The term dietary disinhibition has been used to describe those who are unable to control their eating habits. I don't like that term and I don't like what it implies. I personally think that the problem, like most similar problems in this world, is not being sure what needs to be done.
Whenever we lack the confidence to do something or faith in the method we are following, our ability to carry out any task becomes seriously inhibited. Therefore, when it comes to weight loss, some basic understanding and knowledge can go a long way towards helping many of those suffering from 'dietary disinhibition'.
In theory weight loss should just be a matter of taking in less calories than we expend. Have you ever noticed construction workers or physical laborers? They tend to have this down pretty well. Generally, their physiques are in great shape, being very tone as well as slender.
What about the rest of us? Why is it such a struggle? Let's take a look at the life of a laborer in very broad terms. He works. He does physical activity from breakfast on and when he gets hungry he gets really hungry. Then he eats and then works some more. Part of the problem for the rest of us is that we never use up our short term energy supply. Those who do physical labor do. When that happens they burn fat.
When the short term energy supply, stored in the liver, doesn't get used up, the body sees no reason to dip into the longer term energy stored as fat. It's like a box of sand, we keep pouring the sand in until the box overflows and wonder why we can't get anywhere. While the construction worker or physical laborer doesn't put anymore sand into his box until it is empty or near empty. Therefore his sand box never overflows.
In this analogy the overflowing sand box means adding fat to the body. This is exactly the opposite of what we want to do. This is also exactly the opposite of the life of a physical laborer.
How do we more sedentary types handle this? We want to be more aware of what we are eating and when we are eating it. We must also get some form of exercise in.
The next time you reach for that snack, think to yourself, how full is my sandbox right now? Is it filled to the top? If it is and I add more sand, what will happen? The answer, of course, is that an overflowing sandbox equates to more fat on the body.
Take a long walk first, the process of walking will remove some of that sand out of the box. If you eat first and walk second, it is too late. You already overflowed the sandbox.
If you must eat and you don't have time to remove sand first, then avoid junk food, which is a lot of sand. Instead, eat carrots, apples, or celery. They equate to far less sand. On top of that, they are loaded with healthy antioxidants and other well meaning phyto (plant) chemicals.
If you are like me, you work in an environment where people are always bringing in candy, cookies, cakes and other snacks. If you start viewing that as sand, you might do better. Who wants to eat a mouthful of sand, anyway? Maybe with a new perspective, we will no longer be blue about our eating habits and weight loss.
This article is for information and entertainment purposes only. It is not intended to provide advice. Talk to your physician about dieting or exercise before beginning either.
