Weight Loss Specialist
For most people trying to lose weight, finding a diet that works for them seems as difficult as rocket science. There are hundreds of weight loss diets out there. High Fat or Zero Fat, High Carb or Zero Carb, High Protein or no Protein! To make matters more difficult, there are a hundred thousand variations and combinations to these diet options which only add to the confusion of the common man or woman. A lot of people who I meet daily have tried a lot of diets and met a lot of Dietitians but the lack of results causes them to throw their hands up in frustration and often give up on their dreams to lose weight. In this article I will try and bust some myths and also attempt to give you the right advice that can go a long way in helping you form a foundation on which you can base your future weight loss judgements upon.
There are some general rules and ways of checking out a diet program that will help you to decide whether a certain diet for weight loss is the right diet for you.
There are two main ways that a diet can successfully help you lose weight:
Perseverance
Most diets for weight loss fail mainly because of a lack of long term commitment. And the numbers speaks for itself. Most people who lose weight in a short span of time also regain back the weight they lost – and sometimes even more than what they lost!
Burn More Calories
Any diet that is following the basic mantra of – burn more calories than you consume – can help you lose weight. If that is no happening then your weight loss plan will also be put on hold. To some degree all the diets work – including Atkins, no carb, low fat high carbs, Keto etc. if the “calories in calories out” formula is kept in mind.
If your goal is to lose weight quickly then keeping the above two points in mind, you can successfully lose weight over a short span of time. I always tell my clients that it is not which diet you choose but their ability to follow the diet plan to perfection that will define their weight loss success. But you may ask, “Are all diet plans equal or are some diet plans better than others?” Of course. Not all diets are equal. Some diets are healthier than others, some diets do a better job of preserving lean muscle mass, some diets do a good job of suppressing hunger and appetite. There are differences in every diet plan. But as mentioned earlier, sticking to a diet plan is the most crucial aspect for weight loss success.
What is Diet
Let us clearly define a diet. A diet is a short term strategy for losing weight. Long term weight loss on the other hand can only happen with an alteration in one’s lifestyle. As a dietician I am concerned with life-long weight management and not quick fixes. I am not very fond of the word “diet” because it is basically a temporary approach to lose weight whereas a change in lifestyle is the key thing to remember in order to be healthy for long. A lot of men and women do crash diets and go to slimming centers and diet centers which offer fast weight loss. Well, it’s actually very easy to lose weight quickly. For the next three to four months eat 12 egg whites, one apple and 4 litres of water every day. You will lose a lot of weight for sure. But will it be healthy for you? No way. Will the weight that you have lost go away forever or will it come back once you go back to your “normal” way of eating. Sorry to inform you but the weight will come back. With unbalanced weight loss regimes, you will also lose muscle mass, water and bone apart from fat. The point I am making is that there are many diet plans out there that can efficiently make you lose weight but the thing to remember is that whenever you are fishing for an eating plan that is designed to make you lose weight, you must ask yourself,
Can I follow this eating plan for a long time?
I always tell my clients that any nutrition plan that you choose in order to lose weight must be a part of a lifestyle change which you will be able to incorporate in your life and which you can easily follow for the rest of your life. If you are following a diet plan that you will not be able to continue after you reach your target weight, then it’s a worthless nutrition plan.
Which is why when you come to me, most of the fad diet plans are instantly eliminated! I create an eating plan for you which is based on your own food and dietary habits and is also built around your food preferences. Because of this, my clients stick to their diet plan for long and when combined with regular physical activity and exercise, their bodies are totally transformed. And more importantly, the weight does not yo-yo but stays off for good!
