Jump Off the Diet Treadmill: 12 weeks on Your Way to Lifetime Weight Loss

Introduction

Meet three of my clients.

First, Jeannie. Mid-thirties, creative professional, has traveled extensively, highly intelligent and a critical thinker. Jeannie grew up in a strict religious family where meals were somber events, which included finishing everything on her plate whether she was hungry or not. She obsesses about food and doesn’t feel at ease in her body.

Barb is fifty-one, married, with two kids in university. After years as a stay-at-home mom, she went back to work as a legal secretary. Her kids, husband, work and community have been her priorities over the years. Because of this, there has been little time to take care of her self. She has gained weight progressively, doesn’t feel sexy, and is ready for change.

Charles is a successful entrepreneur/consultant. He was an athlete in college and remains active but has developed a gut that so many men get as they age. He remembers what it was like to be in great shape and knows that with the right support, he can turn his achievement-oriented nature to his advantage.

Each client shares the common ground that they want to lose weight and be healthy – and they have come to me because they know that diets don’t work. They need guidance to find out what does. Between the three of them they have tried all of the major dieting programs, which included a doctor who performed injections and deprived them of calories, tracking points online, buying programmed meals, expensive detoxes, and various forms of fasting. Each person has lost weight a number of times, but not one of them was able to sustain it.

I can relate. My own attempts to control my eating were met with only temporary success until I figured out that I was missing the big picture. The big picture is a connection to our humanity – that complex need that we have for comfort, soulfulness, purpose, simplicity, balance, outlets of expression, excitement, safety – essentially the mix of body, mind and soul. Without the connection to what makes us human, we get temporary solutions and long-term failure. Our inability to lose weight and keep it off is then perceived as a weakness: of will, of self-control, of commitment. The reality however, is that it is rarely a character issue. Rather it is a need to clarify and refocus our energies in ways that address the underlying causes of being heavy.

Jump off the Diet Treadmill takes you on a journey into both your physiology and your behavior. It has been born out of the experiences of hundreds of clients, people like you, who have successfully stepped off the treadmill and found it to be far easier than they thought to break the cycle of on-again, off-again dieting. This book is intended to serve as a practical and insightful guidebook, balanced between the science of nutrition and the art of nourishment.

It is designed with your fast-paced (potentially overwhelming) life in mind. It assumes that you are intelligent but very busy, and so it attempts to make each step simple, doable and understandable. But it also encourages you to stretch beyond your comfort zone in order to reach higher and more sustainable goals.

The book begins with an explanation of the principles that underlie the program. Following the principles, each week includes one aspect that will affect your physiology directly (food, movement, rest) and one aspect of behavior (mind, emotion, soul) that builds the foundation for long-term success. We move step-by-step through the 12-weeks, framing each week with education and insight that explains:

What you need to do.

Why you need to do it.

How you can do it.

The weeks have been organized in an order that builds the foundation first and then adds to that foundation. If I had my choice, everyone would start at the beginning and then move progressively through the weeks. However, there’s a wide range of needs. Follow your instincts. For you, the greatest value may come from the insights on sustainable eating; or it may be from a deeper understanding of your behavior or from a combination of both. If you do skip around, I encourage you to also check back with what you have missed to make sure you have that component in place. If it takes you longer than twelve weeks to develop all the practices that work for you, then be patient. Relax into it. You have your whole life ahead of you.

A last note: There is nothing that I ask my clients to do or that I suggest in this book that I haven’t done myself. During the mid-eighties, in three months, I lost the extra twenty pounds that I had carried since my early teens using what is laid out in this book. I have sustained my ideal weight by weaving the tools and techniques that are most powerful for me into my daily life.

With an open mind, a willingness to take action and a patient mindset, I trust that you will find the practices that work most powerfully for you. Have fun. Enjoy the journey.

The Underlying Principles of Jump Off the Diet Treadmill

1. Change is possible

When you have tried many times to achieve something as challenging as long term weight loss and have not been successful, you identify with that failure. One more program, book, or self-proclaimed expert has you hoping -- but not necessarily believing -- that it is possible to be healthy and light for the rest of your life. Jump Off the Diet Treadmill can’t promise anything more than what you are ready for. However it offers the possibility for real change if are open to new perspectives and willing to take action, likely in a different way than you have done previously. I have seen how change is not only possible, but is probable when a person is ready to get their mind and soul on board with their body.

2. Get to know your brain

There is nothing like a little neuroscience to help you understand why you do what you do. What you think is a flaw in your character (a lack of willpower as an example) is put into perspective when you know more about how your brain works. To that end, you’ll find examples of the brain’s functioning peppered throughout the book. Neuroscience is a complex topic and in no way do I proclaim to be an expert in any facet of it. However even a little brain knowledge can take you a long way towards understanding an important element of what drives your behavior. I find it fascinating, and as I have shared what I’ve learned with my clients, they have consistently claimed it to be useful to release themselves from self-judgment.

