A Guide to Picking the Right Weight Loss Diet for You!
I’m going to start this post with a sweeping statement.
All diets work.
That’s right, you heard me
ALL DIETS WORK!
This isn’t some shameful excuse of an article in which I try to sell you my best diet plan or some secret way of ditching the belly fat in 4 weeks.
This is to point out that there’s something inherently wrong with the diet industry, mainly the weight loss industry, in that it preys upon people not wanting long term, lasting results but would rather focus on the short term, quick fix solution that has a ‘’secret’’ to it.
Because it sells.
Here’s my ‘’secret’’.
There is no secret.
It’s been hiding in plain sight the entire time.
Dieting, weight loss and fat loss is all about one thing.
Calories.
Your ability to sit in a calorie deficit for a sustained period of time is what actually brings about results, not what kind of incredibly restrictive routine Dr.X has got you on this time.
I’ve seen it time and time again and will no doubt continue to see it more and more.
The snake oil salesman that will sell you on their latest and greatest invention to the world of weight loss, the new and improved dieting secret that no one has ever told you or thought about.
The reality is, it’s just another way to get you in to a calorie deficit.
And more so, it’s probably a very large one.
You see it doesn’t matter what way you want to dress it up.
Anything that actively encourages weight loss is down to calories.
The simple saying of ‘’eat less and move more’’ is absolutely crucial to understanding why you’re losing weight.
It ISN’T down to the voodoo they claim, it’s simply restricting your calories that makes this happen.
Let’s take a look at some of the more popular diets and how they go about creating that deficit.
Low carb/keto – A heavy restriction on carbohydrates means you automatically remove a shed load of calories.
The fact that you fill up on whole, unprocessed foods prevents too much overeating and keeps you in a calorie deficit for a longer period of time.
Intermittent Fasting – Essentially removes one or two meals in a day, therefore removing the calorie load of that/those meals.
As long as you have a decent handle on your appetite this will work, for so long.
Paleo Diet/Whole foods/Clean eating – This diet creates the calorie deficit by reprimanding you for eating ‘’unclean’’ (BIG SIGH) food.
By sticking to whole, natural unprocessed foods you are actually focusing on food volume (something I talk about a lot in dieting terms) for your calories.
So whilst you believe you’re ‘’eating more than ever’’ you’re just eating food that is low in calories for the amount you can actually eat.
Cleanses and Shake Diets – You can put whatever name you want to these. Normally involved in pyramid selling and promoting ‘’healthy ways to lose weight’’, these diets are quite obvious in how they promote weight loss.
They remove massive chunks of calories by swapping out meals for low calorie shakes, it has nothing to do with their magical ingredients, it’s calorie magic.
That is just a few of the more popular diets that seem to rear their head at any given moment in the weight loss market, and will likely never go away.
They all create a calorie deficit, therefore inducing weight loss/fat loss.
So if they all work on the same merit, how do you know what one is right for you?
The answer is elementary my dear Watson.
It’s the one you can consistently adhere to for the longest time.
And when I say longest time, I mean life.
You shouldn’t be picking a diet based upon the sales pitch.
You should be picking a diet upon what you think will work for you AROUND your lifestyle.
NOT the other way around.
There is no way that the new slimming tea or special fat burner protocol will work for you long term if it means you are eating absolutely sod all every day.
There is a tolerable limit of which we can all diet.
People who have relatively inactive lifestyles will find it far easier to go lower calorie than people who have active jobs or exercise multiple times in a week.
This is all about you, what you can work in to and around your lifestyle to make the changes you want to see happen.
The problem being, with most diet trends, is that at some point it stops working.
For whatever reason, as hard as you work at something, the weight loss stops.
It happens to everyone at some stage, and it can be incredibly frustrating.
It doesn’t matter how good you’ve been all week, how amazing you’ve felt, how many compliments you’ve had, one quick trip to the bathroom to jump on the scales and you can feel like your world has fallen out beneath you as you look and see NOTHING HAS CHANGED.
Side note – Scale weight shouldn’t be your only measurement of progress, but more on that in another article.
It’s soul destroying, well at least it can be, until you sit back and REALLY think about things.
The reason your diet has probably stopped working is one or all of a few reasons.
1 . Your body weight has come down.
With a reduction in bodyweight comes a reduction in calories that your body actually needs.
This means that every so often you need to adjust your calories downwards in order to keep the weight loss going. It’s not a dramatic shift but it can play it’s part.
2. You aren’t as active as you were.
I’m not just talking full on exercise here.
I’m talking just walking around, more trips to the shops, maybe you’ve switched job roles to a more sedentary desk type.
People often overlook how many calories we can actually burn just by being more consciously active throughout the day.
Just by parking a little bit extra away from the shops can increase the energy we use to go shopping.
Don’t underestimate it.
3. Your calories have risen in time.
Think back to when you were actually ON IT.
Right at the start of the diet.
Can you honestly say that your portion sizes haven’t crept up?
Can you honestly say that you don’t let the little ‘’treats’’ sneak in here and there.
They might not seem like much at the time but over the course of the week these can really start to add up especially if it’s every day.
And don’t get me started on ‘’I’ve been good all week so I will have a treat at the weekend’’, that’s another post all in itself!
These 3 things can completely halt progress.
These 3 things can then be the determining factor on whether you continue on with your diet or not.
For diets to work they have to work with you and your lifestyle.
I can’t stress that enough.
Don’t get fooled in to thinking that just because it worked for someone else it will work for you, I mean it should, because of calories, but it might not be the right choice for you.
So in order to choose the right diet for you remember these key points:
- All Diets work on the exact same principle, creating a calorie deficit
- The one that you’ll see the greatest success with will be the one that you can be the most consistent with and adhere to for the longest possible time
- Think about your lifestyle and your activity. Can you make this new change work long term?
- When you plateau take a think about your actions, how you’re eating and whether you’ve become less active
I will leave you with this.
There is only two reasons why you aren’t losing weight/fat.
You are over consuming calories OR you need to go see a doctor for an underlying medical condition.
Stop believing the hype.
When it comes to weight loss and dieting, it’s all about calories.
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