There
are some significant problems with some of the diets around today and these are
the ones that inevitably become known as ‘fad’ diets.
Remember
Atkins? Sure it achieved good results but it did so by creating unnatural
eating patterns that are difficult to stick to. This is just one example and
that’s not to say the Atkins diet was a complete failure. The point is this…
Many
diets rely on two things which are unsustainable: unnatural eating habits,
e.g. high protein and limited vegetables, or severe calorie deficit which
actually slows down the metabolism and encourages fat storage, or
combinations of the two.
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It
may be that you have tried various diets in the past that have ultimately
failed. This is because many diets force people into unnatural eating patterns
that aren’t sustainable AND if you were running as well as dieting you may have
been eating too little to be able to exercise effectively. So you’re left
feeling tired and hungry and you give up. Sound familiar to you?
Let’s
take a closer look at the issue of calorie deficit. What does it mean? A
calorie deficit means total calories consumed in a day are less than the
calories expended. Let’s say you need 2000 calories per day and you consume
1700 calories. You have therefore created a deficit of 300 calories.
Some
diets encourage a very severe deficit in calories, as much as 1500. Perhaps
you've already tried one. If this approach works at all, the result is usually
short-lived. This is because the calorie restriction and eating pattern are so
severe it’s not sustainable. Extreme dieting can also have a reverse effect as
the body is prompted to store fat as an energy source because it detects a
sudden drop in calorie intake. Extreme dieting is ultimately unsuccessful and
leaves the dieter feeling thoroughly defeated and depressed.
The
thing with a lot of ‘fad’ diets is they’re just that: a fad that will be
forgotten in time.
Permanent,
sustainable weight loss can be achieved through a modest reduction in
calories which come from eating real food, combined with regular exercise,
and that’s what you’re going to achieve with this blog J
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