Emotional Eating and Weight Cycling by Victoria Isabel Have you frequently lost weight only to regain it? Many individuals struggle with yo-yo weight loss for most of their lives. What is the cause of weight cycling? It seems like a great idea to drastically cut back on your food intake for rapid weight loss. However, your body sooner or later prepares itself for a decrease in calorie intake. Your body will adapt to this lowered calorie intake by conserving energy and metabolic rate (the way your body burns food for energy). Eventually, the initial weight loss slows down or stops. By this time most dieters struggle to maintain their diet program. And the weight slowly starts to creep up again. To make things worse, the decrease in metabolic rate will cause the body to live on less calorie intake. Every low-calorie dieting episode makes the body more efficient. Another problem with quick weight loss fad diets is that the body becomes more efficient with each dieting event. The severe calorie limitation also brings about a loss of muscle tone. Common signs of this are flabby upper arms and sagging buns. Suggestions to Break Yo-Yo Dieting As opposed to a quick weight loss, aim for a long term tolerable approach. Plan for a moderate weight loss of 1-2 pounds a week. If you plan to decrease calorie intake, do it gradually. I recommend a decrease of 200-500 calories a day depending on how much you have to lose. Imagine your diet as a healthy living design instead of a temporary weight loss program. Increase your level of physical activity. Take the stairs not the elevator, park far from the entrance or pick up on activities you enjoy such as hiking, biking or dancing. Eat smaller meals throughout the day instead of skipping them especially breakfast. This will prevent you from overeating later on. Emotional Eating and Overeating Okay, maybe your problem isn't yo-yo dieting. It's possible that your eating has become a habit such as eating junk food when you sit down in front of the TV. When stressed, you skip meals, when bored, you raid to refrigerator. Here are some tips to overcome emotional overeating. If food is meeting an emotional need, perhaps it is time to examine your options. Find alternatives to eating. Perhaps you can take a brisk walk to clear your head during your lunch break. Invite your friends to play miniature golf on your birthday instead of having cake and ice cream. Have healthy snacks such as a bag of carrot sticks or an apple which you can grab when you are too busy to make time for yourself. Control your hunger by eating multiple small meals a day. Never go hungry, because if you do, you are more likely to overeat or make poor choices. Yes, you can train your body to be satisfied at 60% capacity at meal time. Therefore, do not fill yourself. Besides, you will not help starving children by eating everything on your plate. Be aware of what junk food can do to you, and get rid of them. Replace them with healthy choices such as whole-grain bread, fruits and vegetables. Corny or not, do things to remind you of your goal. Put up a sign at your desk that say: A year from now, you may wish you started today. Maybe you can put up a refrigerator sign that says: When I cheat on my weight-loss goal, I am cheating on me. Finally, if you overeat, do not fall off the wagon. Get back on track right away. Not tomorrow -- today. Because tomorrow will never come. Rochester Health Club, Rochester Fitness Center and Certified Personal Trainers in Rochester are dedicated to helping its members stay fit. Our Top Recommended Program Turbulence Training is our top recommended program, if you are looking for a method to lose weight, tone your body and gain muscle at the same time - Turbulance Training is the best. It’s affordable and written by well known fitness expert Craig Ballantyne. The program is great for people with little time who still want to lose weight and look good, the program is sold through Clickbank and comes with their standard 60 days money back guarantee. >>Click here to visit original - Turbulence Training website!<