I thought I had heard everything; and then, I read the story of Stephen Hawks who lost weight by keeping a stash of the foods he craved. The professor of health science, at Brigham Young University, lost fifty pounds and kept them off. In order to follow his plan, you have to be conscious of the choices you’re making. His concept is that binges can be avoided if you stock up on lots of the things you like to eat. If nothing is off-limits and you can eat sensibly, you will lose weight. My first thought was, “You have got to be kidding me.” There is no way I could keep an abundance of chocolate chip cookies, nacho chips, ice cream, or chocolate covered cherries in my house and not overeat. The thought, alone, makes me want to run to the grocery store.
I don’t want to be overly critical because this intuitive diet worked for him. I know that I couldn’t test my will like that. You have to rely on what your body is telling you. You have to know when you’re hungry and stop when you’re full. Sometimes, my eyes override the signals. The idea of no restrictions goes against the principals of most diets that I’ve tried. It, even, goes against my own way of thinking. Usually, sacrifice is a part of dieting, even if it’s for a little while.
The Intuitive Diet is not something that a person with an eating disorder should consider. It’s not a good plan for the emotional eater or for the person who skips meals. Yet, Hawks’ and his colleagues have proven in a mini-study, published in the American Journal of Health Education, that this does work for certain types of eaters. The participants had: higher levels of high density lipoproteins, lower body mass index, lower triglyceride levels, and lower risk of cardiovascular disease.
Related Blogs:
Dieting Myths Revealed
You Can Trigger Your Weight Loss Hormone!
10 Things to Consider When Choosing a Diet