Diets Don’t Work!

Posted by Present Truth Investigations on October 23, 2016 in Uncategorized |2 Comments

 

The Pitfalls Of Fad Dieting

Yes, you heard right.  Diets don’t work!  Maybe you can relate to a time when either you or some trainer encouraged you to take extreme measures in order to lose weight.  And how did it work out or you?  Was your experience a successful one overall?  In most cases, extreme or fad dieting typically results in failure; failure because particular foods are eliminated entirely and not replaced with anything else.  So, what one is often left with is lettuce or rice cakes, for breakfast, lunch and dinner!  Such extreme action is ripe for failure.

We all have cravings for particular foods.  For most of us, our cravings are tied to cultural foods which we are accustomed to ingesting.  However, for some of us, these cravings are created by poor food choices or due to busy schedules which leave little time for food preparation.  As a result, often the most convenient food is selected and consumed, just as a means to fill the stomach.  Obviously, this scenario is not ideal, when it comes to a balanced plate.

 

Why Diets Fail

Those who have engaged in more aggressive or fad dieting  often suffer setbacks due to their extreme choices.  Why?  Because unbeknownst to them, they have placed themselves within the typical dieting cycle.  And the inevitable result can only be setback and failure.

When most people begin a diet, they typically start by placing a restriction upon certain potentially ingested foods.  Now, that by itself is not a bad thing, but it comes down to a question of severity.  For example, some people who habitually eat doughnuts will suddenly proclaim that they are on a diet in order to lose weight, and they will immediately cut all doughnut consumption from their diet.  The problem is that they have now deprived their body of one of its cravings.

On a chemical level, the body will crave or desire certain types of foods which it has grown accustomed to.  Whether these foods are good or bad, this is a chemical response which pushes each of us to buy and ingest these kinds of foods.  Now, as the cravings intensify the average person may hold out and abstain from eating that particularly forbidden food (in this case doughnuts), but as time passes and the body begins to demand that doughnut, it is typically only a matter of time that the dieter will give in.

And now, the dieter enters the final phase; guilt.  After eating the doughnut, guilt sets in and the dieter often will think of the eaten doughnut(s) with remorse and regret.  Now, it often happens that while there is guilt, these is also a sense of pleasure from eating the doughnut, because chemically the body has satisfied its craving.  However, when failure is experienced in fad or extreme dieting, the dieter often binges when they eventually give in, which worsens their prospect of losing weight.  And throughout the diet, this pattern can be often repeated without remedy.  However, there is a solution.

 

How Can I Diet Successfully?

First of all, I do not believe in diets.  And second, if a person chooses to eliminate a particular food item, they must replace it with something else.  So, why don’t I believe in diets?  Let me explain.  Diets simply do not work because they are typically time sensitive and used to achieve a short term weight-loss goal.  What a person who is contemplating making a lifestyle change should consider is, how they ended up in the situation to begin with.  Obviously over-eating or eating the wrong foods, but they should assess (either by themselves or with the help of a wellness expert) their daily food choices and eating patterns.

After this honest assessment, a plan should be implemented whereby they would either reduce the undesirable foods or eliminate them slowly.  The reason for this is because it will give the body time to adjust chemically to a reduction of the problem food.  Not only will this help to manage cravings, but it is a more logical approach to any food related lifestyle change.  And after the desired weight-loss goal is reached, this revised eating pattern should continue as a permanent lifestyle change.  This will elevate yo-yo dieting and weight-loss to weight-gain.

Now, if one accepts a reduction in a certain food, or perhaps eliminates it all together, a replacement item should be introduced.  For example, a client of mine loves cheese, I mean LOVES cheese.  Now, being over the recommended weight for his age and height, a plan was put into place in order for him to beat his cheese addiction.  First of all, he had to admit that he indeed had an addiction.  Then he had to agree to follow the program.  So, what was introduced slowly was a substitute in place of the shredded and grated cheese.  This substitute included: cashews, yeast flakes and an almond mixture combined with yeast flakes, used to replace Parmesan.  A structured plan was put into place and in time, he no longer was eating as much cheese and he didn’t miss it.  Why?  Because a mechanism was put in place to ease the transition from a high fatty food product to one which still pleased the taste buds, however did not contain the high saturated fat content.

 

How Can I Make A Lifestyle Change?

My recommendation would be to consult with a nutrition specialist.  Often, clients are not educated as to what they can use as a potential replacement food item, while on their road to better health and happiness.  And a little bit of research and guidance goes along way.  Rather than struggling alone, consult with an expert who can provide you with the tools and information to succeed.  Certainly a person can simply use Google, however Google will not keep you accountable to your goals.  And it is for this reason that wellness personalized is your best option.  If you’re dieting, stop and reassess your motives.  It may be time to reach out to an expert who can assist you in realizing your goals.

 

Present Truth Fitness

 

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