The most common New Year’s Resolution is weight loss. Who doesn’t want to shed a few pounds? It’s very common and normal to want to lose weight but the method you choose is imperative to your success.
First off, “diet” is a vague term, but the most common connotation is a temporary, highly restrictive way of eating in order to lose weight. There are many common “diets” out there: Weight Watchers, Jenny Craig, Atkins, etc. while these companies claim to fame is that they will help you lose weight quick that isn’t always the healthiest option.
Psychology Today informs us that 95% of dieters gain back the weight (and then some) in one to five years. Gaining weight in a short amount of time is unhealthy because the efforts you take are unlikely to be maintained as a lifestyle.
Although it may sound disheartening, the safest way to lose weight is to lose 1-2 pounds per week. This can be achieved by burning 500 more calories than you eat daily. To go any further could be detrimental to your health and put you at risk for further weight gain in fact. Losing weight quickly usually makes you lose water weight or lean tissue, as opposed to fat, which will be burned off in a more moderate “diet”
Several diets lack valuable nutrients. Once you’re done with your fad diet most people boomerang back to the days of unhealthy living.
I have found that the most common form of “dieting” is not dieting, but a lifestyle change. I have read a lot in regards to the “Palio Diet” which is not really a diet but a lifestyle change. It reinforces the healthy live styles of our ancestors of thousands of years ago. Has anyone ever seen an obese caveman? I’d argue no. This lifestyle emphasizes lean proteins and plants. No bread..and absolutely nothing processed (sugars, alcohol) while this may seem strict and cause your body to crave what it cannot have, if you don’t go cold turkey it can be a beneficial lifestyle change as opposed to a diet.
http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/changepower/201010/why-diets-dont-workand-what-does
http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-living/weight-loss/expert-answers/fast-weight-loss/faq-20058289
I think what a lot of people don’t realize when they are going on diets is that it is a lot more than just eating certain foods. It really does become a lifestyle change for anyone who is trying to loose weight and keep it off. In addition to eating well, exercise needs to be added in to the equation in order to keep one healthy. Sometimes it isn’t all about the number on the scale but instead the actual health of the person.