Does this sound familiar? You tell somebody you are going on a diet to lose weight. Immediately, before the last word is out of your mouth, somebody will burst forth with an emphatic statement that goes something like this:
“Diets DON”T WORK! You gain the weight back after a diet.”
This statement is inevitable. Its as inevitable as the fact that its going to rain in Vancouver, where I live. In case you don’t know, Vancouver is located in a rain forest. Locals call it “Raincouver.”
So yes, somebody will hang the “Diets don’t work” statement on you within seconds and everybody else present will chime in to agree. Faster than you can say Weight Watchers, people will have volunteered their insights as to how to lose weight quickly. This sage information will usually include the news that you need to eat different foods, you need to eat small quantities of these foods, and you need to get exercise.
Somebody, generally a young person with a naturally fast metabolism, will advise you that cutting back on desserts and potatoes and going for a walk every day is all that’s necessary. She (its always a she) did that and dropped ten pounds without even thinking about it.
Wonderful.
First, let me say that for some lucky people, giving up desserts and walking a bit every day really does burn off the fat. I envy these people. I would greatly love to count myself among their numbers.
But I am not like them.
My metabolism does not burn fuel at such a high speed. I do not lose weight unless I restrict my food intake to about 1200 calories a day, give or take, and add cardio exercise to get the metabolism boosted up. Most people who have a serious and chronic weight problem are in the same boat as I am. The cut back a little and walk to the corner store instead of driving won’t do a damned thing for them in terms of weight loss.
Now let’s go back to the wise people who feel compelled to tell us that diets don’t work. You don’t need to ask them what does work, because they’ll tell you without you needing to ask. Their advice: You need to eat less food, eat different food and get exercise.
A Diet by Another Name is Still a Diet
Hmmm. Let’s look at this carefully. Eat less food. Eat different food. Get exercise.
Do you know what that describes? Here’s what it describes. It describes a DIET PLAN.
Check out any of the major weight loss centers and diet plans and that is exactly what you find. They all advocate eating small quantities of healthy food and combing it with exercise. That’s the approach that Nutrisystem, Jenny Craig, Weight Watchers and probably a bunch of others take.
You could also go to a nutritionist and get an eating plan that will promote weight loss. This will involve eating small quantities of healthy foods. The nutritionist will tell you to exercise. If your physician agrees, you can consult a fitness trainer and get a routine set up that suits your lifestyle. Here again, notice what you’re doing. Eating less and moving more. A .. dare I say it, DIET?
So, the good folks who assure you that diets don’t work are actually recommending a lifestyle plan that is, in fact, a DIET! Isn’t that hilarious? Point it out to them if you’re brave, but don’t expect very many to see the humour the way you and I do.
Thumbs Down to Fad Diets
Now I should point out that I agree with the nay-sayers if you are talking about fad diets that restrict calories to a very low daily level or ask you to eat only certain foods. You will lose weight with these fad diets, but you do it at the expense of your health. You are likely to be burning muscle instead of fat and that’s not a good thing.
Now let’s move on to the rest of the dire warning. The Diets Don’t Work People will tell you that you regain the weight afterwards.
Yes. Chances are, that is exactly what happens. However, almost everyone who loses weight, regardless of how it comes off, regains it. I don’t know the percentage, but I think I have read that its something like 90%. Even people who have had the gastro bypass surgery are prone to regain again. It’s not the diet that causes the regain afterwards. It’s the fact that it’s almost impossible for most of us to continue eating the small quantities of food that allows us to maintain our weight loss.
Is it Your Will Power?
Some call this a lack of will power, to which I say Bull Durham.
Anybody who has stuck to a diet long enough to lose 30, 40, 50, 60 pounds or more has will power to burn.
The real problem is rooted in our unconscious mind. Until that problem is addressed, we’ll continue to regain the weight and no amount of shaming, scolding, ridiculing or appealing to our common sense will help.
But there is help — something that really works. And that’s what this blog and the accompanying web site, How to Lose Weight Quickly is all about.
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