by
Marvin H. Berenson, M.D.
According
to a new book The Five Keys to Permanent Weight
Control by Marvin H. Berenson, M.D. dieters
have a new weapon to fight the tendency to
relapse and regain lost weight. It is called
the "stabilization period." It would
appear to be an essential factor needed in
all diet programs.
At
the beginning of dieting each person has a
set basal metabolic rate (BMR). As the body
takes in less food the regulatory mechanism
that resides in the hypothalamus changes the
caloric needs of the body. If your normal
daily caloric needs are 2000 calories and
you reduce your calorie intake to 1400 calories,
the setting of the brain's metabolic thermostat
will gradually change. It reduces the number
of calories required for basal metabolic needs.
Thus
instead of continuing to benefit from the
reduction of 600 calories and having the body
burn an equivalent amount of fat to make up
the difference, which is what causes us to
lose weight, the amount of body fat burned
gradually lessens.
At
some point in your extended dieting that 600-calorie
reduction will produce no further weight loss.
Your metabolic rate will have slowed to the
point that you will be functioning on a 1400-calorie
diet. The length of time for this to occur
varies depending on the consistency of the
diet, the percentage of reduced calories,
the amount of exercising, the initial weight
of the person and certain genetic influences.
For
the first month or so the changes in the metabolic
rate tend to be minimal unless a person is
on an accelerated weight loss program. If
weight loss is maintained between 1 to 2 pounds
a week, and not continued beyond one month
there is little discernible change in the
BMR.
However,
if the dieting continues beyond a month there
is a slowing of metabolism as the body adapts
to the lower caloric input. Eventually the
person will lose less and less weight despite
the strict adherence to the diet.
You
probably know how difficult it is to lose
that last ten pounds. People who have been
on previous diets often complain that they
have to eat like a bird. They always have
to be very careful of overeating. Otherwise,
they immediately put on weight.
The
drastic lowering of the BMR has sharply curtailed
the body's ability to handle an occasional
indulgence, which tends to result in a rapid
gain of weight. Many diets do not adequately
make clear that once dieters have lost the
desired weight that they can't immediately
go back to eating the way they did before.
The
more weight a person has lost and the longer
the time the diet continued the more likely
that the metabolic rate has become fixed at
a new low rate. This lowered BMR now limits
a dieter's food intake.
Most
people who have finally been able to attain
their weight goal want to celebrate by again
eating normally. To do so too quickly floods
their body with excess calories and they begin
to regain their lost weight. For many dieters
their BMR may remain low indefinitely, and
for others months and years may elapse before
normal eating can begin."
To
prevent the changes in basal metabolic needs
a stabilization period for periodic weight
adaptation can be used. The technique is simple
and offers dieters an opportunity to adjust
to relatively small decreases in weight and
psychologically adapt to a changing body size.
During
the stabilization period dieters learn to
eat normally and to maintain weight rather
than lose or gain it. The optimal period to
diet is one month followed by a one-month
stabilization period where dieting has stopped.
During
the stabilization period dieters are advised
to maintain their weight at whatever level
it was at the end of their dieting month.
To simplify the monthly schedule dieters can
start each phase on the first of the month.
The alternation continues until one has reached
his or her ideal weight.
You
will learn as you implement the use of the
stabilization period that it becomes a testing
ground for you to learn to adapt and live
with a new weight every other month.
It
is essential that you do not lose any more
weight, or the purpose of the stabilization
period is thwarted. Most dieters will find
that within a few days they need to increase
their food intake in order not to lose additional
weight.
Each
dieter must examine his feelings very closely
during this period since it is hard to resist
not continuing to diet month after month.
But it is much better to face this struggle
monthly and conquer any tendency to sabotage
your diet than lose the benefit of the stabilization
period.
The
Five Keys to Permanent Weight Control by Dr.
Marvin Berenson, Clinical Professor of Psychiatry
and Behavioral Sciences at the USC School
of Medicine, is available from his website
www.marvinberenson.com
where he offers a free 31 page e-book Self
Growth and the Power of Mental Imagery, or
by calling 800 247 6553, or at bookstores
nationwide.
