies indeed corroborate that those who follow inner satiety cues manage weight more successfully than those who diet. Many people fail instantly, however, on trying to do this. It’s not their fault. Years of overeating, years of dieting, and years of binge-worthy food all confuse the inner appetite meter. Paradoxically, planned, rather than intuitive eating, can help bring it back to work. (more…)
“I WANT WHAT I WANT”: Taking Responsibility and Weight Management
Tuesday, May 31st, 2011I’m reprinting here a recent post from my Psychology Today blog:
Recently, a reader posted this question: “Why is there such a lack of ownership when it comes to food?”
This reader noted that people express such unhappiness with their bodies, yet don’t necessarily do much to “learn about food”. The outpouring of weight loss books and shows might suggest otherwise. And yet….we know that many face medical crises, live with poor self-esteem and worse, while remaining loyal to “I want what I want.”
To some extent, this is the air we breathe. We go to the market, we buy what’s there. What’s there often contributes to weight gain. We then go on diets with no real shifts in how we live our lives and think about food. Almost always, diets don’t work for long. Understandably, many people stop trying, even if they gear up for another diet on occasion. Thinking about “diet”, too, in the sense of something to be endured for a time, leads to feelings of deprivation that no one likes to live with.
Much of my writing has focused on how to eat more sanely in a “food crazy” world—which includes this no-win diet cycle. Recently I posted a 3-part blog on the subject. But what does this shift from food craziness to sane eating look like in real life? I can tell when someone’s reached that better place when: They report choosing healthier foods more often and more consistently. They notice they’ve bypassed something once irresistible, and not only because they’re “dieting”. They feel more capable of using conscious coping strategies to stay on track when stressed. They deal with anger or sadness or fear without food. Also, they realize “I want what I want” doesn’t necessarily make sense anymore. (more…)
BE KIND TO YOURSELF: It’s Better for Your Diet
Tuesday, April 12th, 2011How we beat ourselves up for that brownie or pizza slice! Once we’ve lost control or overdone it, forget about self-care and serenity. But research keeps confirming some ancient wisdom when it comes to eating better. Gentleness, being kind to oneself, paves a better path to success than self-flagellation.
One early (2007) study asked dieters to go easy on themselves in the face of eating proferred candy. Eaters first rated as “highly restrictive” ate less after hearing a self-compassion message than those who did not. Christopher Germer, Ph.D. mentions this study in The mindful path to self-compassion (2009). He explains, “When dieters’ heads are ‘not cluttered with unpleasant thoughts and feelings,’ they can focus on their dietary goals rather than trying to improve their mood by eating more food.” (more…)
EAT SANELY: New Articles on the Web
Friday, April 8th, 2011Here are some recent Eat Sanely blogposts to check out:
“Can You Jump-Start Weight Loss?” , www.yourtango.com/tereseweinsteinkatz
“Be Kind to Yourself: You’ll Eat Better, Really”, http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/thin-within (reprinted, above)
“Is Your Relationship Making You Fat”, www.yourtango.com/tereseweinsteinkatz
“Must Marriage Add Pounds”, www.yourtango.com/tereseweinsteinkatz
You can follow Dr. Katz now on Twitter (tkatzphd)
and on scribd.com (tdkatz)
WHAT SHOULD YOU EAT? Navigating a Sea of Advice
Thursday, March 24th, 2011One diet doesn’t fit all, but which one will best fit you?
This is a crucial question as you set out to eat more sanely and to manage your weight for good. Today I posted Part II on this subject at Psychology Today (http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/thin-within). This is also the beginning of the change process outlined in the EatSanely workbook. Both the workbook materials and the blogs—recent and upcoming—aim to give you tools for mapping your own path to healthy weight and eating sanity. I believe that path can lead to much more than a fit body. It can lead to confidence. It can strengthen your ability to live in the world in the way you really want to.
In keeping with that, I’ve been asked to contribute to the online magazine YourTango (www.yourtango.com/tereseweinsteinkatz ). This site focuses on relationships—meeting people, falling in love, getting married, solving problems. The editors recognize a place for self-care and weight management in that mix. So YourTango articles, too, will sometimes provide tools for defining what’s best for you.
I invite your comments and questions as you map your own paths.
EAT SANELY WORKBOOK NOW IN PAPERBACK!
Thursday, March 17th, 2011The EatSanely workbook course is now available in convenient paperback form!
EatSanely: Get Off the Diet Roller Coaster for Good is the first in a series of publications available from www.eatsanely.com It contains the step-by-step modules of the original EatSanely course. The workbook is meant to guide you through the process of beginning, and then keeping on, eating more sanely. With it you can target weight loss, weight maintenance, healthier eating and exercise habits. You can define a way of eating you’d like to stick with, then prepare to make the changes you’ll need. This comprehensive workbook will help you problem-solve, adjust the thinking and habits that might have blocked your way to success in the past.
Most of us have ideas about how we want to eat….but have trouble sticking to the path. The workbook materials will help you understand why this happens and how you can make changes that stick.
As with the original course format, you can still follow Eat Sanely as a self-help or coach-assisted course. As self-help, you complete the modules, or chapters, at your own pace. With coach assistance, you complete the modules over several weeks with intermittent phone coaching sessions. You can get information about how this process works by clicking on the tabs above.
I’m very happy to announce this publication—and I look forward to sharing information over the coming weeks about companion materials meant to help you on your path to better eating, health, and happiness.
Dr. Katz
ONE DIET DOESN’T FIT ALL
Friday, March 4th, 2011As I prepare to launch my new workbook (the Eat Sanely course in convenient paperback form), I’m focusing on that first crucial step in sane eating: identifying a way of eating that will work for you. And by that I mean—work for you on and on, not just for the course of a diet that will fall apart. While both the workbook and my coaching services offer concrete help with this, I’m blogging about the topic in general for the next couple of weeks. Look for the initial entry at Psychology Today: http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/thin-within Here, I start the discussion with “One Diet Doesn’t Fit All”.
I’ll post workbook information here later this week….stay tuned!
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