Despite being told that most diets fail, the public is still vulnerable to quick weight loss promises that won't work in the long run. Most of these people have histories of going on and off diets, over and over again. It's puzzling why they would try the same approaches that haven't worked in the past. Perhaps it's that little voice saying, "Maybe it will work this time." "Maybe this diet will work."
What do People Really Want in a Weight Loss Plan?
People want to lose weight, they want to lose weight fast, and they want to lose weight permanently. There are a million things that will cause weight loss. Any diet, fast, or exercise program where one burns more energy than one takes in, is going to result in weight loss. There are also many things that produce quick weight loss if you're not talking just fat loss (such as water loss or muscle loss).
The problem is that people usually confuse fat loss with weight loss. Just because there is weight loss doesn't mean that there is a loss of an equal amount of fat. Actually, the faster the weight is lost, the more likely it is that the weight lost is more water or muscle, than fat. But it's fat that people want to lose and they want to lose it for good - not to gain it all back and have to start dieting all over again.
How Can One Avoid the Pitfalls of Dieting?
The first thing to do before embarking on a weight loss program is to be honest with yourself. If you are a person with a long history of on-and-off dieting it's time to face the fact that the types of diets you've been on don't work. Those diets weren't different from each other just because they had different names (i.e. The Low Carb Diet, The Blood Type Diet, The Grapefruit Diet). Look at what was similar about them. For example, were they stringent diets, did they eliminate particular foods completely, did they not include exercise?
If you are a first time dieter, learn through the experience of others. To date, a lot of research has been done showing that most dieting attempts fail and that fad diets show particularly dismal results. Don't go down the same road that many others have found to be the wrong road.
Want Your Efforts to Lose Weight to be Permanent?
Consider this Advice:
- Focus on the behaviors (portion control, increased activity, better nutrition) that help you lose fat, rather than a weight goal number .
- Make sure that you include consistent aerobic exercise in your plan.
- Don't set a time limit for your goal.
- Don't go on a rigid, stringent, fad diet of any kind.
- Make sure that the eating and exercise plan you go on is one that you can follow for the rest of your life.
- Your body has genetic limits. You don't know if your body will be able to reach the ultimate goal you have in mind. Instead, keep doing what will make you leaner and healthier and let your body take care of the weight. It will show you how low it can go.
By following these steps, you will keep from falling into the yo-yo trap. You don't want to put all that effort into losing weight only to regain it and more like most people who go on "diets."
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