I Can't Believe I Almost Died From Dieting

My name is Lisa and I was morbidly obese my entire life until I decided to get gastric bypass surgery when I was 40 years old. Although the surgery helped me lose about 100 pounds, my life changed in other ways that I could never have imagined...

Our unhealthy society

So what happened? I was a healthy, fit person who died because of my diet. How could that have happened? What's wrong with society today? Well, in short: everything. What you eat and how much of it you eat should be governed by your body and its needs, not by ads for energy drinks or weight-loss pills. But we live in a world where food is used as an emotional crutch instead of as fuel for our bodies. Most people turn to food when they are sad, happy, bored or celebrating something (hint: these aren't times to eat). We tend to always want more than we need, which is why so many overweight people can down huge bowls of popcorn at a movie theater or even an entire cake for their birthday.

The real problem: hormones and metabolism

Hormones and metabolism are important to understand when it comes to successful weight loss because they determine how our bodies handle food. Our hormones determine if we're hungry or full, what our cravings are like, and a host of other physiological factors that influence weight gain. Research has shown that people with high levels of leptin (the hormone responsible for regulating metabolism) generally have lower body weights than those with low levels of leptin. However, both obese and lean individuals with elevated leptin levels tend to gain more weight over time—so even though high levels are good for us, it's possible for us to still be in trouble if we don't know how to properly control our diets.

My eating disorder affects my mood, sleep and energy

It also might be affecting my heart. A healthy diet is essential to a happy, healthy life. However, as anyone who has suffered from an eating disorder can tell you, following a healthy diet can be difficult when you’re ill. Here are some guidelines for staying in shape and boosting your health while battling an eating disorder.

Losing weight won’t make you happy

There are a lot of misconceptions about weight loss. A lot of people think that once they shed some pounds, they’ll suddenly be happy with their lives and everything will magically start going well for them. The truth is that weight loss doesn’t solve anything—it’s just one more change to make in your life. Once you lose weight, you’ll need to figure out what else needs fixing, because odds are it isn’t just your waistline.

Why crash dieting is so unhealthy

We’ve been taught that crash dieting is a healthy way to lose weight. While crash dieting may be effective in losing weight, it is completely unhealthy and can even lead to death. People don’t always realize how severe of an impact crash dieting has on their health or how many pounds they will gain when they regain their normal eating habits. Studies have found that up to half of people who lose large amounts of weight will put back on nearly half of those pounds within one year!

Skipping meals decreases your metabolism

Skipping meals is a bad idea for several reasons, but one of them is metabolism. Your metabolism will drop when you skip meals and eat less than you normally would. When that happens, your body starts to store calories as fat. So while it might seem like skipping a meal helps you lose weight fast, it actually sets you up for failure by slowing down your metabolism.

Eat whole foods as close to nature as possible

Processed foods are loaded with sodium, artificial ingredients, refined sugars and fat. They’re also devoid of fiber and crucial vitamins like A, C and E. Eating whole foods gives your body more nutrients to help heal itself from an illness or prevent one in the first place. It’s a known fact that diet plays a huge role in preventing and healing chronic conditions such as heart disease, cancer and diabetes. If you want to live longer – don’t eat processed food!

Get active - walking 20 minutes burns 100 calories

We all know that being active is a great way to drop some weight. But how many of us know exactly how much activity it takes to burn off a certain amount of calories? A 20-minute walk can take 100 calories from your daily intake. Start by adding just one extra 30-minute walk per day. Even if you think you’re too busy for exercise, remember that small changes can make big differences!

Sleep well, it helps your body regulate hormones

Scientists have long known that sleep impacts hormones, metabolism and immune function. A 2013 study found that individuals who don’t get enough sleep have a reduced sensitivity to leptin, a hormone produced by fat cells. The researchers suggested that chronic sleep deprivation could make it more difficult for people to maintain a healthy weight.