{"id":24047,"date":"2022-08-01T06:34:50","date_gmt":"2022-08-01T13:34:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/medfitnetwork.org\/public\/?p=24047"},"modified":"2022-07-26T11:02:28","modified_gmt":"2022-07-26T18:02:28","slug":"jumpstart-10-quick-weight-loss-tips","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/medfitnetwork.org\/public\/all-mfn\/jumpstart-10-quick-weight-loss-tips\/","title":{"rendered":"Jumpstart: 10 Quick Weight-Loss Tips"},"content":{"rendered":"

If you\u2019ve ever lost and then regained weight, what\u2019s the best way to stop overeating and keep weight off for good<\/strong>?<\/p>\n

Rather than starting yet another diet, try tasting, really tasting your food\u2014or meditating for a moment before eating. In other words, think outside the diet.<\/p>\n

Welcome to the wonderful world of overeating research!<\/p>\n

Our original research on Whole Person Integrative Eating (WPIE)1,2 <\/sup>unlocks some truly remarkable reasons you overeat and gain weight\u2014and, conversely, how to overcome overeating, overweight, and obesity. Want to reap the rewards? Here are 10 tips\u2014from our research and that of others\u2014that could help you overcome overeating and reduce odds of being overweight or obese.<\/p>\n

#1. Choose Chocolate<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Savoring some chocolate might remind you of something you\u2019d like to\u00a0overeat<\/em>\u2014but don\u2019t write off chocolate just yet as a (heavenly) food that could help you lose weight (yes, you read that right). In a study published in\u00a0Archives of Internal Medicine<\/em>, researchers showed that it\u2019s possible to eat chocolate and weigh less if you choose the right\u00a0kind\u2014<\/em>a cocoa content that\u2019s 70% or higher, and the right\u00a0amount<\/em>\u2014an ounce a day, about the size of a credit card. (Sorry, but more isn\u2019t better `cause if you overeat chocolate, the calorie-count climbs too high to reap the rewards.) The secret to chocolate\u2019s metabolic mystery? The antioxidant\u00a0epicatechin<\/em>, which revs up your metabolism.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/strong><\/h4>\n

#2. Feed Your Senses<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Here\u2019s your excuse to buy that favorite gourmet olive oil you\u2019ve sniffed in one of those fancy olive-oil boutiques. Scientists in Germany have linked an aroma\u2014specifically, the scent of olive oil\u2014to eating and weighing less. Somehow, the scent of olive oil lead research participants to feel satiated sooner than those in the canola-oil scented group. And it gets better: those in the olive-oil group lost weight, while the canola-oil folks gained weight. Can \u201csense-filled\u201d dining really up your odds of eating less? Yes, according to my research on Whole Person Integrative Eating,1,2<\/sup>\u201cSensory Disregard\u201d is one of the 7 overeating styles we identified. To find out if aroma is a stay-slim tool that works for you, try your own experiment with scent-sory olive oil and other scintillating scents.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

#3. Nix Night Eating\u00a0<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Call it nighttime hunger, nocturnal eating, or night eating syndrome (NES). Regardless of what it\u2019s called, if you do a lot of overeating after you\u2019ve had dinner or well into the wee small hours, it\u2019s a triple weight-gain whammy! Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania reveal why: 1) your metabolic rate and digestion slow down at night; 2) consuming a lot of food at night wreaks havoc with hormones that control appetite, and; 3) eating when your body is meant to relax and restore itself busts your body\u2019s built-in biological clock. The take-away: Simply put, human beings aren\u2019t meant to eat a lot in the evening hours. It\u2019s a formula for gaining weight and making it hard to lose weight.<\/strong><\/p>\n

#4. Dine by Design<\/strong><\/h4>\n

When you eat in\u00a0emotionally\u00a0<\/em>(think eating while surrounded with angry people) and\u00a0aesthetically\u00a0<\/em>(visualize eating in your car in a traffic jam) unpleasant surroundings, my Whole Person Integrative Eating research1,2<\/sup>revealed you\u2019re more likely to overeat. So think about the atmosphere in which you\u2019ll be eating ahead of time. As often as possible, each time you eat, design a pleasing dining experience by creating an emotional and physical atmosphere that\u2019s as pleasant as possible.<\/p>\n

