Restrictive diets really do not work in the long term!
Sure in the short term you will lose lots of weight as you’ve 1/2 starved your body so of course you will lose weight. However, how many of you can really sustain that type of eating? We only live once so why stop yourself from eating a little of things you really like every now and then rather than not at all and then when you do come off the diet you binge the things you have stopped eating. We all do it or have done it!
Hormones & stress
So, there’s a hormone ‘Leptin’ which is secreted by fat cells which helps regulate weight and energy in us all. In theory the more fat we have the more leptin the body will release into the bloodstream so it cuts off hunger & improves the metabolism. However, this only works if its functioning correctly; crash diets can help cause the body to lose sensitivity to the hormone.
Starving the body/reducing the calorie intake dramatically isn’t good as the body goes into starvation mode, lowers leptin levels & tells the brain to start hoarding fat as energy is reduced & metabolic levels are lowered. You are also creating more stress in your body – something we want to avoid, especially if you are perimenopausal / post menopause.
Also eating a lot of processed food which tend to be high in sugars & refined carbs – pasta, rice and that horrible thing called high fructose corn syrup can all have a negative affect on leptin levels.
Full up on healthy, hearty meals
You can help change this by eating good hearty meals daily with plenty of eggs, fish, chicken, vegetables & by cutting down on the processed oils, high fructose syrup foods and snack on a healthy handful of mixed nuts or fruit.
You can lose inches by eating wholesome foods – lots of it and cutting down on the snacking and processed foods. Snacking is often the main culprit. If you don’t eat enough at your meal times, you may end up snacking more.
Aim to eat wholesome meals with plenty of the good fats, lots of veggies and protein. Try it!!
