My struggle
When I was a model, I wanted to be slimmer.
At the age of eighteen my first diet ultimately led to a battle with eating disorders that lasted for years. I was either on a diet or I was eating too much, which resulted in the familiar yo-yo effect. I sought help with conventional nutritionists, but that also ended badly. The plan that they recommended for me to help me maintain my weight (I didn’t even want to lose weight because I was truly fed up) wasn’t feasible for me. The diet was based on counting calories and it was imperative that I avoid fats. I was constantly hungry and craving food. Moreover, I became irritable from counting so much. The result of all those limitations and pent-up cravings were ‘binges’ that had me craving just one thing ‘fast carbohydrates’: bread, cake, breakfast sweet rolls, French fries… The binges resulted in spikes in my blood sugar level, which in turn sent my hormones into overdrive. I was caught in a vicious circle and imprisoned in an addictive web of fast carbohydrates.
I felt terrible because I couldn’t stick to the specified daily amount of calories that was deemed ‘normal’ for someone of my weight and age. The problem must have been me. The problem must have been my willpower or more accurately, my lack of willpower. Conventional nutritional theories had, in any case, succeeded in firmly placing the burden of guilt on me.
Down with diets, I hate diets.
Thus began my search for an alternative way of eating. What went wrong? The human being is ultimately made to consume food, although something more substantial than a leaf of lettuce or an apple. I delved into themes like: how does your brain react to food, how does your body react to food. I still devour books and international scientific studies on food and the human body.
When I changed my eating habits, all my problems seemed to melt away. I can only say: I eat far more than I used to, a much wider variety of foods, more fat, never ‘diet products’, I don’t count calories (that’s outdated), I enjoy a glass of wine and I eat until I’m full with every meal. I’m free to indulge, without feeling guilty and without gaining a single ounce…
Read below for the theory and how to get started.
'It’s not particularly difficult or special. I don’t have any secrets. Everyone can do it. It’s a very natural way of eating and that’s why it feels so right.'
