HowManyCalories.co.uk » over eat

The ‘M’ Factor

Stephen — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 10:22:37 +0000

What ever stage you find yourself in your diet or weight loss programme, whether you are just starting out (it is Monday after all) or whether you are close to achieving your weight, size and shape goal, have you thought about the all important ‘M’ factor?

‘M’ is for ‘maintenance’

Let’s say you do a fantastic job of staying on your diet of choice and losing weight. What’s going to happen when you reach your target weight? I hope it will be time for a celebration, but will you have got there by sheer determination with a specific date, size, event in mind? If so, what happens after the event?

If you achieved your weight goals because you’ve decided it’s ok to do so then maintaining your new shape, size and weight will be very straight forward and will involve little or no effort. However, if it’s a real slog sticking to your diet and you resent being on it, or are not 100% committed then you are simply attempting to put a sticking plaster over a symptom of the real problem (the reason you over eat, binge eat or yo-yo diet to begin with). Unfortunately all that will happen IF you achieve your goals is a return to your old eating habits and therefore a return to your previous (if not bigger) size.

In order to succeed it is vital you understand why you binge eat, over eat, under eat or yo-yo diet in the first place. When you understand that your weight, size and shape goals will be so much easier to achieve and maintenance is not a word you’ll need to worry about as it will happen naturally.

For help getting to the bottom of the problem check out the How Many Calories Toolkit

Take charge of your life

Stephen — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 12:34:18 +0000

I was speaking recently to one of our Toolkit users and they said something really important. They mentioned that at first they did not really want to go and take a close look at what was making them over eat and wanted someone to tell them what to do to get slim. She then went onto say that since she has started doing this things have started to change.

So the moral of the story is – it’s your life and to be in charge of your life you have to take charge and not let anyone run it for you.

Posted by Stephen

Under Eating or Over Eating – Which is worse?

Stephen — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 10:07:58 +0000

Although How Many Calories was mainly researched and written for people who over eat everything in it can be used for people who under eat.

Many people simply eat less when they are responding to the stresses and strains of life and they will ‘lose their appetite’.

Now some of you reading this would love to have this as an approach instead of the one you are using at the moment because at least you would be slim.

However the health issues can often hit home much harder and faster if you are an under eater.

Neither over eating nor under eating work as strategies as no amount of calories, whether you eat too many or too few, is a solution to worry, boredom, loneliness etc.

I have met too many people who used to be over eaters but became under eaters and still have a fundamental problem trying to use food as a poor solution to their concerns.

So if you are an over eater then please do not think under eating will do it for you.

Seeing someone collapse in front of you because they have not eaten in two days should convince you of that, but seeing them eat the food that is right for their lifestyle is a joy and a relief.

Food is never the solution to your worries in any way.