3. Commit to health as your first priority

Steady energy throughout the day, clear thinking, stable emotions, being free of pain and discomfort are signs of good health. Losing weight and keeping it off is dependent on the strength of these qualities. You’ll need energy, clarity, and focused planning to support your efforts to eat well, to exercise and to embark on other nourishing activities. Pain and sickness will hold you back and slow you down. Focusing on your health is a shift in perspective from judgment about your weight to caring for your body.

4. Sustainability is the name of the game

Ninety-five percent of people who go on a diet will regain the weight that they have lost within one to five years. I’m not interested in you being part of that statistic. The mission of this book is to guide you towards a way of eating, and relating to food and your body, that you can practice for the rest of your life. Keep in mind however, that sustainable weight loss isn’t just about being thinner. It’s about living differently, about living a part of yourself that has yet to be fulfilled. You are taking a new path. This requires more than just desire. The requirements are to be open-minded, willing and persistent. Commitment will be rewarded with not only a loss of weight, but also a sense that you are finally in control of this part of your life.

5. Take it one step at a time

Few people have the time or resources to make big change quickly and in a way that they can sustain. Besides, taking on big change too quickly will trigger survival mechanisms in your brain that will sabotage your efforts. Think of the diets that you have been on, trying to eliminate the ‘bad’ foods and add in the ‘good’ foods all at once. Did they work in the long run? I’m guessing you wouldn’t be here if they did. Lasting change is about making a commitment to taking on only one, or maybe two new things each week, which you can repeat over and over again until it becomes second nature.

6. Check your expectations at the door

Let’s face it. We do not live in a culture that promotes patience. On the contrary, we are surrounded by instant gratification with thousands of promises made about losing weight fast, and endless options for fast convenient food. In the midst of this, you have developed habits that will take time to break down and replace with healthier habits. It may not happen as fast as you want. So relax. Check in on your goals to see if they are realistic relative to everything else that’s happening in your life. Consider the amount of time that you have, your starting point, your history, your present health and your energy level, before you determine what’s doable. Set yourself up for success by being realistic rather than priming yourself for failure by expecting too much in too short a period of time. By being realistic about the expectations that you have for yourself, you are more likely to continue to move forward rather than fall off the wagon and stay off -- which brings us to our next principle.

7. Fall off the wagon? Get back on as soon as you can

This is one of the keys that will make the long haul doable. Let go of your all-or-nothing, I just blew my diet, I might as well eat everything I can get my hands on attitude. Indulge a little. Have some fun. And then forgive yourself and get on with it. Don’t waste energy beating yourself up. You ate one meal that’s not ideal? Oh well. Next meal, get back on track. Two or three meals, not ideal? Ok, breathe. No better time than now to jump back on that wagon. You can do it at anytime and at any meal. If you’ve ever wondered how that co-worker, neighbor or relative manages to maintain their weight despite their indulgences, you can guarantee that they have this figured out. It is an imperative to sustainability because food is one of life’s great pleasures. If you believe for one minute that you can maintain a restrictive diet for the rest of your life, wake up and taste the reality of homemade ice cream. This is about creating a balance between healthy choices and sweet or salty indulgence. Pleasure is part of the joy of being human. You don’t want to miss out on it. But you also need to be able to handle it without losing control. Freedom comes with deeper self-awareness, conscious moderation and choosing quality over quantity. And it starts with getting back on the wagon that you just fell off of.

8. We get good at whatever we practice

Think of the thoughts, feelings and actions that are habitual for you. You have practiced these over and over again so that you have created well-entrenched pathways between your brain and the rest of your body. These ‘neural pathways’ make it easy for you to repeat those thoughts, feelings and actions because through practice you have made them automatic. This book will ask you to take on new perspectives and skills. As you create changes and repeat them over time, they will become easier and easier to do. This concept of practice is not difficult to grasp when you think about learning new physical skills, such as riding a bike or getting down the routines in a fitness class. But it is equally applicable to the thoughts that you run and the emotions that you get caught up in repeatedly. They are as powerful as your actions (some would argue more so) because they exert control over your physiology, affecting your metabolism as well as driving you towards your behavior. In Jump off the Diet Treadmill, you will be guided to pay attention to not only what you eat and the quality of your exercise and rest, but also to how you think and feel about your body and yourself. Practice what you wish to become.

Week #1

Make Friends with Protein

Find Your Motivation

Make Friends with Protein

What You Need To Do

Considering friendship as a desire to hang out with someone, to confide in, to be endeared to – I am using the concept of befriending liberally here. The point is that I am inviting you to get to know protein more intimately. If I told you now that you need to eat protein at every meal, it would be too much to take on all at once. That is, however, what you’re aiming for. For now, take your time getting to know which proteins you like, which options make the most sense for each meal, approximately how much and why you need to eat them. Then one meal at a time, start adding them in. If you are already eating protein at some meals, that’s great. Now you can work on increasing the portion, improving the quality, and varying the types.

