Dieting v Intuitive Eating

Did you know that restrictive dieting is research proven to result in weight gain in the long run? 

Yep.  Ouch. And we have all experienced the physical mechanisms that create this boomerang effect of restrictive eating…

Here’s what it can look like:

Last week, I had a really long day out climbing and brought way too little food.  On the wall, during the climb, I was ravenous.  As we descended, all I could think about was food.  I had to stay focused to keep from getting grumpy.  My brain was taking me into stress-mode, telling me something along the lines of, “Death is assured.  Abort mission, you are dying…” 

It’s not true, but my brain was pretty convincing.  My body was in famine-mode, tapping into fats and proteins because it had long run out of carbohydrates, the brain’s optimal food source. 

Result? Brain is hungry while Body is very far from death.

The aftermath of famine-mode, whether from accidental or purposeful calorie restriction, often leads us to over-consuming calories to prepare for future “famine,” however self-induced it may be.  This is especially true for frequent food restriction.  Our bodies are doing whatever they can to sustain the weight they are at, so will increase appetite and effectively turn off the stomach’s ability to sense fullness.

Fullness over famine.  Or so your brain tells you.

When I got back to my kitchen, I felt like a bottomless pit.  I ate snacks and a big meal and didn’t realize I was no longer hungry until after I was way too full.

Restrictive diets (the vast majority of ‘diets’) are like this.  Calories or certain foods are restricted to the point that a famine-state begins.  Then, as we strain our will power to fight our body’s need for nourishment, we end up scarfing comfort food (often high-carb) at the end of our day when we are tired and drained from the restricting. 

Over time and many repetitions, our body loses attunement to its hunger and appetite cues.  Because of this, it slows the metabolism and maintains more fat in the cells because starvation is, effectively, not an option.

Diets sell us the false belief that we are the reason the diet failed.  The fact is, however, the diet was the failure and our body is just trying to survive against the unsustainable restrictions.

An antidote??

A lot of patience, self-love, and mindfulness. 

These concepts are expertly addressed on the research-based Intuitive Eating approach by Evelyn Tribole MS, RD and Elyse Resch MS, RD.  Focused on body image and building a healthy relationship with food, their ten principles are whole-hearted guideposts for learning to listen to your body.

In climbing, we are starting to talk more openly and whole-heartedly about diet, weight, and body image concerns and cultural traps.  Maintaining a healthy, balanced, mindful relationship with our bodies takes time and often outside support.  Remember, like with so many things, a lot of patience, self-love, and mindfulness go a long way to creating the sustainable systems we need in our lives…

What habits and behaviors do you see in your relationship with food?  How do you create patience and self-love when trying to make positive changes in your life?