Some years ago, nutritionists and professional psychologists denounced this ‘slimness tyranny’ as well as the ‘dieting trend’ and its useless concerns such as: “loose x kilos before the summer”, which recur in women’s magazines each spring when bikini season is on the horizon. We cannot criticize seeking balanced nutrition, practicing sports or taking care of ourselves in general. But the permanent and desperate struggle to reach a weight that is impossible to maintain for more than fifteen days is masochism. Moreover, it is harmful to our health. In fact, we all have an “ideal weight” but it is not the weight we think it is. It is not the one we dream of reaching. It is our genetic weight. Dr. Jean-Philippe Zermati calls it: “weight of balance”. Years ago, this French nutritionist started to openly criticize the dieting trend. He claimed that each one of us should relearn how to eat what we need, just when we are hungry (regardless of whether it is a plate of green beans or a chocolate cake), without any excess but also without any deprivation.
What is the “weight of balance”?
It cannot be measured with complicated equations (like the Body Mass Index). It is simply the weight we can keep long-term while eating just when we are hungry without deprivation but also without over doing it. It is somehow our natural weight, specific to each individual. Obviously, the ‘weight of balance’ is not necessarily the one we dream of. But it is much better to accept this fact rather than risk having health imbalances. Psychologically speaking, accepting our ‘weight of balance’ guarantees feeling good about one’s body and having a healthy attitude towards food. Not accepting this and continually trying to go below our ‘weight of balance’ will, without a doubt, make us feel bad about our body. This leads us to try to go without food in an attempt to loose weight despite everything, which causes frustration. As a result, we start demonizing meals, especially some kinds of food, and initiate an unhealthy connection with food.
What is a healthy attitude towards food?
It is an attitude that does not particularly involve restrictions, or obsessive calorie counting, or demonizing certain foods. Having a healthy relationship with food begins by not dramatizing food or focusing on certain food considered “forbidden” and consequently totally avoiding these foods (e.g.: we can eat small quantities of chocolate because we are answering our body’s needs which tell us when they are really satisfied).
What is an unhealthy attitude towards food?
It is to approach food by counting and recounting calories, to the point of obsession, forgetting simply to listen to our bodies and its hunger. We no longer eat because we are hungry but because we have to eat at a fixed time. We no longer eat steak because our body needs it, but because it may represent a protein portion of 300 kilocalories. Because we have forgotten how to listen to our body, we also don’t know how to stop eating because can no longer identify when we are not hungry. In many cases, this behavior leads to overeating…which leads to becoming overweight. Furthermore, when we cut down on food, our body takes revenge by stocking up to prepare itself for another bout of deprivation that might be on the way. So watch out for restrictive diets.
The fear of gaining weight makes you gain weight
This is very true because the fear of gaining weight causes stress. We often tend to compensate for this stress by consuming sweets and comfort food when we are not hungry and our body doesn’t need it. The result: we gain weight.
What does eating well mean?
Eating well means eating only when we are hungry and not according to our emotions, stress etc… the ideal way is to eat when we are really hungry and to stop eating when our body gives us the signal that it is satisfied.
Traps to avoid…
Nibbling. Becareful not to confuse this with light snacks. Nibbling is when we eat food not to satisfy a real hunger but because of stress or simply by automatism. This will definitely cause your body to stock up on food. A light snack is a small meal that we have when we feel hungry.
The Zarmati “method” in a nutshell
Eat when you feel hungry! Let hunger be the indicator and not what we think we should eat after having calculated the calories.
Eat calmly, and stop eating when you are not hungry anymore.
Do not demonize food. Demonizing food causes gain weight. It is better to slowly indulge in one or two pieces of chocolate without feeling guilty, rather than consuming an entire bar after having tried to resist for a long time! In summary: you should be ‘at peace’ with food; otherwise you risk falling into a vicious circle (deprivation – compensation with compulsion – guilt).
Learn how to relax and concentrate in order to know the difference between real hunger and the desire to eating due to emotions.
Let your brain decide what is good for your body! The brain can calculate the calories we consume. When the brain gives a signal that it is satisfied, it means that the calorie count is enough!
Avoid trendy and restrictive diets. Such diets prevent you from living a satisfying social life.
