Crash Landing People always seem to be looking for those last minute ways to drop a few pounds. Let me tell you, crash diets are not the answer. Our brain, body, and environment fight against them. The one thread of commonality between my morbidly obese clients is that they all skip meals all day until they are absolutely starving and then binge eat at night, consuming thousands of calories. This seems to be a woman thing. Women think they can manage their weight by simply starving themselves. What people don’t know is that this pattern actually damages the metabolism permanently. It can make the metabolism slow down so much that people can’t eat what they used to because their body is set at that slower rate. Studies show that crash diets slow down the metabolism as much as 20% and cause the body to lose 1 pound of muscle to every 3 pounds of fat lost. Muscle speeds up the metabolism so it is important not to waste this valuable fat burning tissue. It is also important not fall for crazy fad diets or juice cleanses! People lose weight temporarily but fail because it is not meeting the body’s biochemical needs. The metabolism slows down when you remove fiber from fruit or vegetables, as in juice cleanses. To satisfy hunger and curb cravings, it’s necessary to stay on a healthy eating plan with the right amount of complex carbs, healthy fats, and lean free range proteins or healthy fish, and whole fruits and veggies. Deprivation does not work. When the body is deprived of nutrients-food rich in vitamins and fiber, the brain is triggered to crave sugar like white breads, pasta and sweets. Say no to crash dieting and yes to long-term health and beauty