The D Word - Don’t Let it Scare You
Dieting seems to be a rite of passage as we age, at some point we almost all seek a dieting plan out; some sooner than others. The weight loss industry has grown into a massive business as we seek a remedy to our expanding girth. Every year there seems to be a whole stack of new books claiming to be the answer you were looking for. We see pundits on TV complete with before and after photos telling you of their success, then there’s the pill pushers selling a product that not only helps you lose the weight you want, but you can do it all without exercise or changing your diet. Still others tell you it’s not your fault, apparently someone or something else made you eat that late night calorie fest.
In fact the word diet can get you a very interesting response; some people refuse to even say the word. Mention the word diet to people and watch them cringe. The reason for this is we often use the word diet to infer what we are avoiding or limiting rather than to inform what we are eating. When we talk about the African lion’s diet we aren’t talking about what foods it avoids, but rather what it sustains on. If we are what we eat then your diet is you.
You would think by now we would know that there is no magic potion, lotion or pill that’s going to take away those hated inches and pounds. Keep your money and stop throwing it down the rabbit hole you worked hard for it. Sometimes the easy answer is the right answer, keep it simple, keep it realistic and keep it consistent.
We all know that 3500 calories equals a pound. In theory if you cut 500 calories a day from your diet you should lose a pound in a week. Whereas this is mostly true there are mitigating factors that can affect your results to some extent like age, gender and metabolic function. Simple blood tests can tell you if it’s metabolic insufficiency.
Keep it Simple
If you do a diet plan that requires a lot of meal preps, endless calculating, limited eating windows etc. unless you are a total control person, you will inevitably stop the required effort. A simple plan is either calorie counting based or macro nutrient based (counting fat, protein, and carbohydrate grams). Start by eating what you normal would only clean it up a little, maybe a piece of fruit to replace one cookie etc. and also eat just a tad less. If your diet feels foreign to you, you will break it at the first chance. Over time you can replace in healthier choices as feels good.
Keep it Realistic
One thing I see often with new clients is over reaching. They want to exercise every day, or they are going hard core calorie restriction, some even change from omnivore to vegetarian, or vegetarian to keto. Once you break the cycle it’s hard to get back on because it’s not normal or natural for you. Less is sometimes more. Set a goal that is easy to hit like maybe going for walks twice a week instead of none or cutting out 1 bad snack a day, maybe just reducing calories by 5 or 10 percent. When it’s easy you are more likely to do it, get back on if you fall off for a day and way more likely to stick to it. Once you are amazed by the ease of this you can notch it up a bit by adding another day of exercise or cutting out a few more calories.
Keep it Consistent
To get good at anything you have to keep at it. Diet too. Weight loss really isn’t or shouldn’t be a sprint it’s more of a marathon. Slower steady weight loss is healthier, more effective and easier to maintain mostly because you have developed the right impulse control over time. If you cut out only 250 calories a day while keeping everything else the same you will in theory loss 26 pounds in 1 year. How many diets have you tried promising 3-4 pounds of weight loss a week only to end up right where you started? Think of this as barely a diet not enough to really change your daily pleasures, but enough to see real results down the road.
Lastly I want to say, more information is better than less. Weigh yourself regularly. Studies show that those who weigh themselves regularly gain less weight overall. Best practice is to weigh yourself in the morning prior to eating anything at all. Keep a food app journal, I do and it keeps me honest in the evening when I’m most vulnerable. It’s easy and actually kind of fun to do. Have someone help you measure your height and your waist. Your waist should be less than 50% of your height for health reasons.
Sure there are more complex ways to lose weight like Keto or Paleo or intermittent fasting, but will it stick. Maybe this time start with simple, it may just be what finally works.