Do you remember that time? All that dieting had again paid off. The fit of your favorite little black dress could not have been more flattering. You were so happy. And so proud of yourself.

As so many times before, for four long weeks, you had mustered up incredible discipline. No chocolate, no wine – not even your beloved bubblies. Instead, iron-willed calorie restriction, diet drinks, and dinner canceling. It was tough, but after all, you are a diet pro! That night after the party, your ears were still ringing with all the compliments you had received. And this time you vowed to not allow the extra weight to return. For sure.

Fast forward three months. Your self-esteem is at an all-time low. Within only a few weeks you went back to square one. Your pounds have made a return with a vengeance, and you are even heavier than before.

Are you desperate to end the weight yo-yoing? Do you dream of finally keeping the pounds off? Let me show you how to eat smarter and end your weight struggle. Without willpower or control. And without crash diets.

Why crash diets don’t work

While crash diets may work as a quick fix to look great on a festive occasion, they are not the magic bullet to solve your weight problems long term. On the contrary. Many studies have shown that about two-thirds of the people who go on a diet with extreme calorie restriction are unable to maintain their weight loss; instead, they gain back all the lost pounds once they stop dieting. And to add insult to injury, often they end up even heavier than before. One reason is that crash diets wreak havoc with your metabolism.

Your body has an efficient energy conservation program, which it switches on when food becomes scarce. This mechanism dates back to prehistoric times when starvation was an ever-present threat. No luck at hunting or bad harvests meant empty stomachs. Often for prolonged periods of time. So to escape starvation, the human body devised a clever survival mechanism. When the caloric intake falls significantly below the daily needs, the metabolism slows down. As a result, the body uses every available calorie more efficiently and burns fewer calories to maintain its functions. The body also reduces the number of calories spent on heat production and lowers its temperature. And it conserves calories by decreasing the pulse rate and blood pressure.

Survival is our body’s top priority. It overrides every other program. If the under-supply of calories continues, the body turns to breaking down lean muscle tissue to gain energy. In addition, it transforms any food into fat rather than muscles. Because fat is a readily available fuel source, whereas having a high muscle mass is not of primary importance for survival.

Our bodies cannot distinguish between dieting and starvation

To our animal brains, crash diets are like a famine. The body does not know you are on the Atkins Diet. It cannot distinguish between a planned and an involuntary calorie restriction. In both cases, the organism slows down its metabolism and runs its energy conservation program for fear of starving. This explains why repeated crash dieting trains the body to store more fat and to consume the least amount of calories to generate the greatest amount of energy. Renowned obesity expert and former Yale researcher Kelly Brownell, who back in the 1980s coined the expression “yo-yo dieting,” explains: “An organism that is repeatedly deprived of food increases its chances of survival if it learns to store food more efficiently when it is available. When food is once again scarce, the body shuts down its [calorie-burning] furnace.” (cf. Nutrition Action Healthletter March 1987, p. 10, no downloadable e-version available). The result is that once off a diet, your body puts the weight back on. And that is the LAST thing you want. “But how can I lose weight without dieting?” you might ask. The most important step is to let go of your diet mentality. Instead, connect with your body, and change your attitude towards food.

Stop controlling – start team-working

Make nourishing your body and not weight loss your primary goal. The irony is: once you stop controlling and start team-working with your body, you WILL be able to reach and keep your ideal weight. Effortlessly. No need to impose rigid restrictions.

“Don’t ask what your body can do for you, ask what you can do for your body.”

Your body is an incredible and precious masterpiece. A miraculous precision machine, which silently supports you every single minute, every day, every year. It never sleeps. Day in, day out your heart pumps the blood through every blood vessel in your body. Your lungs provide life-giving oxygen. Your liver is always on duty, converting nutrients and detoxing poisonous substances. And your kidneys work hard every single day to filter your blood and remove waste products.
Doesn’t such a devoted work ethic deserve recognition?

The best way to show your gratitude towards your ever-loyal friend is to treat it with love and respect. Ask yourself how you can support your body. By stuffing it with a huge bag of fried potato chips, washed down with sugar-laden soda? Or by going to the other extreme and under-eat to the extent that you deprive your body of the nutrients it needs to function properly? When you look at it this way, the answer is more than obvious, isn’t it? Changing your mindset has to be your all-important first step. Because strict diet restrictions inevitably lead to cravings and binge eating attacks. And constantly swinging between too little and too much is a major factor in keeping the weight cycling perpetually in motion. Or as the Swiss psychoanalyst C.G. Jung aptly phrased it. “What we resist, persists.” So, stop dominating your body. Instead, ask how you can nourish it. That’s how your eating habits become healthier, more wholesome, and most of all, sustainable. Don’t treat your body like a naughty child, which will get out of hand the moment you quit having a firm grip on it. Instead, start being your body’s best friend. If you love your body, it will more than love you back.

Ask what your body really needs

Can you see the difference between conscious connection and control? The goal of achieving and keeping your ideal weight long-term is the same, but the approach is the exact opposite of strict diet control. Loving support instead of constantly regulating your food intake. All you need is a change of perspective. No willpower, no control. Simply start every day with a quick check-in and ask your body how you can support it today. The rest will follow.

Be kind.

P.S.: Does the diet rollercoaster sound familiar to you? Let us know in the comments.