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The word diet seems to be all about weight loss these days. In actual fact the word diet simply means what foods you eat on a daily basis. However, taking the concept that most people seem to believe that diets are in fact all about weight loss…lets have a think about why DIETS DO NOT WORK, or at least not in the long term anyways!

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The overall aim of any given diet is to lose weight. While this may initially workout in the short term, what happens when you resume normal eating habits again? Correct…the weight simply comes right back! Here is where you generally get stuck in a yoyo dieting trap; lose weight, gain weight, lose weight, gain weight…

Here's the surprising thing: when you take really good care of your body by eating nutritious, healthful foods in moderation, you naturally lose weight and keep the weight off. Permanent weight loss requires permanent lifestyle changes, not dieting! It's a lifelong commitment. When you really get this, and when you realise just how easy it is to make permanent lifestyle changes, you free yourself from the endless cycle of dieting for good.

 

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Ever heard of the Atkins diet? The paleo diet? The caveman diet? These primarily reduce or eliminate the intake of carbohydrates (silly as this is the body’s preferred source of energy). There are also other diets out there which reduce fats, dairy and even fruit! Guess what?! Your body needs nutrition from ALL these sources to function properly.

If you really want to eliminate foods from your diet, how about refined, processed, junk food? Eliminating these entirely isn’t needed but reducing them is always a good idea. To lose weight permanently, you don't have to eliminate whole groups of food or macronutrients from your diet. You simply need to eat a balanced diet that includes foods from all groups. That way your body gets all of the nutrition it needs to come back into a state of balance - i.e. a healthy weight!

 

 

 

Have you heard of shakes, meal replacement bars or even juice cleanses instead of real food? These products are really popular on some diets and it's no surprise why: they're really convenient! However, the problem with most of these products are that they are not nutritious at all. Usually they are filled with sugar, artificial sweeteners and highly processed ingredients. The funny thing is that actually eating a simple, light meal would provide the same calories but with more nutrients and would more than likely be more satisfying. Ok so there may be a little more time involved in preparing this meal but it doesn’t have to require a lot of effort. Plan ahead, make left overs which can be frozen and used later in the week and keep your fridge stocked with healthy, fresh foods.

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Drastically reducing our calories can cause some immediate detrimental effects on our body. By restricting our food intake, we are preventing our body working optimally including pumping our heart, circulating our blood and repairing itself all whilst going out our normal daily activity. What happens if we continue to restrict whilst also trying to exercise? Well not only do we break down some of our fat reserves but also our muscles. Losing this muscle can slow down our metabolism which results in weight gain and difficulty maintaining a healthy weight long term.

Instead…eat MORE food, but make most of it naturally low-calorie such as wholegrains, lean proteins, fruits, vegetables and healthy forms of fats like avocados and olive oil.

 

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Diets are usually filled with rules and restrictions about what you CAN’T have! This is definitely not sustainable for the long term. These feelings of deprivation usually lead to you thinking only about that particular food and makes you crave it more. Diets which cut out certain ‘treat’ foods generally make us want it more. They can also give you the mentality that if you had it when you were not supposed to then you may think, “I’ve messed up now and so I may as well eat the whole pack…”. All this probably would not have happened if certain foods were not banned in the first place. A truly healthy weight loss plan won't be filled with tons of restrictions and rules you need to follow. Instead, you will learn how to make wiser decisions so you are eating healthier most of the time, while still allowing a few moderate treats here and there.

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Before beginning a brand-new diet, you probably envision yourself sticking to it 100% and that you will manage to give up all your favourite foods. But the reality is, when you start that diet its not as easy or as sustainable as you once thought. You deal with constant cravings, feel awkward about eating out socially, and cross your fingers every time you step on the scale. Who wants to live like that? Diets aren't meant to be followed forever. They're geared to help you lose weight in the shortest amount of time possible, but eventually you must return to normal eating. However, if "normal eating" for you means poor habits, you'll most probably gain the weight back quickly.

So how can we counteract this? Start by focusing on the long term, the bigger picture, your future goals. Where would you like to be a few years from now? Try not to think solely on weight gain but more about how your health would be improved if you were to lose weight. The best thing you can do to break out of the diet trap for good is educate yourself on healthy lifestyle changes, and start putting them into practice day by day. Within a very short period of time you'll not only realise how much easier and sustainable they are compared to diets, you'll notice that they really WORK to help you lose weight and keep it off.

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What is the main focus of any diet? More than likely weight loss rather than addressing any emotional eating habits or disordered eating patterns. When it comes down to it, diets do not focus on WHY you gained weight in the first place. Figuring out these root causes can be as simple as thinking it through. Most often the causes will be habits, emotions and/or beliefs. Either you have some bad habits that need to be changed like mindlessly snacking in the evening; you eat for emotional reasons such as when you are sad or bored; or you have some limiting beliefs that are prevent you from making these changes e.g. ‘My whole family are overweight, so I will always be too.’ Rather than focus on taking certain foods out, try and think about what you can add in to make you feel your very best!

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One day at a time, one change at a time, you can choose a healthy, sustainable lifestyle and never diet again!

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