IS YOUR DIET WORKING? Or are you caught up in the downward spiral of diet, weight gain, depression?

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Standard Western diets are built for the short term and are usually very restrictive, requiring extra effort to buy special foods and discipline to avoid the foods you really like. All extremes eg. Food combining, protein only or introducing artificial powders as meal replacements etc. eventually lead to frustration and more obsession about the bathroom scales and sooner or later will only reinforce old patterns. And off you go again…

 

When you go off the diet, on goes the weight again because fundamentally nothing has changed. You think you have failed whereas really the diet failed you because it did not suit you and your individual circumstances and needs. Rather than blaming yourself, have a critical eye to the diet regime you have chosen.

 

In order to successfully lose weight it is necessary to understand the underlying causes of weight gain. Each person has a different story and therefore a different reason for the weight gain. Weight gain doesn’t just happen, it is always connected with something else eg. medication, pregnancy, menopause, illness, stress, depression. Even someone who has been overweight since childhood will have a specific cause that is recognised and can be treated by Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM).

 

When we feel sluggish, depressed and fat we don’t have the spark to do what we need to help ourselves: - exercise, prepare good food and enjoy eating it. Any enjoyment we ever had in food is consumed by guilt. It is true that cravings generally signify that the body is missing something. TCM theory assigns different tastes to different organs and craving a certain taste shows a weakness in its corresponding organ. A craving for sweet indicates poor digestive function. A small amount of sweet nourishes the digestion but unfortunately a large amount actually damages it even further. When this channel is normalised we find small amounts to be fully satisfying.

 

As with all TCM treatments lasting results come from understanding the underlying cause of the problem. A diagnosis is made by taking a history, feeling the pulse and looking at the tongue. Treatment is directed at normalising body function, strengthening the digestion, and making you feel stronger and happier. Only then do we look at speeding up the metabolism, food and exercise because only then will it last. A TCM diet is very gentle, avoids all extremes and uses foods you already know.

 

TCM treatment consists of acupuncture, herbs, moxa, diet and exercise. However, a successful and lasting change does require commitment and some effort on your part. And, of course, this will take time. Remember, it took time to get into this state in the first place.

 

You can be slimmer, energetic, happier, have better circulation,

regular bowel movements and a healthy glow.