Losing weight is just a simple math equation, right? Eat more calories than you burn and you gain weight. Eat less calories than you burn and you lose weight.
This makes perfect sense from a logical standpoint. But...it's wrong! The bad news is cutting back on calories actually causes you to pack on the pounds.
I bring this up because of an article in SHAPE magazine by nutritionist Cynthia Sass. She explains that her client was trying to limit calories to just 1,000 a day.
In her mind, the math was simple: If eating 1,500 calories a day was helping her slim down, slashing her intake by a third would give her even better results. Seems logical, but when it comes to calories, there is a tipping point. When your fuel intake dips below what you need to support the activity of your muscles, bones, and organs, your cells simply can't function properly.She goes on to explain that your body will shift into conservation mode (which scientists call metabolic downregulation), burning fewer calories. Your energy levels will drop. She even says your skin might get flaky (eww)!
She's right about the negative effects on the body, but she neglected to explain what will happen in your mind. An extended period of drastically cutting calories sends your mind into a panic, also known as the "survival mode".
The Dangers of Survival Mode
In "survival mode" higher thinking shuts down. The result? Your concentration is shot...all you can think about is food! And not just any food...but the type of food that you need most in a survival situation. Do you know what that is?
If you said tons of sugar and fat, you are absolutely right. You see, if your very survival is on the line (which is what your mind thinks when you go on an ultra low calorie diet) your body only wants:
Fat - because it has more calories (Fat has 9 calories/gram vs. 4 calories/gram in protein or carbohydrates.
Sugar (or other fast carbs) - because they release energy quickly into the bloodstreamThis is exactly what you need if a long winter is coming, and you need to pack on the pounds...or...if you need a quick boost of energy to go kill some dinner. But it literally short-circuits higher-learning functions like morality, creativity, problem solving and acceptance of facts. And those are the exact brain functions you need to stick with a diet plan over the long term!
So, how do you prevent going into survival mode and still lose weight? It's easy. Simply teach your body that there is food in abundance on a consistent basis.
How do you do this?
How to Eat Lots of Junk Food and Still Lose Weight
By picking one day of the week where you eat as much as you want. And not just healthy food, but anything you want. Ice cream, cookies, pizza, pasta, you name it. Go visit your local buffet and put them out of business. Eat until your belt breaks, your pants rip and you feel sick if you want to.
But here's the key, you can only do this for ONE day per week. Pig out like this every day and you'll be breaking scales in no time.
This regular gorging will prevent the survival mode from ever kicking in...keeping your metabolism high...and your weight loss on autopilot. That's right, there is a way to eat tons of food that you love and still lose weight. Isn't that great?
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