A friend of mine recently told me a story that perfectly illustrates what happens when your weight loss plan is too restrictive...
My friend (we'll call her Amy) was invited to a summer Barbecue by her friend Sally.
Sally was a larger women who at times let her weight approach 300lbs.
When Amy arrived at the Barbecue she was immediately met by the smell of fresh cooked sausages and hamburgers. There were plates of freshly cooked corn on the cob, as well as grilled peppers, and even a giant fruit salad.
The odd thing, was that during the Barbecues Sally (who normally really enjoys her food) didn't eat that much. In fact, she went as far as to weigh her food while telling her friends "oh I'm on a new weight loss program and I'm not allowed have salad dressing, and "oh, my new weight loss program doesn't allow me to eat any saturated fat" etc.
Sally was being forced to be way too restrictive by her new weight loss program, and as always, this super strict eating backfired!
Later that day after the barbecue was over and everyone had left Amy realized she has forgotten her purse, so she hopped in her car and went back to Sally's.
She went into the backyard and found Sally sitting at the picnic table by herself, busily eating away at one of the left over apple pies...can you say awkward!?
Luckily, Sally didn't see Amy, so Amy quickly grabbed her purse and was on her way (no reason to turn the situation embarrassing for Sally).
The moral of the story is: If your diet is too restrictive for too long, it WILL backfire. Especially at fun social events like Barbecues!
A well planned weight loss strategy like Eat Stop Eat is a long term solution BECAUSE is allows you eat the foods you enjoy while still giving you a simple yet effective way to cut your calories.
Had Sally been following Eat Stop Eat, she could have enjoyed some of the food at her Barbecue (within reason) while still losing weight in the long run.
Weight loss doesn't have to be difficult, and it doesn't have to be restrictive. Combining Eat Stop Eat with a weight training program will result in long-term weight loss WITHOUT becoming obsessive or overly restrictive about what you eat. It'll even let you enjoy the occasional summer Barbecue!
