damik's Diaryland Diary

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Just a little irrational

On a more technical, practical note, starving yourself is very and simply unpractical and is like treading a river instead of crossing the bridge. See, our stomachs do not stay the same size. So, when people starve themselves, their stomachs shrink, for instance, among other internal physical changes. And when they stop starving themselves and eat, their metabolism is a skewed, basically their body will actually store a larger percentage of what they eat as body fat than before. Think about it, the body is going through periods of starvation, so it gives chemical signals to parts of the body saying, basically: "We're going through food shortage. We need to use up less fuel and acquire more fuel." Doing so, your energy levels, for instance, is lowered. Another thing that happens is that the body creates more body fat from what you eat as a way of a food emergency storage system. This is why starvation diets never work for more than a short period. And those that go for long period is anorexia and this causes permanent internal physical damage as well as possible death. Exercise and eating an average diet is the most healthy, practical, and is the most likely to have long-term positive effects (i.e. keeping the weight off). If you really want to lose weight, starvation is not the way to go. In fact, eating average healthy meals accelerates weight loss when combined with exercise. Your body will send chemicals that the food quantity and quality is optimum and as a result, it will lower the percentage of the food it stores as fat. A healthy average meal will give your body the nutrients to become more active, more energy. And this will make you feel more motivated. And consequently, more able and energized to exercise than normal. Eating healthily won't be a cure all, but it helps a great deal. Personal inner motivation will still be needed, but when your body (regardless of if think you are fat) feels healthy, people generally have an increased feeling of well-being (with or without weight loss). Many women go on starvation diets and get so frustrated as every time they eat a candy bar or ice cream or whatever it seems to go "straight to the hips". That is because it really is -- the body goes into a state of emergency and it is trying to store as much food as possible for its survival. So, Damik, this may help you develop a better strategy. Starvation causes the loss of energy and mental stress because the body itself is in a constant state of stress. And though starvation might cause weight loss, it makes weight gain much more easier. So, Damik, knowing these things, may you choose what is best..
petrichor
Now, all this the rational side of me tells myself. I know that exercise and healthy eating works, though slowly. I even know that the slowly is more healthy the rapid weight loss.
It's the irrational side of me that I have to work on. It's the side of me that cuts. It's the part of me that sees myself as something to be destroyed.
I have to rely on the self-preservationist in me, even when she's hiding.
I'm learning to fight the irrational side of me, this is just another part I'm going to have to fight.

1:13 p.m. - 06-30-02
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