Most attempts to lose weight end in frustration, disappointment, self-condemnation and even weight gain. This is because people usually try to lose weight in ways that create the very stress and food cravings that ultimately defeat their weight-loss strategies. Successful weight-control programs work with, rather than against, your body. Weight that stays off is a byproduct of a healthy lifestyle that reduces the need to eat because of food cravings or emotional hunger.

Beware of restrictive diets.

Many people find that diets that restrict certain foods and food groups lead to cravings for those forbidden foods. Perhaps it is human nature to want what we can't have. But the craving for forbidden foods may also be caused by changes in brain chemistry. If the brain thinks that food is scarce, it may signal the drive to eat.

Food restriction may also affect the levels and regulation of important brain chemicals called neurotransmitters. Neurotransmitters are chemical messengers that allow nerve cells to communicate with one another. They are involved in all aspects of nerve function, including processes that reach conscious awareness, such as remembering, thinking and feeling.

Serotonin is one of the neurotransmitters that may play a role in food cravings, especially cravings for carbohydrates, such as desserts, breads, pasta and fruit. Many functions involve the release of serotonin, including mood, sleep onset, pain sensitivity and blood pressure regulation. And many anti-depressant medications relieve depression by increasing serotonin levels in the brain. Similarly, carbohydrate intake increases brain serotonin level, which may be why some people eat carbohydrate foods when they feel stressed.

So what happens on restrictive diets? Couple very-low-calorie intake with restricted access to carbohydrates, and you get hunger combined with food cravings. No wonder such diets rarely work!
 

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