I am taking a break from Star Trek and outer space to ponder the strategies we need to win against our own “inner space,” our biology. There is nothing like going on a diet to deepen your appreciation of the various and complex mechanisms that allowed you to evolve into being. As a species, we grew up in an environment that seldom provided enough food to go around. Therefore, the human body developed multiple strategies to keep you alive. As a result, when you are dieting (i.e., in the middle of a famine), your brain makes food look more delicious while at the same time suppressing your “executive functions,” the activities of the frontal lobe that help you with self-control. Although that might make you mad, I would say, thank you, brain.
During a diet, your body is literally awash with hormones that signal hunger. The longer you diet, the louder the signal gets. In fact, the chemicals that cause heightened hunger are so powerful that they are still floating around in your body a whole year after the diet ended. So very determined is your body to get us through this “famine,” that it redoubles its efforts to slow the weight loss, and then reverse it as quickly as possible, thus protecting you as an organism.
How can you outsmart biology? We have three suggestions:
- Never diet for more than six months at a time. Use all your strategies for maintenance in between.
- Always have nutritious meals and snacks at hand so that you don’t go out of control. As we have mentioned elsewhere, treat yourself with the same love and consideration you would give a toddler.
- Make sure your food choices are satisfying and varied. We provide you with lots of ways to “bulk up” your diet with fruits, veggies, beans, and lean proteins.
So, if you ever went on a diet, lost a bunch of weight, and then put it right back on with a couple of additional pounds (for your protection, of course), don’t kick yourself around the block for your lack of willpower, don’t blame the diet deities, just know that your mind and body will always do whatever it can to help.
Facts extracted from Traci Mann (2015). Secrets from the Eating Lab.
Stop Losing and Win 