I cant help to suggest a working NBE program, but do suggest she read up on the effects of too low calories as it can actually stall weight loss. Personally I decided that MY body is MY temple and I will keep it healthy, not just skinny. And I finally managed to after decades of failure by realizing just one thing: my body follows what I do. It likes me, it adapts to my choices and I just gotta suck it up for a week or two to make a change semi-permanent.
Knowing I won't be on an emotional roller coaster indefinitely took a lot of stress out of weight loss for me. I used to look at that endless dark tunnel and quit without ever starting.
Your body adapts within days, as early as 3 days sometimes.
- smaller portions = smaller stomach within 3 to 5 days (this is why the big heaping side of salad diet backfires so bad, it stretches your stomach and makes you eat more after the diet is over)
- You crave what you are used to: the healthier you eat, the more you crave good stuff, the more junk you eat, the more junk you crave.
- Very low calories stalls your metabolism, the lower you go, the harder your body will fight to hang on to it's reserves. Your body needs to feel 'safe' in your hands, it needs to know it's gonna get enough food to at least partially replace what it uses up.
- Besides burning fat and carbs, your body can also burn tissue. Normally it only destroys damaged cells but when going too low your body will burn up your healthy muscles and tissues instead. You lose overall weight, yes, but your fat to lean mass ratio will grow more and more UNhealthy. You also wont gain muscle mass that way and more muscles = more calories burned when working out.
It's also not going to build new mammary cells out of thin air and if it burns up damaged mammary cells they wont get replaced.
- Don't "diet", instead make realistic changes. For example if you love having some wine at night, don't cut it out entirely, otherwise when you stop and go back to your old habits this will create a sudden surplus of calories. "everything in moderation" is key. Eat what you want to eat, just be aware of how much you can have to stay healthy.
- Learn not to "graze". A lot of our food we eat while grazing like mindless cows... we are not aware of everything that passes our lips. I used to be really good at that with chips. I would open a big family size bag and much during a movie and before I knew it the bag was empty! I just ate 2000 calories in less than an hour... yay me... I had to teach myself to take what I was going to have and put the rest away, out of sight, out of reach, so I would have to consciously get up to get more. Keeping a food log also made a huge difference.
So what works?
- keep your body guessing at how many calories you will ingest and/or burn today, never follow the same numbers for more than 3 days in a row.
- have a cheat day, even if it's only once a month instead of once a week. If you keep denying cravings, sooner or later you will end up binging when you do slip up. Instead take control of your cravings: you want some icecream? Have a scoop, put the rest back. If you refuse you may find yourself eating the whole tub at once a week from now. Savor your treats and cheats, roll the flavor in your mouth en enjoy every second of it.
- when creating a calorie deficit, the weekly total is what matters
- figure out your personal addiction and control it
I'm a carb addict so my fastest weight loss is going low carb. I especially love breads & potatoes sooo much and if I eat over a certain amount my body will cry and pout like a spoiled little diva brat threatening to hold her breath till she passes out if I don't keep these carbs flowing. It's harsh sometimes, but for me low carbing lets me lose weight far faster than going low calorie.
- create bigger calorie deficits either through workouts or intermittent fasting. If you really must, eat a maximum of 500 calories below your BMR, in most cases that is already cutting out a third of the energy your body needs to just plain exist...
Most importantly... keep talking to her about it. She should be smart enough to realize her current diet is interfering with things that make her happy. After all, a change in dietary habits costs nothing and doesn't come with a contract... she can try something for a week or two and just quit if it doesn't suit her.
Sorry if I rambled on a bit there... Good luck to you and your friend!
Edit:
wow I just realized this is an old thread... I got a little carried away I think, sorry!! I do hope your friend is eating healthier now.
Knowing I won't be on an emotional roller coaster indefinitely took a lot of stress out of weight loss for me. I used to look at that endless dark tunnel and quit without ever starting.
Your body adapts within days, as early as 3 days sometimes.
- smaller portions = smaller stomach within 3 to 5 days (this is why the big heaping side of salad diet backfires so bad, it stretches your stomach and makes you eat more after the diet is over)
- You crave what you are used to: the healthier you eat, the more you crave good stuff, the more junk you eat, the more junk you crave.
- Very low calories stalls your metabolism, the lower you go, the harder your body will fight to hang on to it's reserves. Your body needs to feel 'safe' in your hands, it needs to know it's gonna get enough food to at least partially replace what it uses up.
- Besides burning fat and carbs, your body can also burn tissue. Normally it only destroys damaged cells but when going too low your body will burn up your healthy muscles and tissues instead. You lose overall weight, yes, but your fat to lean mass ratio will grow more and more UNhealthy. You also wont gain muscle mass that way and more muscles = more calories burned when working out.
It's also not going to build new mammary cells out of thin air and if it burns up damaged mammary cells they wont get replaced.
- Don't "diet", instead make realistic changes. For example if you love having some wine at night, don't cut it out entirely, otherwise when you stop and go back to your old habits this will create a sudden surplus of calories. "everything in moderation" is key. Eat what you want to eat, just be aware of how much you can have to stay healthy.
- Learn not to "graze". A lot of our food we eat while grazing like mindless cows... we are not aware of everything that passes our lips. I used to be really good at that with chips. I would open a big family size bag and much during a movie and before I knew it the bag was empty! I just ate 2000 calories in less than an hour... yay me... I had to teach myself to take what I was going to have and put the rest away, out of sight, out of reach, so I would have to consciously get up to get more. Keeping a food log also made a huge difference.
So what works?
- keep your body guessing at how many calories you will ingest and/or burn today, never follow the same numbers for more than 3 days in a row.
- have a cheat day, even if it's only once a month instead of once a week. If you keep denying cravings, sooner or later you will end up binging when you do slip up. Instead take control of your cravings: you want some icecream? Have a scoop, put the rest back. If you refuse you may find yourself eating the whole tub at once a week from now. Savor your treats and cheats, roll the flavor in your mouth en enjoy every second of it.
- when creating a calorie deficit, the weekly total is what matters
- figure out your personal addiction and control it
I'm a carb addict so my fastest weight loss is going low carb. I especially love breads & potatoes sooo much and if I eat over a certain amount my body will cry and pout like a spoiled little diva brat threatening to hold her breath till she passes out if I don't keep these carbs flowing. It's harsh sometimes, but for me low carbing lets me lose weight far faster than going low calorie.
- create bigger calorie deficits either through workouts or intermittent fasting. If you really must, eat a maximum of 500 calories below your BMR, in most cases that is already cutting out a third of the energy your body needs to just plain exist...
Most importantly... keep talking to her about it. She should be smart enough to realize her current diet is interfering with things that make her happy. After all, a change in dietary habits costs nothing and doesn't come with a contract... she can try something for a week or two and just quit if it doesn't suit her.
Sorry if I rambled on a bit there... Good luck to you and your friend!
Edit:
wow I just realized this is an old thread... I got a little carried away I think, sorry!! I do hope your friend is eating healthier now.