Yesterday I introduced to you the fact that most people are under eating whole foods, and this is what is causing most health and weight issues in our Western World. If you did not get a chance to read it, you can do so here.
The last thing I want to cover before we move on is why restriction wont work.
When we were wandering around the desert in our early human days, food was not plentiful like it is now. What would happen is we would wander for a while until we found a steady source of food - such as a mango grove. We would set up camp and eat our fill of mangoes. Then when the mangoes ran out we would have to wander the desert, sometimes for days, in order to find our next source of nourishment.
The body got wise to this feast/famine cycle. In order to preserve our bodies during those famine times, our bodies learned how to store calories as energy reserves so that we would not wither away as we wandered looking for the next calorie source. It also got wise to the fact that we needed motivation. Our bodies created cravings - the strong urge to eat foods - especially those foods that are highest in fat and calories when we are starving. This is what got our ancestors from mango grove to mango grove. The motivation to eat coming from the brain!
Now a days - if you restrict your caloric intake too much, your modern body will react in EXACTLY THE SAME WAY as our ancestors bodies. You will automatically start to become a fat storer so that you are protected from the next famine, and you will have massive food cravings! Usually these cravings are not going to be for bananas and blueberries. They are going to be fore the most calorie and fat dense foods you can think of, like ice cream and cookies.
Restriction.Doesn't.Work. Biology has built in too much of a backup plan against starvation. Your best bet is adequate nutrition from whole foods. Every time.
So, under eating on whole foods is the number one mistake most of the people I work with make. Why?
There are a few reasons why I think this mistake is so common:
1. People associate 'eating healthy' with restriction: Due to the diet industry and all the confusion that has come about with regards to eating processed foods - we have decided that it is the calories that were the problem, the reason why everyone is getting so unhealthy. Instead of looking at the fact that our bodies are viewing processed foods as toxins that do not provide nutrients it can recognize, we just assumed we are all piling on the pounds because of the excess energy. The truth is that your body is designed to thrive on whole foods. You do not have to use the calorie model with them.
2. People really believe that in order to be thin you have to reduce your caloric intake, no matter what you are eating: Again this stems back from the blanket idea that calories are calories. We know that the effect on your body from eating 100 calories from a banana is not going to be the same as eating 100 calories from a doughnut. They will produce different health outcomes.
3. People want results yesterday, and are not willing to give whole foods a chance: The other problem with whole foods is that sometimes the body will prioritize healing over weight loss at first. Many people do not take into account that their organs are damaged and need healing and that this must be done first, before safe fat cell detoxification can take place. Also, whole foods are not a quick fix and generally will not lead to rapid weight loss. Generally you will find slow and steady progress. This is actually better for you in the long term, but can feel frustrating when you are wanting results now.
4. People are confused about how much food they need to be eating: Again, we have been told by the diet industry that our appetites are out of control and that we need to reduce and minimize portion sizes in order to be healthy and lean. The truth is that your body was designed to thrive on high water high fibre foods. This is why you have a stomach that stretches before it activates your satiety centres. If we had had very small stomachs and had been satisfied on small amounts of food back when we were wandering the desert we would have died from malnutrition because we would not have been able to consume enough calories to help us live - because all the food back then was high water high fibre food. When you eat a diet that is based on whole foods, you CAN and you SHOULD eat your fill! The real problem here is that processed foods are so calorie dense and fibre, nutrient and water sparse that they do not fill us up nor do they provide us with the nutrition our body craves and thus we are constantly craving the next hit. You fill up on whole foods and you will see your apatite naturally start to regulate itself.
from Oh She Glows 🙂 She knows how to make a meal sized salad!
5. People just really want to be thin: This is OK. There is nothing wrong with wanting to look good. The problem is when you have diet mentality you may be tempted to focus all your efforts on weight loss - which will often lead you to under eating - which we know will cause a binge cycle later on - in order to lose weight. When you focus on getting healthy and doing things that maintain your health long term you will have a healthy weight. I promise. A healthy body has a healthy weight. A healthy body runs on whole foods, and lots of them.
