One diet does not work for everyone, and fad diets will always come and go –

 

Believe me, I’ve tried most of them! When you decide to lose weight, I know you want immediate and noticeable results, trust me I can relate! Any fad diet will give those to you. What it won’t give you, however, is long-term sustainable weight loss success.

After you have achieved your goal weight and go off the fad diet, it’s more than likely that you will, as most people do, revert back to your old eating patterns, and the lost weight inevitably returns. Not only are you now eating those formerly forbidden foods that contain more calories, but you also require fewer calories because the severe calorie reduction of the fad diet lowered your basal metabolic rate and stripped you of some muscle along the way. If you now eat the same number of calories as you did before the fad diet, ironically, you will actually weigh more than before.

Restrictive strategies set us up for failure in the long run.

 

As a society, we have been falling victim to the diet mentality for far too long and then blame ourselves because they don’t work. It’s not your fault! ANY restrictive diet will have a yo-yo effect.

When you deprive your body of the nutrition it needs, it keeps track.

 

“The problem with severely restricting diets that is that they jolt your body into starvation mode, preventing your body from burning unwanted fat and storing more fat and calories for you to survive on. When the body can no longer get its calories from food it looks to get some of its calories from lean muscle. This results in muscle loss. Less muscle means a slower metabolic rate causing stalled weight loss or even worse weight gain.” – Dr. Mehmet Oz

So if fad diets don’t work, what are we to do? Find what works for you and your family, and don’t eat anything you don’t like, even if it’s supposed to be the next ‘wonder food.’

For weight loss to be permanent, it must be sustainable.

 

A good rule of thumb I enjoy and practice is the 90-10 rule. 90% of the time I enjoy (I honestly do) a healthy balanced meal plan and 10% of the time I indulge in whatever takes my fancy. During this 10% of indulgence, it’s important to not be so rigid and most importantly, don’t impose any guilt on yourself, simply enjoy! Great food can be one of the great joys of life. This ratio will give your body what it needs and allows you to enjoy the food you love, which is essential for a healthy diet and a healthy mindset.

Let’s be clear, a cheat meal shouldn’t turn into a cheat day or week, or include an entire pizza followed by a tub of ice-cream. We need to be careful that a cheat meal doesn’t turn into binge eating which can rapidly destroy your progress. Rather, your 10% meals should include some foods, in reasonable quantities, that might not normally fit into your plan. It’s best to schedule your 10% meals. This will keep you committed to your eating plan as well as give you something to look forward to. Remember, the goal is to add more ‘real food’ that your body recognizes and can absorb and utilize nutrients from.

It’s all about baby steps!

 

There will always be a new fad diet on the horizon tempting you with miraculous results. We need to find what works for us as individuals, and importantly what doesn’t, and take ownership of our own health. It’s time to be your healthiest you, emphasis on you, not the person you think you should be.

Remember to use your food journal, and Hara Hachi Bu as tools in your food journey.

Keep well & thanks for reading!