recovering from a diet

Question
Hi,
I have just finished being on a diet (I've reachet my ideal weight) but I'm afraid to start eating regularly again because I heard about the so-called starvation mode. I was told that when you go on a pretty strict diet, your body goes into starvation mode and when you start eating again, your body takes everything you put in your mouth and stores it as fat. Is it true? If I am 115 pounds and 5 ft 6, what is an ideal nutrition I should be recieving? I also have another problem. Since I oficially stopped my diet, I seem to have lost the control I had over my eating. Often I find myself eating just because I'm bored and I can't stop. Then, I am overcome by this horrible sense of guilt and I really hate it. Because of my diet, I have become very aware of the number of calories in foods, their fat etc. and have kind of been obsessing about it. How can I make sure I eat healthyly and not eccessively without having to continually think about calories and counting in my head? I really would like to be able to relax and just ease myself into a new diet without gaining nor loosing weight (and maybe even allowing myself a couple splurges a week). Could you tell me how to structure a meal plan that will allow me to do all this? I know it is a lot of info and I really appreciate any help you can give me. Thank you so much,
Kate

Answer
Hello Kate!

   Thank you for your great nutrition questions. Many people tend to put the weight back on after being on a strict diet. Being on a diet means you only make a temporary change in your eating habits. The key to keeping the weight off is making lifestyle changes that you can live with.  This means to learn to eat healthy for life and stay physically active daily.   
   One recommendation that I would give you is create an daily healthy eating plan that includes foods that you enjoy along with the correct calorie intake.  You can now create this eating plan online at wwww.mypyramid.gov  When you get to the site just enter your age and activity level and it will create an eating plan specifically for your weight needs.  
   Eating out of boredom happens when we try to heal an emotion with food.  There are several ways to avoid doing this.  For example, try eating small frequent meals throughout your day instead of waiting too long between meals. Try keeping healthy snacks such as low fat yogurt handy.   Other tips include calling a friend, listening to music, walking your dog, reading, exercise, or finding an alternative activity you enjoy other then eating.  
   Since you are trying to keep at a healthy weight there is also a great supplement on my website called Juice Plus that can also help. It is made from fresh fruits and vegetables.  The website to learn more about it is www.juiceblend.com  Let me know if you have more questions.

-George Rapitis, Nutritionist

1. Prev:overeating
2. Next:Want to eat healthy, but hate to cook!