Traditional fast weight loss diets don't work -- here's why...
WHY FAST WEIGHT LOSS DIETS FAIL
When you go on a fast weight loss diet (by simply lowering your calories), your brain - in an act of self-defense against perceived starvation - signals your body that you need more food (you get hungry)...and lowers your metabolism, making it easier for you to store more fat. Both actions make it virtually impossible to lose bodyfat and reach your dieting goals.
With each repeated cycle of attempted fast weight loss dieting, it takes longer to lose weight and it comes back quicker. What's more, you are likely to accumulate extra fat pounds each time.
Important: Taking off weight isn't the main problem -- keeping it off is. Despite the best nutrition, exercise regimens and fast weight loss diet plans in the world, 90% of dieters regain one- to two- thirds of lost weight within one year and almost all of it within five years.
Getting out of the fast weight loss diet mode requires that you accept that obesity is a complex problem that requires a multi-pronged solution. Being very overweight is not a result of a lack of will-power or discipline. So stop beating yourself up for your size and stop deluding yourself that you won't wake up hungry tomorrow. You will, because your brain sabotages your best efforts at psychological control and makes it impossible to resist cravings.
Also recognize that constant dieting can perpetuate your weight problem by adversely affecting your metabolism.
THE FAST WEIGHT LOSS DIET SOLUTION
A chronic overweight problem can only be managed, never cured. To keep your weight in "remission," you must be constantly vigilant, eating healthfully and exercising regularly.
A HEALTHY EATING PLAN
Here's how to start on a healthy eating plan for life...
1. STOP OBSESSING OVER YOUR WEIGHT AND YOUR APPETITE. Rather than keeping you "in control," mental preoccupation with dieting is practically guaranteed to keep you overweight because you're constantly thinking of food. 2. ADHERE TO THE FOLLOWING EATING GUIDELINES 5-6 days per week eat 50% of your calories from protein sources, 30-40% from healthy fats, and only 10-20% from carbohydrates.
People that are overweight need to reduce their carbohydrate intake the majority of the time and eat mostly "fibrous" carbohydrates (brocolli, cauliflower, brussels sprouts, kale, spinach, you get the picture) along with fruits that are "tart" in taste such as apples, grapefruit, raspberries, and blueberries, to name a few.
Next, you need to up your "good" fat intake to 30-40% of your daily calories. Many dieters have a hard time eating this much fat reasoning it's not possible to lose fat by eating this much fat.
It's not only possible but almost certain you will. Because of your lowered carbohydrate intake you are literally forcing your body to burn fat as fuel instead of the carbohydrates it prefers.
1-2 days per week eat 70% of your calories from carbohydrates, 20% from protein sources, and only 10% from fats.
Eating this way 1-2 days out of the week can help you lose fat even quicker than if you stayed on the high protein, high fat, low-carb approach indefinitely.
Without getting too complicated into the reasons why, I'll just say that your primary fat-burning hormones are optimized when you occasionally add higher calorie, higher carbohydrate (and lower fat) days into your dieting program. I usually tell my clients to eat this way every 3rd or 4th day. Also, try and eat about 50% more calories on these days than you normally do [that's right...eat more food on these days -- yum!].
The most important point to remember (on these 1-2 days only) is to KEEP YOUR FAT INTAKE LOW. If you don't then this eating technique might backfire on you.
The best part about these high-carb days is you can eat a lot of your favorite foods AND STILL LOSE FAT. Bread, jelly, low-fat frozen yogurt, low-fat sorbets, spaghetti, oatmeal mixed with a small amount of protein powder (my personal favorite), rice are all acceptable - but only on these 1-2 days of the week.
This alternating way of eating can easily be applied for life. Because you're not depriving yourself on a long-term basis, you will less likely succumb to the dreariness of traditional dieting.
3. DON'T SKIP MEALS
Not eating at regular intervals is a foolproof way to get fat - it convinces your body you're starving and need to conserve fat. This doesn't give you a license to pig out at each meal however. You need to practice portion control if your efforts at losing fat and weight are to be successful.
4. DON'T EAT TOO FEW CALORIES
Almost as bad as eating too many, when you go on a very low-calorie diet, your body starts to break down muscle tissue to use for energy so it dcoesn't have to dip into its fat stores (the last thing it wants to do). You'll lose weight, but you'll lose muscle as well as fat, which means that after your diet you'll end up with a higher percentage of body fat to muscle mass. That will make your metabolism slow even more.
5. START OR CONTINUE AN EXERCISE PROGRAM
In order for this eating program to work best you're going to have to exercise such that your preferred muscle fuel (glycogen - stored carbohydrate) is depleted. The best way to do that is by moderate amounts of weight training and specific, high-intensity forms of cardiovascular exercise.
Remember, weight-training is the only form of exercise that can actually change the way your body looks. Most other forms of exercise only reduce your overall size but keep your starting "shape" the same. Cardiovascular-only training will shrink a "pear-shaped" persons size, but will not change their overall "pear-shape".
In addition, weight-training can help you speed up your metabolism which can quicken the rate at which you burn off fat, and help you ward off osteoporosis as you age.
IMPORTANT: Unless you are willing to exercise regularly, you will not succeed in permanently keeping weight off.
IN SUMMARY:
* Don't Obsess Over Your Weight and Appetite * Adhere To My Recommended Eating Guidelines * Don't Skip Meals * Don't Eat Too Few Calories * Start or Continue an Exercise Program
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