6. We are told that calorie restriction leads to longevity: I believe that this is true - but the thing is if you are not able to comfortably do it it wont work! If it is a struggle that you cannot maintain, then your body and your mind are not at a place where this is a doable strategy for you. Your body needs time to heal, to become optimal, to be replenished before it can do calorie restriction healthfully - and even then you most likely wont have to restrict as much as you think. I promise you that I made this mistake lots. If you are 'trying' or putting forth any effort at all to eat less, then you are not ready for this. And that is OK! You must listen to your body and you must allow it to lead and guide you. Also, calorie restriction is simply not something that is practical for most people. You must take your lifestyle into account, your activity levels and so on. There may come a day where you naturally just feel like you need less to feel satisfied and nourished, and this leads you to a calm place in your mind and your heart. When that day comes, I say all the power too you! But until that day, trust that your body is asking you for more because it NEEDS more. Healing is more important.
There are several reasons why trying to begin your healing journey with whole foods restriction will never, ever, lead you to health and wellness:
1. Your body is currently less efficient: It needs more food in order to heal. Your body is most likely not yet able to fully extract all the nutrition out of what you eat. It is better to get in lots of whole foods and then allow your appetite to guide you as you move forward.
2. It always leads to cravings and most often to a binge: As explained above! If you do not really really FEEL like eating less, if you are putting any effort into restricting your food intake, it is very likely that you will binge later on. It just isn't worth it!
3. It is not sustainable for you in this moment: Nothing that you have to exert a lot of effort to do is maintainable. If you are having to use force of will to restrict your calories, you know that eventually that will power will run out. It is so much easier to eat an abundance of whole foods and feel satisfied. This will lead you towards long term healthy habits, a long term healthy relationship with food, and long term health!
4. It disconnects you from your food and from your body: This is the most important one. If you are are constantly struggling to deny your appetite, you are disconnecting yourself from your bodies innate wisdom. It can and it will guide you towards healing and what is healthy for you. You must just give it a chance, listen too and head its cues.
How Can You Tell If You Are Under Eating On Whole Foods?
I am not a huge fan of actually counting your calories, because I feel like it sets you up for a strange numerical relationship with food, rather than a nice intuitive one. Here are some signs and symptoms that let you know you most likely need to up your intake of whole foods, if you are transitioning to a whole foods based diet:
1. Do you think about food all day long? This is that awesome anti-starvation tactic your body devised in the early days of humanity. If you are thinking of food all day long that is your body's signal to you that you are not getting enough.
2. You have very strong food cravings for unhealthy foods: This is the urge to consume high fat high calories foods kicking in.
3. You have 'good days' followed by 'bad days' where you can't seem to moderate or control your intake: This restrict/binge cycle may not be evident right away. If you find that you have times when you are really 'good' and other times where you feel you lose control, record your food intake for a few weeks. Then look for the pattern. In my experience most people will go 3-4 days under eating and then have a binge. Then the cycle will repeat.
4. You feel unsatisfied at the end of your meals/at the end of the day: If you are continually feeling unsatisfied, it could be a sign your body is still in search of nutrients. See if you can eat a little more the next day and see if that helps.
5. You feel the need to snack late into the night after you have had your dinner: If you are feeling snacky after your day of eating whole foods, you most likely did not eat enough that day.
The Very Bottom Line About Your Waist Line:
If you make the centre, or ideally the entirety, of your diet whole foods, you will find health. You will find a healthy body weight, you will find healing, and you will find that your body leads you and guides you towards what is optimal for you. You will discover you most likely do not need a diet coach to tell you what to eat, because you already have one built into your being - your body.
Do not make the mistake of lumping whole foods and processed foods into the same category. I hope I have thoroughly convinced you that under eating is not a long term solution for health or for weight loss. Eating an abundance of whole, unprocessed, natural foods over time is the ticket. It may take time to reach the results you want, but it will be worth every moment. I promise 🙂
Do you have any questions on this subject I have not answered here? Please leave them below and I will be sure to address them!
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