Bill lost 200 pounds using a liquid diet,
but a year later had gained it all back.
Now he's been on OMAD for a month and lost 50 pounds.
There's one major flaw with this approach.
There's a time and place for OMAD.
Is the time right for you?
Bill lost that first 200 pounds because the rule was,
"I eat whatever is in those cans."
And that happened to be a liquid diet.
He stuck to that rule and lost the weight.
Now the rule is,
I can eat for one hour.
And he does that by sticking to the rule.
He counts down to that one hour a day.
And when the time is right,
he begins to eat.
And he eats for the whole hour.
And when it comes to the last minute,
he looks at his watch and says,
I'm almost out of my hour and then it's over.
And now I will wait 23 hours before I allow myself to eat again.
Bill's problem is he's addicted to food.
Yes, people with food addiction are rule followers.
They have a rule.
They stick to the rule.
It can be, I only eat salads.
I only eat liquids or I only eat for one hour a day.
The problem is that strategy isn't going to work for a lifetime.
You might be surprised.
I recommend OMAD or one meal per day.
I actually like to call it all calories in one hour.
That's actually a better rule,
but it is not a good strategy for somebody who is locked into their rules.
In food addiction, the rule becomes their God.
They listen to that rule and follow it strictly.
Ignoring several other reasons why they should be considering when is it time to eat
and when is it time to stop eating?
I recognize food addiction by those people who do put the rules first.
They'll often insist that I give them a list of foods to eat.
I tell them strictly when to start eating,
when to stop eating.
And they don't want the responsibility of what is the right food approach for you.
They want the rule and nothing else.
And it's actually a lot easier for them to hide out in the rule and not take responsibility
for several of the reasons why they're eating,
which have to do with loneliness and coping
skills and comforting thyself.
Food becomes that source of love and that's going to lead to addiction.
Experts actually argue is food addiction a real thing?
Others will say it's the processed foods that are addictive.
I like to think of it's the foods that send sugars way up,
which also stimulate the brain
to feel euphoric when they eat those foods.
And although we should get pleasure from food, when it's the number one way you're
getting pleasure day in and day out,
that's going to lead to obesity and a food addiction problem.
When I'm working with a food addict,
I can't tell them stop eating.
What we need to focus on is,
is the food you're eating sustainable,
healthy for you and not
the obsession that happens when I put a rule in their life like you can eat for this one
hour and then that's all they focus on.
Some other signs that you might be a food addict is when you have one bite,
you seem to eat the whole bag.
When you start to obsess about it,
it becomes the thought that comes
into your mind over and over again.
When I'm working with a food addict,
I don't let them
have the one hour of eating.
I open up that eating window to eight hours and have them
focus on are you eating because you're hungry and are you eating for sustainability,
for feeling a little comfort,
but not the only reason you feel comfort.
We want other times
during the day that you're putting love,
purpose and joy into your life that do not have anything
to do with eating.
Once they've mastered to eating food in an eight hour window and they're
finding other ways that they build that oxytocin,
I slowly decrease that eating window to the
point where they are losing weight and they are getting that healthy proportion of food
while subtracting the pounds that don't belong there.
When we do get to one hour of eating,
that season is not meant to last forever.
It is a time to stress their body into a weight
loss season and then back it up to something that is more sustainable in their life.
Often, they have to be attending a support group.
Other people who are trying to figure it out,
other people who are struggling with them,
that is a sustainable way to not relapse.
20 years of helping patients with addiction and I get them to focus on making more oxytocin.
I show them what are some of the ways that I've learned to make oxytocin in my life.
That's this hormone of love,
one that's classically known for the hormone produced when a mom is nursing a baby.
But we make it in lots of other places in life.
This slide shows several of the ways that I make oxytocin.
You don't have to copy my list.
Find the places in your life where you feel that intense love.
Whether you're giving or receiving,
this oxytocin is way better than eating.
Oxytocin is not the only hormone you should care about.
There is another critical hormone that is important for losing that weight forever.
Check out the video here or click the link in the show notes below the like button.
I'll see you there.