What diet works?
Well it’s all to do with how you think about food. Research recently highlighted by the BBC, would suggest that before you choose how to diet, you need to know what food type you are.
What type am I?
Research suggests that there are broadly three types of people, feaster, cravers and emotional eaters.
Feasters generally don’t know when to stop eating, A hormone, in the gut, that indicates when we are full, is depleted in this group, so the brain keeps thinking it needs to eat.
Cravers are genetically predisposed to feeling hungry and thinking about food 24/7. Leptin levels that measure fat in the body fall as we lose weight, and in cravers the brain indicates that fat levels need to rise, making us feel hungry.
Emotional eaters, as the name implies seek food to comfort eat, to compensate for emotional and behavioural issues. Stress plays a key role as our nervous systems are over stimulated with the inevitable loss of energy, unless we replenish by eating.
What diet suits me?
Feasters, well it’s all about boosting those gut hormones. That means a high protein, low carbohydrate diet; the best carbohydrates are those slow release ones with a low glycaemic index. Good examples are pasta, lentils, not potatoes and ordinary breads.
Cravers fall neatly into the 5:2 diet, that’s two days eating 800/600 calories if you’re a man/woman, preferably consecutive days.
Emotional eaters, because you are trying to change behavioural habits, group help is actually important. Slimming World and similar organisations are a good way to set yourself a target, and with peer support achieve your goals.
Tips to think about
Because it is about maintaining our metabolic rate, as we lose weight it actually falls, so eat slowly and don’t rush your food.
By avoiding those bad carbohydrates you are more likely to burn fat and reduce the production of glucose.
Exercise – lead a healthy life, it’s easy. Shop with a basket – 40 calories, stand making phone calls – 60 calories, 6-7 minute walk – 110 calories, climb stairs – 60 calories, that’s 270 calories equal to thirty minutes on a bike.
Finally, if you get a day wrong get back onto the diet ASAP! Good luck.
