“The Grapefruit Diet is the only thing that works for me. I must have lost 20 pounds on that diet 10 times over the years.” Have you ever said something like this?
A large review study (Dansinger et al, 2005) revealed that, while fad diets do help individuals lose a modest amount of weight and keep it off for about a year, the relapse rate skyrockets from there. Most individuals regain the weight within the following year, as the long-term adherence to diets is very low, regardless of the type of diet.
So why is that? Are we all weak? Or, maybe this justifies that trying to lose weight is pointless. Also, why would Oprah lie!?
Nutrition is insanely important, but needs to be implemented correctly. An efficient metabolism is absolutely necessary for maintaining weight loss. Diets that are too strict actually slow the metabolic rate and harshly lower energy levels. So weight is lost, but typically gained right back. What’s worse is that every time the weight is lost in this way, muscle mass is lost as well. The metabolism further slows down, making it even harder to lose the weight again. Damn you Wine and Eggs Diet!
Fad diets fail because they cause mental and physical fatigue, burnout and even anger. They are simply not sustainable.
I have personally struggled with weight for most of my life. I've tried a few different diets and ultimately experienced disappointment. The real secret to losing weight and keeping it off is mindset. I know the feeling of wanting to move the scale immediately, but strict rules and intensive programs will sap our energy and set us up for failure. Instead, try to make small, but consistent, healthy choices over time rather than trying to adhere to several strict rules all at once. Clean eating can actually become very addictive, and even fun! Discovering healthy meals that you genuinely look forward to can be extremely motivating.
It’s easy to make nutrition very complicated. So for the purpose of getting started, I’m going to keep this super simple. Diets typically fail because they are too intense. To enjoy success, keep the focus on quality over quantity. Eat quality foods without worrying about the number of calories. Then, watch the magic happen.
Nutrition:
40-60%, veggies (fiber-rich).
20-30%, protein, aka eggs/meat/fish.
(sorry vegetarians, see someone else’s blog or eat a bunch of damn legumes or whatever. Okay, fine https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/protein-for-vegans-vegetarians.)
10-20% healthy fats (nuts, seeds, avocado, unheated olive oil.)
0-10% cheat (bread, sugar.)
DO NOT worry about calories. Just eat until you are full. Foods that are rich in fiber and protein inherently have lower calories and are more filling.
I recommend meal-prepping your veggies so that you have enough leftovers during the week for lunches and to throw into omelets in the morning.
A healthy lifestyle allows the body to improve muscle mass and speed up the metabolism. Energy levels are preserved and hormones become balanced. Note that the scale probably will not change for a few months. Fad diets need customers to lose a ton of weight immediately and keep gaining it back so that they can continue to sell their BS. Motivation is very important though, so try using waist circumference as your bench mark for improvement in the first few months rather than pounds lost. When you do start losing weight, remember that 1-2 pounds a week is considered healthy weight loss. Congratulations! You can now officially say goodbye to the Blood Type Diet and Lemonade Cleanse Diet and embrace a sustained healthy lifestyle.
And don't forget: You are human. Have you seen The Rock's cheat meals? It happens. Those ultimate nachos aren't going to eat themselves. Tomorrow, you get back on the horse. It's really not about how many times that you fall off the wagon; it's how many times that you get back on.
Funniest Diets list:
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