THE TRUTH-

Back in my ‘’diet days’’ I used to survive off of copious amounts of Pepsi-Max in the day and then a microwave meal in the evening, and because of this there were times when I would be so hungry that I’d go to bed early and force myself to go to sleep, as to stop myself eating, because I believed ‘eating was cheating”. And I had a distorted belief that this class was me being disciplined, when in fact it was disordered eating, and was causing me to repeatedly fail.

Not only is restricting your food intake unsustainable, it also takes a physical and mental toll on you too as it can lead to uncontrollable hunger, mood swings, and overeating, which often ends in regret and shame. 

Not only that, but ‘starvation mode’ will make losing weight more challenging due to metabolic and hormonal adaptations that occur as a result of it due to the physiological response causing weight loss plateaus as your body conserves energy and retains fat stores.

If you starve yourself, your body’s survival mechanisms activate, meaning your body begins to use its fat stores as a primary energy source and muscle and skeletal tissue as secondary energy sources, which slows your metabolism down and prevents your fat burning system to work efficiently, which causes issues with long-term maintenance.

However, the issues run much deeper than just weight loss. 

When your body is deprived of nutrients it may begin to prioritise essential bodily functions, like breathing and heart rate, and slow down nonessential bodily processes, such as:

* Hair and nail growth: Your hair and nails may become brittle.

* Immunity: Your immune system may have a harder time fighting infection and illness.

* Digestion and hunger regulation: You may experience irregular or intensified hunger, recurring bloating, or stomach discomfort.

* Reproductive health: Your menstrual cycle may change or stop.

* Skin health: You may experience improper or delayed wound healing or premature aging.

* Bone health: Your bones may become weakened.

The aim of this system is to achieve weight loss results that last for life, whilst remaining healthy, happy and well-nourished, so if you have a habit of eating little to lose weight then it’s time to change that. 

Permanent weight loss is achieved by caring for and healing your body, not neglecting it.