Why diets don't work
Posted on 13th September 2022 at 08:52
In this day and age foods are so readily available but we don’t always make healthy choices and trying to cut things out of diet all too quickly can have an adverse impact on our minds and bodies, which then leads to yo yo dieting. Counting calories isn’t fun and unless you are so super disciplined is this really a suitable option for you. Coming from a place of deprivation if we are already low in mood, perhaps deficient in vitamins/minerals and not eating a healthy balanced diet then we certainly are always being kind to our minds and bodies. In addition people can suffer with food intolerance’s that can increase the craving of certain foods particularly gluten, sugars, dairy, chocolate, pastries, coffee and alcohol.
According to the food addiction institute (2022) ‘Normal eaters may have problems with weight (even obesity) if they do not eat the appropriate number of calories (and exercise moderately) to maintain an ideal, healthy weight. The problem for normal eaters is primarily physical: If they choose to eat a balanced diet, exercise moderately, and get support for lifestyle changes, they can lose unwanted weight (or gain weight) and keep their weight in a normal range. Basically, willpower works; just put down the fork and push away from the table’.
Below are the 7 common types of eaters. It should be expected that they may overlap, but many of us have a predominate type. What type of eater are you? Knowing your propensity will help you to make plans and/or set appropriate boundaries that keep you healthy and safe.
It can also provide information into deeper emotional work to help you make peace and develop a healthier relationship with food. This is where Hypnosis can be a valuable tool in aiding to dealing with re-training your brain to address emotional eating, make peace with food, reduce cravings, get motivated to exercise, release trauma, aid relaxation to reduce blood pressure, reduce diabetes and weight loss amongst just a few.
1. Chaotic Eater: This type of eater has no routine and frequently skips meals. They are over scheduled and tend to eat on the run. They have no memory of how much or what they have just eaten. They eat what is available and never plan ahead.
2. Unconscious Eater: This type of eater is similar to a chaotic eater. They usually eat while doing other things such as working, reading, talking, watching TV or driving. They also eat whatever is available and rarely can identify if they are hungry or full.
3. Emotional Eater: This type of eater uses food to cope with or avoid their feelings. Food is numbing for them and they feel powerless around food. They do know they eat too much but often will not realize it until after eating.
Emotional eaters often have similar problems with weight but find themselves powerless to follow directions to lose (or gain) weight and restore their health even when they want to. For those with diagnose eating disorders – i.e., anorexia, bulimia or binge-eating disorder – the underlying problem is mental-emotional. Emotional eaters use food to numb, seek pleasure, or soothe their feelings. What can work for emotional eaters is a moderate food and exercise plan, as well as developing skills to cope with feelings. Hypnosis can help with getting to the root course of emotional eating.
4. Waste Not Eater: This type of eater hates to see food go to waste and is always on the lookout for a “deal”. They overeat most often when food is available in abundance, such as all-you-can-eat buffets. In the long run, the biggest cost will be on their health.
5. Refuse Not Eater: This type of eater cannot refuse food for fear they would offend or disappoint someone. As a result, they give other people power over what and how much food they eat rather than listening to their own hunger and fullness levels.
6. Restrictive Eater: This type of eater is always on a diet and creates new “good” and “bad” food lists just as often. They are vigilant about reading labels, weighing and measuring food which usually leads to vacillating between under eating and bingeing. They get very little pleasure out of eating, are fearful of eating with others or food prepared by others, and are constantly concerned with what they will eat next.
7. Intuitive Eater: This type of eater is conscious of their body’s hunger signals. They eat until they are satisfied and have no fear of overeating. They trust themselves around food and experience no guilt about eating food they enjoy. They are conscious and mindful of their food choices, which are mostly in favor of their health.
8. Addictive eaters :
Food addicts become chemically dependent on specific foods or on food in general. The way their body processes food is bio-chemically different than that of normal eaters and emotional eaters. Many food addicts are predisposed to becoming addicted to food – especially to sugar, flour, wheat, fat, salt, caffeine, and/or excess volume to any food – just as alcoholics are predisposed to being chemically dependent on alcohol and drug addicts to heroin, cocaine or prescription drugs.
As the disease of addiction progresses, food addicts become powerless over physical cravings. They develop distortions and obsessions of the mind that keep them denying they have a problem. Diets alone don’t work for food addicts. Simple therapy alone does not work. What works for food addicts is to eliminate, through physical abstinence, the foods to which they are chemically dependent. In addition, they need to create experiences that help them find some positive meaning in their life to replace what has become an obsessive, almost uncontrollable worship of food above all else.
Most food addicts have weight problems – the majority are obese, though some are a normal weight and some may even be dangerously underweight. Many also have unresolved emotional trauma similar to those who are diagnosed with eating disorders, e.g. anorexia, bulimia, binge-eating disorder. In short, most food addicts have problems similar to those of normal eaters and emotional eaters. However, the primary treatment for the food addict must address their addiction. Successful, long-term recovery for food addicts requires abstinence coupled with deeper internal healing from searching to find and keep meaning in their lives that is healthy rather than self-destructive.
PLEASE NOTE:
Anyone with an food addiction or eating disorder must obtain appropriate medical support before considering using hypnotherapy
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