It's Simple Really -- But Is It?

The "No Diet" process that I use, the one which enabled me to lose nearly 100 pounds over a five year span is really simple...in theory.

I would say that there are two parts to the process....there are the "rules" or the "guidelines." Then there are the things you do that enable you to follow the rules.

The rules are simple....
1.) Eat when hungry
2.) Stop when satisfied. (Notice I didn't say full.)
3.) Exercise. (I use 15 minutes a day as kind of my benchmark -- because at that level I can fit it in even on my most busy day.)
4.) Drink at least 2 litres of water ever day.

Those are the rules...the guidelines...the pieces that have influence on the balance between energy taken in through food and energy expelled through exercise or other activity. These aspects are important because regardless of the process or lack of process...whether one follows a diet of measuring and weighing, or whether they follow a process of intuitive eating (eating when hungry, stopping when satisfied) they will be bound by the same laws of physics. There is no way around the fact that if one takes in more calories than they expend they will store the excess calories (energy) as body fat.

What the "no diet" philosophy says is that if one consciously pays attention to their body's cues of hunger and satiety and eat in accordance with them they will naturally return to more ordered eating patterns and will begin to eat more in harmony with what their body needs and will slowly lose weight. I have found this to be true.

The second aspect of the process is bigger because it encompasses all the things you do that enable you to do the 4 things outlined above. I personally use journaling as something that I do every day because it helps me to focus on where I am, where I have been, and where I am trying to go. It is also a good place to explore emotions which are often at the root of overeating and bingeing. Some people find meditation helpful. Others find other things helpful. The hard part of the process is discovering why you overeat and then figuring out ways to keep yourself from eating at times when you are not physically hungry.

More on why we eat when we are not physically hungry in future posts.