More Evidence Stressed Out Dieters Lose Health, Not Weight

interesting…

I was listening to satellite radio yesterday- Oprah channel.  This could have been an old interview- really don’t know, but it featured Deepak Chopra.

He was talking about how powerful the mind is.

He referenced a study on cholesterol.  High cholesterol food was given to several groups of  bunnies.  One of the groups did not suffer any negative effect from the high cholesterol diet.

Do you know what they figured out?

The researcher who was feeding that group of rabbits was interacting with them affectionately as they were fed.

Chopra explained that the researcher inadvertently demonstrated how providing a calm, positive and relaxed eating situation for the bunnies was extraordinarily advantageous to their health.  Their bodies were able to neutralize a food that should impact them badly.  Their calm, positive and relaxed eating was a powerful contributor to their health.

How does this relate to my anti-diet advocacy?

Dieters do not have a calm, relaxed relationship with food!  They are freaked out about what to eat, when to eat, how much.   And, they struggle with stress when they are losing weight, and, of course, when they are gaining it back.

I advocate that you enjoy your food, and that you release yourself from all the traumas of dieting, thinking about dieting, putting yourself on “famines,” and feeling guilty about eating, and fearing food.

In short, I am trying to get you to create your own version of the calm, relaxed rabbit in the study.

And, I guess this study shows that there are even more good effects from this kind of eating than even I thought possible.

The importance of having a relaxed, healthy relationship with food is huge.  Diets ruin that for us.  As a dieter, you may be eating 100% of all the RDA of vitamins and five servings of vegetables a day and lean protein etc.

But the person who is relaxed around all kinds of food and is listening to their body for hunger and satiety cues is creating a healthier, leaner body than the  obsessed, yo yo dieter.