Which leads to\u2026<\/p>\n

#5. Pay Attention to How You Feel<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Emotional eating\u2014turning to food to soothe negative emotions or out-of-control food cravings\u2014is the #1 predictor of overeating and weight gain, according to my Whole Person Integrative Eating research.1,2 <\/sup>To get control, try this: First, commit to getting in touch with your feelings before, during, and after eating. Next, make a conscious choice to eat when your emotions are balanced\u2014not negative. Then recognize that one of the best reasons for eating is a healthy appetite, meaning, don\u2019t let yourself get too hungry. The bottom line: Commit to eating for pleasure, with a healthy desire for food, and experience feel-good emotions when you eat and enjoy!<\/p>\n

#6. Eat with Others<\/strong><\/h4>\n

A famous study that began in the early 1960s in the small town of Roseto, Pennsylvania, explores the influence of human relationships and social support on the metabolism of high-fat, high-cholesterol, calorie-dense foods. Amazingly, this study suggests that when social support is present in our lives, especially when we eat, what we eat is somehow metabolized differently\u2014so much so that it can keep you from getting sick. My more recent research on overeating1,2\u00a0<\/sup>revealed that eating alone more often than not\u2014what I call Solo Dining\u2014is yet another \u201cnew normal\u201d eating style that strongly increases the odds of overeating. When it\u2019s time to eat a meal, invite others to join you. Share mealtimes with friends, family, or coworkers as often as possible. Or if you have a pet, consider eating at the same time as your furry friend!<\/p>\n

#7. Don\u2019t Diet<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Although dieting, judging food as \u201cgood\u201d or \u201cbad,\u201d and thinking a lot about the \u201cbest\u201d way to eat may not seem to have much in common, they are all characteristics of the overeating style I describe as \u201cFood Fretting.\u201d1,2<\/sup>If you see yourself in the food-fretter scenario, you\u2019re at increased odds of overeating and weight gain. To get off the food-fretting treadmill, first and foremost, stop dieting. Instead, perceive food and eating as one of life\u2019s greatest pleasures, and choose Integrative Eating as your most-of-the-time dietary lifestyle. Choose wisely (see \u201cGet Fresh,\u201d below) and enjoy.<\/p>\n

\"\"#8. Get Fresh<\/strong><\/h4>\n

If your most-of-the-time way of eating is, say, a donut and coffee for breakfast; a burger, fries, and coke for lunch; pizza for dinner; and chips as a snack, my research on Whole Person Integrative eating suggests that \u201cfast foodism\u201d is your main overeating style.1,2<\/sup>If a diet of mostly fast and processed foods is typical for you, consider getting in touch with your inner fresh-food fairy. You can do this by replacing sugar-, fat-, and salt-laden foodish foods\u2014ingredients that can amp up your \u201covereating engine\u201d\u2014with more fresh fruits, veggies, whole grains, beans, and nuts and seeds, and lean, free-range, chemical-free animal foods. Worth a try, don\u2019t you think?<\/p>\n

#9. When You Eat, Eat<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Do you ever eat while watching TV? Or while working at your computer? Or when you\u2019re driving? If you eat while doing other things, you\u2019re doing \u201ctask snacking,\u201d a Whole Person Integrative Eating overeating style that is linked with overeating and increased odds of weight gain.1,2<\/sup>The antidote? Mindfulness eating. Give up eating while doing other activities. Instead, stay mindful, keep focused on your food, and do one thing at a time. In other words, eat when you eat!<\/p>\n

#10. Quit Chemical Cuisine<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Obesogens are the manmade chemicals\u2014plastics and pesticides\u2014which have found their way into our food supply and beverages. They wreak their havoc on both appetite and weight by mimicking estrogen, a hormone that can make you fat. The solution? One quick tip for avoiding \u201cchemical cuisine\u201d is to stay away from bisphenol A (BPA) found in canned foods, bottled beverages, meat packed in plastic, and more.<\/p>\n

