STORY:

Crash dieting can turn your brain into your worst enemy. That’s because the brain’s response to extreme, low-calorie diets or all-protein or all-carbohydrate diets is to increase the brain’s natural chemicals that cause hunger, says University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) psychologist Mary Boggiano, Ph.D.

WHY:

“Two kinds of appetite exist: metabolic and hedonic,” Boggiano said. “Metabolic appetite is a need for energy or calories. If we restrict calories too severely, the brain’s hunger mechanism kicks in, and it’s hard to stick with a diet when you are hungry.

“Hedonic appetite occurs if we restrict ourselves to only certain kinds of foods, or bland foods, or foods we don’t like – like a lot of people do when they’re dieting. Our brain’s reward system kicks in and causes us to crave yummy tasting foods,” Boggiano said. “It involves changes in dopamine and endorphins in the brain, the two kinds of chemicals also involved in drug addiction. These changes can cause cravings for very tasty foods, especially when we are stressed.”

WHAT:

So how do you get your brain to cooperate when you’re dieting?

• If you are an adult, eat no less than 1,200 calories a day. This is an amount that is safe and will allow for steady weight loss of up to two pounds a week.
  
  
• Eat from all four major food groups.
  
  
• Don’t skip your favorite foods, but limit the amount you eat so you don’t go over the daily calories allowed to lose weight.
  
  
• Exercise to raise your metabolism and decrease hunger. However, especially in women, exercise without lowering one’s caloric intake is virtually ineffective for losing weight.
  
  
• Certain foods can trigger the hedonic appetite in a way that makes it difficult to stop yourself from overeating. For some people it’s chocolate. For others it’s peanut butter or potato chips. Avoid all trigger foods until you reach your goal weight.