Weight loss is no easy feat, whilst it is definitely achievable it can be tough.
The key to sustained weight loss is patience.
Rapid weight loss often results in rebound weight gain and can see you stacking on many more kilos than you began with!
There are a few things I would like to address about dieting, in particular a nutritionist's nightmare, the FAD diet;
- There is NO such thing as 'quick fix'; weight loss requires commitment, motivation and knowledge.
- There is NO magic, wonder pill ready to blast the fat off
- Eating in 'cycles' or stages will do nothing more than cause your body to store more fat! - it will revert back to stone age feast and famine programming. (think of the diets ordering strict cleansing or detoxing followed by refueling/ re feeding stages - this is yo-yo dieting at its best).
- Diets restricting you to lists of foods, groups of foods or cutting out whole nutrient groups (such as, dairy or carbohydrates) should also be avoided. - these become boring and aren't sustainable long term or are in actual fact causing more harm than good! (especially in the case of removing dairy from your diet!)
- Look out for the QUACKS these "Doctors" with many decades of experience are often not associated with any medical qualification or nutrition knowledge. (in fact here is a great link to check up on your latest FAD diet author and see if they've made the cut onto the quackery list! You will notice The Atkins, The Zone and The Blood type diet feature.)
- Many FAD diets will often be based on single complex studies and draw simplistic recommendations, they may also be based on studies that haven't been reviewed by other researchers, and will most certainly ignore contradictory results from other studies!
- Finally, the most obvious sign you are embarking on a FAD diet is one requiring you to purchase a product to partake, I'm talking; meals, pills, supplements, hormones, drinks. You name it, they'll sell it..
It is important to remember that food and dieting does not come with a 'one size fits all' answer. Successful weight management is about eating a wide variety of nutrient dense foods, and knowing how these foods contribute to your energy intake as a whole and balancing it against your energy output.
Weight loss requires a combined approach, firstly you need the motivation and commitment to make changes. Secondly you need dietary knowledge and support to make the right changes and finally, successful weight loss requires exercise.
Acquiring the correct dietary knowledge and knowing how to apply it can often be confusing and at times overwhelming. Its about making small but significant changes to your eating habits and lifestyle.
So for 2012 I urge you to purge your bookshelves, night stands and coffee tables of dieting books promising rapid weight loss and claims that are well...just too good to be true!
Wishing you all a happy and healthy New Year.
Jessica.