Why You Need To Do It

Our bodies are these amazing cell production factories – every day somewhere in the range of three hundred billion new cells are replaced, repaired and regenerated. Phenomenal stuff. Proteins offer the building blocks to these billions of cells. Tissues, enzymes, some brain chemicals and some hormones rely on the amino acids in protein to provide the structure upon which they are built. For the sake of weight loss, protein is the hero in numerous ways. Here are three to consider:

1. The presence of protein stimulates the fat burning hormone, GLUCAGON

Eating too many carbs leads to those carbs being stored as sugar in the muscles and liver. (We’ll talk more about this later). If there is excess sugar beyond what can be stored in those tissues, the extra supply makes its way to the fat cells where it is formed into fat/sugar molecules. Glucagon is the hormone that stimulates the fat/sugar molecules stored in the fat cells, to be transported from those cells so they can be burned for energy. If you want to shrink your fat cells, you need glucagon, which is released when you eat protein.

2. Eating protein helps to stabilize your blood sugar and reduces cravings

Glucagon also plays a role in ensuring that there is a balanced supply of sugar as a fuel source for the brain, muscles and tissues. If the supply of carbs/sugar is erratic, you will experience any number of symptoms that will make it difficult to maintain your energy and focus and will lead to cravings and binge eating. Symptoms of blood sugar irregularity are apparent when you go too long without eating a balanced meal with protein, and include the following:

Headaches

Low energy, fatigue

Dizziness, faintness or light-headedness

Irritability

Nervousness or anxiousness

Calmer after eating

Sporadic ‘highs’ and ‘lows’ throughout the day

Crave a lift from carbohydrates, sugar or alcohol, and then experience a drop in energy after eating them

Frequent urination

Frequent thirst

Difficulty staying asleep

3. Protein stabilizes your mood, helps you focus and reduces cravings in another way

Our brains are programmed for pleasure. We want satisfaction and comfort. To have it we need an abundance of the pleasure and satiation related brain chemicals. Guess how they’re made? Protein. Yup. Surprise! The amino acids that are the building blocks of protein provide the raw material for the pleasure and satiation hormones dopamine, serotonin, leptin, CCK. With those hormones in balance, you will find that the need to seek comfort through sugar, fat and salt is lessened. With the physical cravings minimized – you will have more resources to deal with the psychological cravings.

I can’t emphasize the importance of protein enough. I have seen reductions in clients’ cravings, more energy, focus and stable moods within days when they eat enough protein consistently throughout the day.

How You Can Do It

The first thing you need to do is be clear on what constitutes protein. You probably already know this, but in case you need a refresher or want to double check, here is a list of proteins. I would suggest that you check off the ones that you like.

How many servings of protein do you need to eat?

Although you are just getting to be friends with protein this week, you will eventually be working towards eating some protein in combination with some other foods (more on that coming up in the following weeks) every three to four hours throughout the day. That means that you will be working towards four to six servings of protein every day. Let’s use five meals as the average for most people. Five meals per day equals thirty-five per week. That’s the overall number of servings. Now you can break it down to determine how many servings of each source of protein you are going to aim for in each week.

Don’t get discouraged if it seems that you are far off your mark. Remember this is a one-step-at-a-time process. For now, you are just working on figuring out what you need to do. Then you will start to take action on it.

For example, my client Jeannie that I introduced you to loves chicken, cottage cheese, salmon, and Greek yogurt. She was also eating chickpeas, beef, eggs and other cheeses one or two times per week. This was her approximate protein intake when she started:

In figuring out what she was willing to eat to get her protein servings up to the needed amount, here is what she came up with:

Now her total servings of protein per week are equal to 34. She did this by adding in more fish, eggs, nuts and seeds, beans and a protein shake once per day, 5 days per week. Did she do this all at once? Absolutely not. It took her about six weeks to get to the point where she was eating enough protein, five out of seven days in the week. The other two days (on the weekend) she wanted to stay more flexible for her social life. Even then however, understanding the concept of choosing protein at every meal helped her keep on track more often than not.

How much protein do you need in each serving?

This is a good question and not an easy one to answer.

No one can pinpoint exactly how much protein is needed because each person is biochemically unique, and their nutrient needs will vary. However, most people who need to lose weight would benefit from an increase, and sometimes a substantial increase in protein. My experience has been that when people increase their protein at every meal and snack, weight loss happens more readily.

Here is the general guideline. Aim for 20 – 40 grams of protein at each meal. I know that is a fairly wide range. The practical reality is that at some meals, particularly lunch and dinner, it will be easier to hit the higher range. At breakfast and snacks, you may find yourself within the lower range. Consult the chart on the following page to get a sense of the protein content of some foods.

Protein Content (in grams)

Figures sourced from: Nutrition Almanac, 5th Edition

by Lavon J. Dunne and www.nutritiondata.com

Find your Motivation

What you need to do

One of the biggest mistakes people make when they go on diets is that they try to get their body on board without the support of their mind. The