FAMILY & CHILDREN'S COUNSELING SERVICES, INC.
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Bingeing, Skipping Meals and Diet Pills

In order to understand the short and long-term impact of bingeing, skipping meals, using diet pills and/or going on and off restrictive diets, we must first understand how our bodies respond to calories- or the lack thereof. 
 
Our bodies are designed to ensure survival during times of famine.  To do this, our bodies store up calories that may be needed later when food supplies, and therefore calories, are low.  While we do not experience the same type of famine today that our ancestors once did, we can provide our bodies with the modern day equivalent of a famine: the infamous “diet,” otherwise known as self-inflicted food deprivation. 

Our bodies, not knowing the difference between involuntary starvation and voluntary caloric restriction, believe there is a famine and go into survival mode. 
As such, our bodies go to great lengths to hold on to every calorie by  sending “storage mode” signals to fat cells and by slowing our metabolism so we burn even fewer calories than before. 

Additionally, our bodies know that muscle burns more calories than fat does, and in its sophisticated and stubborn attempts at ensuring our survival, the body will consume muscle mass for fuel so that precious stored (fat) calories do not need to be burned.  This results in a loss of muscle and an even slower metabolism.

 
As if all of this news wasn’t bad enough, there’s more.  Once the famine/diet is over and we return to our old eating habits, our bodies don’t return to their old fat burning habits.  Our metabolisms don’t automatically speed up again just because we have resumed consumption of a calorie rich diet.  The body has learned its lesson- there are famines out there and it’s all about survival.  This is why it is easier to gain the weight back after a diet than it was to gain it the first time around.  The body has been put into calorie storage (a.k.a., fat) mode. 

If you are like most people, you have been on several calorie restricting diets over the years.  Don’t panic!  There is a solution to this madness. 

 
Fuel Up

Just as the car is designed to function with gasoline and the computer is designed to function with electricity, our bodies are designed to function with nutrients derived from food.  We must feed our bodies the nutrients they need if we expect them to function at peak level.  If we do not give our bodies the proper nutrients in sufficient quantities, our bodies will not be able to fight off illness, recover from a workout, supply our brains with “brain power,” or burn fat.  This means we will not see the results we are working so hard for. 

 
However, supplying our bodies with the proper nutrients will boost our energy level, speed our workout recovery time, reduce illness, aid in fat loss, and help to increase the metabolic rate.
 
If You Are Still Not Convinced

Skipping meals and/or starving yourself can lead to strong cravings, especially for sweets, because your body is calling out for a shot of quick energy that is found in simple carbohydrates like sugar.  In addition, you may overcompensate for your hunger by eating a larger portion than you would have, had you not allowed your body to get so hungry in the first place.  

See our 21 Days of Oatmeal to get some tasty ideas for satisfying carbs.

Pill Ills
Thinking of using a supplement to curb those cravings?  You’re not alone.  Diet pills, fat blockers, and appetite suppressants can be overwhelmingly enticing to many would-be dieters.  Advertisers use emotion to sell their products; and they know that hope is a strong emotion.  They want you to believe that a pill will solve your problems and answer your prayers. 

 
The truth is, using these products will not only make you vulnerable to missing out on much needed nutrients, but will also put you in jeopardy of potential sleep disturbances, psychological dependence, allergic reactions, dangerous interactions with other medications, depression, mental illness, heart disease, kidney disease, epilepsy, high blood pressure, irritability, diabetes, and a host of other medical and psychological problems.
 
Is it worth the risk? Decide whether or not you are willing to put your body into “starvation mode” ever again.

Reclaim your power to make the best decision for you and your body.


Back to LifeStyle Guide

This information should not serve as a replacement for therapy.  Please visit the Can Therapy Help Me page for more information if you think you may have an eating disorder, or should require individualized help.
​

​530-518-1406
​

California LMFT license number 102308.  Oklahoma LMFT license number 1153.  North Carolina LMFT license pending.  FCCS is a California LMFT Corporation owned and directed by Melinda Haynes, MA, LMFT.  The persons depicted on this site are models.  Photos do not represent or guarantee results.  Contact for service areas.
​

HELPING FAMILIES HEAL, PLAY AND LOVE!


