No-Diet Diet

This is an item that's too good to resist. After recent good news stories about the virtues of caffeine and chocolate, we now have the No-Diet Diet. Any of us who have gone through the trials of losing weight like to think that there's a magic bullet out there. But a professor at Brigham Young University has discovered that the best way to deal with cravings is to satisfy them. Steven Hawks managed to keep 50 pounds off this way. He calls his approach "intuitive eating".

As part of intuitive eating, Hawks surrounds himself with unhealthy foods he especially craves. He says having an overabundance of what's taboo helps him lose his desire to gorge.

There is a catch to this no-diet diet, however: Intuitive eaters only eat when they're hungry and stop when they're full.

That means not eating a box of chocolates when you're feeling blue or digging into a big plate of nachos just because everyone else at the table is.

The trade-off is the opportunity to eat whatever your heart desires when you are actually hungry.

My own experience was quite the opposite. I'd avoid having junk food in my home at all costs, because I know that it would somehow make its way into my belly, either by osmosis or some other metaphysical phenomenon. Everybody has their own comfort level when it comes to self-discipline. For me it was being disciplined enough not to buy unhealthy foods at the store, or not stop at fast food places. We have vending machines at work that I walk by every day. Well, not every day - I'll have a treat once in a while, but not very often. The point is, I've made a lifestyle change, but it is a change in the kinds of foods that I eat and in my awareness of calories and fat counts and things like that. What Hawks has done is sharpen his awareness of his wants and needs - to go for what he wants, but only when he needs it. That is an exercise in self-control. I think it's a very healthy approach to anything in life (well, most things), and could be a recipe for success outside of the realm of weight-loss. Very interesting. Any guinea pigs out there?