The key take-away <\/strong>is this:\u00a0To attain and maintain weight loss\u2026for life, think outside the diet by changing beliefs you have about dieting, losing weight, and keeping it off. Replace limiting weight-loss \u201cthink\u201d with insights into the\u00a0underlying reasons\u00a0<\/em>you overeat and gain weight\u2014some of the overeating styles we just told you about. The 10 key weight-loss\u00a0solutions\u00a0are your first step in jump-starting\u00a0a relationship to food and eating that can help you turn overeating into optimal, whole person integrative eating\u2026and attaining and maintaining weight loss\u2026for life.<\/p>\n

Visit Deborah\u2019s website<\/strong>,\u00a0makeweightlosslast.com<\/a>, for free\u00a0evidence-based, credible information and education about optimal eating for weight loss and well-being. You can also visit her blog,\u00a0integrativeeating.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\n

Originally printed on\u00a0integrativeeating.com<\/a>. Reprinted with permission from Deborah Kesten.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Deborah Kesten, M.P.H., is an award-winning author, specializing in preventing and reversing obesity and heart disease. Her expertise includes the influence of epigenetics and diet on health, Lifestyle Medicine, and research on the Whole Person Integrative Eating dietary lifestyle to treat overeating, overweight, and obesity. She and her husband, behavioral scientist Larry Scherwitz, Ph.D., collaborate on research and writing projects.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

References:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Scherwitz L, Kesten D, \u201cSeven Eating Styles Linked to Overeating, Overweight, and Obesity,\u201d\u00a0Explore:\u00a0The \u00a0\u00a0Journal of Science and Healing\u00a0<\/em>1, no. 5 (2005): 342\u201359.<\/li>\n
  2. Kesten D, Scherwitz L. \u201cWhole Person Integrative Eating: A Program for Treating Overeating, Overweight, and Obesity,\u201d\u00a0Integrative Medicine: A Clinician\u2019s Journal\u00a0<\/em>14, no. 5 (October\/November 2015): 42-50.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    If you\u2019ve ever lost and then regained weight, what\u2019s the best way to stop overeating and keep weight off for good? Rather than starting yet another diet, try tasting, really tasting your food\u2014or meditating for a moment before eating. In other words, think outside the diet. Welcome to the wonderful world of overeating research! Our original research on Whole Person Integrative Eating (WPIE)1,2 unlocks some truly remarkable reasons you overeat and gain weight\u2014and, conversely, how to overcome overeating, overweight, and obesity. Want to reap the rewards? Here are 10 tips\u2014from our research and that of others\u2014that could help you overcome overeating and reduce odds of being overweight or obese. #1. Choose Chocolate Savoring some chocolate might remind you of something you\u2019d like to\u00a0overeat\u2014but don\u2019t write off chocolate just yet as a (heavenly) food that could help you lose weight (yes, you read that right). In a study published in\u00a0Archives of Internal Medicine, researchers showed that it\u2019s possible to eat chocolate and weigh less if you choose the right\u00a0kind\u2014a cocoa content that\u2019s 70% or higher, and the right\u00a0amount\u2014an ounce a day, about the size of a credit card. (Sorry, but more isn\u2019t better `cause if you overeat chocolate, the calorie-count climbs […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":279,"featured_media":24049,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[1],"tags":[139],"class_list":["post-24047","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all-mfn","tag-nutrition"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/medfitnetwork.org\/public\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24047","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/medfitnetwork.org\/public\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/medfitnetwork.org\/public\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/medfitnetwork.org\/public\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/279"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/medfitnetwork.org\/public\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=24047"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/medfitnetwork.org\/public\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24047\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":32087,"href":"https:\/\/medfitnetwork.org\/public\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24047\/revisions\/32087"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/medfitnetwork.org\/public\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/24049"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/medfitnetwork.org\/public\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=24047"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/medfitnetwork.org\/public\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=24047"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/medfitnetwork.org\/public\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=24047"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}