Most military members maintain a healthy weight. But once you’re separated/retired from the military, or if you’re disabled, the pounds can creep on. And once you reach middle-age, often they’re not creeping anymore – they’re double-timing!
Diets? Chances are you’ve tried more than one: Cabbage soup; Atkins; Pritikin; Mediterranean; South Beach; Paleo; Juice fasts; etc. We all know the drill: throw out the “bad” food in your house; buy all new “healthy” food; follow new regimen until you can’t stand it anymore; revert to old eating habits; beat yourself up over “lack of discipline”.
If you have a health condition, it can get more complicated. Your doctor may recommend a specialized diet, or give you a list of foods to avoid, or send you to an allergist to be tested for food allergies.
For years I tried various diets, read labels to avoid certain ingredients, and was an annoying dinner guest. I had some success with reducing my symptoms and lost weight a few times, but mostly remained overweight, bordering on obese.
And then a friend recommended a series of three BBC videos called “What’s the Right Diet for You?” In this series, experts from Oxford & Cambridge universities explain new research that suggests that diets are not one-size-fits-all; instead, personalized diets based on your biological and psychological profile are much more likely to work for you.
The researchers illustrate by dividing volunteers into three groups, which they call “Constant Cravers”, “Emotional Eaters”, and “Feasters.” According to the researchers, Constant Cravers have a genetic predisposition toward overeating because their genes disrupt the signals to their brains which normally tell someone that their fat stores are sufficient and that they should stop eating. As a result, Constant Cravers are always hungry, because their brains are constantly trying to store up fat regardless of the actual state of their bodies.
Emotional Eaters, on the other hand, eat in response to stress or unhappiness, and tend to prefer foods that are higher in sugar and fat when stress-eating. The third group, Feasters, tend to overeat because they have lower than normal levels of the gut hormones that signal to the brain that they are full and should stop eating.
There are short excerpts from the BBC videos that illustrate the three categories. This is the one for Feasters:
and this one covers both Emotional Eaters and Constant Cravers:
Unfortunately, the actual videos are not available in the US & Canada, and have been pulled from YouTube. But you can find more information at the BBC website or the Oxford website.
You can also take an online test to help you determine if you fall into one of these three categories, and you can download diets for each of the three categories: Constant Cravers; Emotional Eaters; or Feasters. Or you could download a free ebook from the BBC website that is interactive and explains all three categories, as well as techniques for each group for losing weight and maintaining a healthier weight once you’ve reached it.
For me, it was very helpful to learn the science behind why I tend to overeat. When I failed at previous diets, I assumed it was a willpower problem. But now I know I was fighting my biochemistry, with inadequate weapons. I had had some success with previous diets, but this information helped me dial in which aspects of previous diets had been beneficial and why.
Instead of eating or avoiding certain foods because I “should” or “shouldn’t” eat them, I now know if I eat this, I will feel full; but if I eat this, I will keep feeling hungry. So now I’m much less tempted to eat things that will lead to a negative result. AND, by sticking to my new eating plan, I don’t have cravings (most of the time). So I don’t have to fight the urge to eat things I “shouldn’t” because I no longer have the urges. (Well, except for dark chocolate. I still eat a few squares of dark chocolate from time to time.)
This research helped me sort through all the noise and conflicting advice (low-fat! low-carb! Paleo! Vegan!), and find a simple way to lose weight. Perhaps it will help you as well.
