By the time I first meet with a client, they’ve already decided they want to do the hCG protocol. Not because they want to completely overhaul the way they eat, but because they’ve convinced themselves losing weight will improve their life.
On some level, they are absolutely correct. Fat cells are organ cells that create and stimulate all sorts of hormones, and because these clients have too many fat cells, weak stimulus results in a strong hormonal response.
Do you understand the hormonal difference between a leaner body compared to a more obese body? The more fat you have the weaker hormonal stimulus you need. On the other hand, the less fat you have the stronger hormonal stimulus you need.
Similar to hormones, food (all food) stimulates your fat cells to release hormones. As a result, in order to maintain hormonal balance, those who have more fat need significantly less food. If you continue to eat similar to others who have less fat, you’ll inevitably have hormonal problems. This is why those who are leaner (skinny b*tches) can eat more without gaining fat or having hormonal problems. And a person who has more fat, eats less, gains fat, and has hormonal problems. (This is thoroughly explained in Weight-Loss Apocalypse)
Because of this magnified hormonal response after eating, the larger you are, the more you end up feeling like crap if you eat “normal” amounts of food. You're tired, fatigued, have suppressed adrenal function which makes you less motivated to do anything, have hot flashes, daily symptoms of heart burn, erratic sex drive, inflamed joints, breathing issues, night sweats, sleep disruptions, etc. These symptoms don’t occur with people who have less fat-- unless they binge eat or have a hormonal cause, such as thyroid, ovary, or other organ problem.
As soon as clients begin the very low calorie protocol and their food intake is regimented and minimal, they notice how much better they feel. Energy for most improves. Hot flashes and heart burn disappear. The more fat they lose, the more their sleep improves, etc. However, many people look past how incredibly better they feel to instead, base all of their motivation on their weight. If they lose more weight, they want to continue. If they don’t lose enough weight, they feel burdened by the reduced food intake.
Weight on the scale is a very superficial reason to eat less. When you consider the disease and hormonal problems associated to obesity and eating’s hormonal magnification, don’t you think there are more profound motivations to eat functionally?
Unfortunately, the diet industry has plagued us with the idea that weight is the only measure of success. Why? Because you pay for it. The more you obsess over your weight, the less focus you put towards ending the reasons you eat that have nothing to do with true physical hunger, and have everything to do with why you have excess fat. Weight motivated diets don’t realistically prepare you to live in our culture of normalized gluttony.
This time, instead of enlisting for another shallow diet that judges food, causes guilt every time you eat, and encourages you to weigh obsessively-- do something very different. Choose to eat less to feel better, and to reduce your hormonal problems. If you’re never going to lose the damn weight anyways, wouldn’t you at least want to lose all the sh*tty hormonal symptoms?
For the next couple of months try this: stop judging food. Eat anything you want. HOWEVER, the boundary is that you must have true physical hunger to eat, and you must avoid fullness at all cost. Throw away your scale, and choose to eat functionally no matter what the result. You’ll notice you physically feel much better. Binging because of diet guilt will immediately stop, food isn’t such a big deal anymore, and neither is your weight.
Because you aren’t allowed to eat without hunger, you’ll have to find other things to do with your spare time. Projects you’ve started will finally get finished; you’ll try new hobbies, and have more creative drive. Emotionally, you’ll be held accountable. This is similar to a baby and a pacifier. If food is your pacifier, you’re going to have to learn to handle change and life without superstitiously thinking food will make things better. Truthfully, letting go of food emotionally will get you back to the way you used to eat as a child.
Children spend their time playing, thinking, and creating. Eating is only necessary when they get the physical irritation of hunger, which eventually can’t be ignored. They eat, but only enough for the pang to go away. Then they bolt out the door, back to the fun and creativity they only left, because of hunger. No fullness, no emotional high, no emotional guilt, no fear of gaining fat, and no caring about weight.
This is a challenge of your ability to understand what physical hunger feels like, and to understand the difference between true physical need to eat, from emotional desire. Ultimately, as you no longer need food as a pacifier, your emotional confidence will grow. Eating less won’t need motivation or feel like punishment. With hormonal balance, you’ll immediately feel better, and the obvious result will be fat loss. This immediately solves hormonal problems that created fat gain, and were caused by eating without hunger in the first place.
This is one of those win/win situations: Eat what you want, but only when there’s true physical hunger, and avoid fullness at all cost. I challenge you to try this, and let me know how it goes!
I have lost 58 lb with the HCG protocol since October 30, 2010. I also learned to maintain by learning what my body needs for me to feed it, ie: NOT RETURNING to eating GMO grains and high fructose corn syrup. I also began balancing my thyroid hormones. I continued to lose 25 lb during "maintenance" by eating a Paleo diet with copious amounts of protein and fat. I have another 100 lb to lose and am in the second week of my 5th short round of HHCG. So, I know a bit about what you write.
ReplyDeleteYou are over-simplifying when you say to "eat what you want, but only when there's true physical hunger, and avoid fullness at all cost." You imply the morbidly obese eat gluttonous amounts of food or they wouldn't be this way. You are just plain wrong and my experience is born out by many morbidly obese friends who are or have lost with HCG. We did not gain weight from eating too much. Many gained while eating 800-1,200 cal and working out strenuously.
I am not sure I'm sold that you really do understand morbid obesity. But I'll keep reading for a while.
Thanks for commenting! And You are absolutely 100% CORRECT! You must have misread or misunderstood this blog. What I'm saying is that the more fat a person has the lees food they need, the less hunger they have, and the less food it takes to gain fat. In fact, unlike the rest of the skinny culture that just assumes fat people binge eat all the time, I am saying the complete opposite! I too have seen thousands, THOUSANDS of people with obesity, and I will agree. They eat much less than the average lean person, and continue to gain, or can't lose whatsoever.
ReplyDeleteThanks again, for confirming my own observation and the reason I wrote this blog. I also don't believe people with obesity binge eat all the time.