Hours

M-F: 9am - 6pm
​AND BY APPOINTMENT

Telephone

530-518-1406

Email

info@healplaylove.org
  • Home
    • Crisis Information
    • Can Therapy Help Me?
    • Can Therapy Help My Child?
    • Help! My Kids Have Been Taken by CPS >
      • California CSD
    • Consumer Privacy HIPAA
    • Privacy Policy
  • About
    • Meet Us
    • As Seen On
    • Trauma-Informed >
      • Attachment Trauma Recovery >
        • Origins of Attachment Trauma
        • Signs of Attachment Trauma in Adults and Children
        • Therapy for Attachment Trauma
    • Mission Vision Philosophy
    • Values
    • Types of Therapy >
      • Cognitive-Behavioral (CBT)
      • Play Therapy
      • Play Therapy for Adults
      • Parent-Child Therpay
      • Experiential Therapy
      • REBT
      • HSP
      • School Based Family Counseling >
        • For Schools and Districts- PBIS Partners
      • E-Motion >
        • Movement- Stored Trauma Therapy
      • Mindfulness
  • Services
    • Therapy or Counseling >
      • Online Therapy
      • Family Therapy
      • Child Therapy
      • Teen Therapy
      • Christian Counseling >
        • Myth of Self Esteem
        • Infidelity and Abuse in Christian Marriage
      • Reunification Therapy
      • Foster /Kinship
      • Post-Adoption
      • Family Maintenance
      • EPIC Family
    • Supervised Visitation >
      • Getting Started
      • California Supervised Visitation >
        • Supervised Visitation in Chico, California
        • Supervised Visitation in Redding, California
        • Supervised Visitation in Red Bluff, California
        • Supervised Visitation in Fairfield, California
      • Facilitated Visitation
      • Monitored Exchange
    • Family Preservation
    • Kids Behavior Coaching
    • Daycare / School- Based Services
    • Associate Clinical Supervision
    • Groups
    • Workshops
    • Online Learning Center >
      • Become a Supervised Visitation Monitor
    • PBIS Partners >
      • Why Do We Have Empty Chairs?
      • Signs A Student May Benefit
      • Why Should My School Collaborate with FCCS?
      • School-Based Services May Include
  • Insurance / Fees
  • Helpful Links
    • Recommended Reading
    • Community Services >
      • Community Services- Butte County California
    • Places to Go- Family Fun >
      • Places to Go in California >
        • Places to Go in Butte County California
        • Places to Go in Shasta County California
        • Places to Go in Fairfield, California
        • Places to Go Suisun City, California
      • Places to Go in North Carolina >
        • Places to Go in Cabarrus County North Carolina
        • Places to Go in New Hanover County North Carolina
    • Weight Management >
      • Why We Develop Bad Habits
      • Diets Don't Work
      • Mapping Out Success
      • Journaling
      • Making New Habits
      • Creating Staying Power
    • Can We Talk?
    • Life On Their Terms >
      • Is My Partner Abusive?
      • The Cycle of Violence
      • Dangers of Staying
      • Healing From an Abusive Relationship
    • What is a Treatment Plan?
    • Of Caterpillars and Courage
    • Helping Kids Feel Safe in a Scary World
    • LifeStyle Wellbeing- Creating a New You
  • Locations
    • California >
      • Chico
      • Redding
      • Fairfield
    • Oklahoma
    • North Carolina
  • Contact
    • Career Center >
      • We Help You Build Your Private Practice
      • Taking Applications for Therapist Associate
      • Now Hiring Online Therapist
      • Now Hiring Community- Based Therapist
      • Now Hiring Family Monitor
      • Now Hiring Clinical Supervisor