The Secret to Weight Loss
Almost all of us have, at one time or another, wanted to lose some weight, right?
With all of the advances in science and technology, there should be a brilliant solution to the big problem by now, right?
So what's the secret?
The bad news is that there isn't one magic formula or any one-size-fits-all solution. But the good news is that there are five not-so-secret secrets to weight loss that can tip the scales in your favour.
1. LIFESTYLE NOT DIET
I don't know about you, but to me diets represent restriction, hunger and general misery.
The number one secret to long-term weight loss success is to choose a diet that doesn't FEEL like a diet.
I'm not suggesting you choose eating chocolate cake all day as your weight loss solution, but I am suggesting that you choose a healthy way of eating that gives you enjoyment, fulfilment AND helps you lose weight.
It should be a lifestyle that you choose, not a punishment that you impose.
2. SUSTAINABILITY
The lifestyle-not-diet you choose should be something you can sustain for the long haul.
Sadly, weight loss is not easy and there's no quick fix. You need to be able to follow a certain way of eating on a long-term basis - ideally for the rest of your life!
Any diet that is a huge hassle and makes everyday life that much harder is doomed to failure. You may start off motivated, but if you're not able to eat out at a restaurant or attend dinner parties, how long will that motivation last?
How motivated are you when you're hungry, tired and crabby?
3. AVOID CRASH DIETS
Any diet that deprives your body of your daily caloric requirement works.
When you restrict yourself to a juice diet, a cabbage soup diet, a cotton ball and orange juice diet or any of these other popular nutrition torture devices, you WILL lose weight.
But that weight loss is a product of temporary starvation and water loss, and it will come back - with interest.
Your body is pretty clever, actually. It soon realises proper nutrition is not guaranteed, so it quickly adapts to store energy differently to protect itself from future periods of nutritional deprivation.
Guess what that leads to? More difficulty losing weight the next time you try!
4. EVIDENCE-BASED EATING
Many of the diets out there have been scientifically proven to work.
You can achieve the same type of sustained weight loss and improvement in blood pressure, blood sugar and heart-health markers with whichever of these diets you choose, EVEN IF THEY CONTRADICT EACH OTHER!
Yes, you read that right. Low carb diets work. So do low fat diets. So do very low calorie diets. So does intermittent fasting.
But there are many more diets out there that have absolutely no scientific evidence to support them, or which have actually been proven to have negative health effects.
That's what Dietitians are for - helping you wade through all of the diet options flying around in popular culture and sort the fact from the fiction, the real from the fake.
5. CHOOSE WHAT WORKS FOR YOU
Of the evidence-based diets, there is no BEST one or RIGHT one. There is only the one that is right for you.
Everyone is different. Every body responds differently. We all have individual preferences and lifestyles.
So how do you choose the dietary lifestyle that will work for you?
Firstly, choose one and stick to it. Mixing and matching different evidence-based diets is not going to work.
Choose the one that:
suits your lifestyle and your preferences
makes you feel full of energy and satiated (not hungry)
gives you eating pleasure
its easily into your schedule and family life
you can sustain on the long-term
gives you real and sustained weight loss results
So what's the secret to weight loss? Choosing an evidence-based eating lifestyle that you can actually enjoy and could stick to for life.
Easier said than done, I hear you grumble. Believe me, I know. So visit me or any other Registered Dietitian to give you all the facts and take the guess work out of weight loss.
Together, we can find the pathway that works for you. I found mine and I've never looked back. And if you want to find yours, contact me to book an appointment.
Or share this post with friends who might still be searching.