The Effectiveness of Dieting
Did you know the annual revenue of the U.S. diet industry, including books, surgery, and diet pills, is 20 billion dollars per year?
Did you know that 108 million people in the U.S. diet yearly, and nearly 95% will eventually gain back more weight than they originally lost, meaning only 5% successfully maintain weight loss long-term?
If dieting worked, we would be a nation of skinny people and the diet industry would be out of business. We know this is not so, since obesity rates continue to rise in spite of enormous diet product sales.
The truth is, most diets CAN work in the short term, if food consumption changes significantly. But they fail in the long term because most people revert to the same SAD (Standard American Diet) of nutrient-depleted fast food and processed foods they ate before the "diet," and long lost fat flies back on. And then some.
Calorie restriction is interpreted by part of our brain to mean food is scarce, and famine is near. To protect us and insure our survival, a chain reaction occurs in the body involving the thyroid gland and the body’s internal thermostat, resulting in a slower metabolism, low energy and increased fat storage. Some studies suggest thyroid function may decrease as much as 50% after dieting only one week – exactly what you DON''T want when trying to lose weight.
So the one thing you may be doing that kills long-term successful weight loss is: Repetitive Dieting.
But if dieting doesn't work permanently for most people to slim down, then what does?
If we ask the lucky 5% who kept the weight off how they did it, we find they share two common traits.
• They make major, permanent changes in the foods they consume and
• They exercise on a regular basis.
So for weight loss to stick, dietary changes must be for keeps, and exercise is key.
But let’s be brutally honest. Most people bristle at the mere thought of sacrificing their favorite foods, and who has time to exercise? Even the suggestion of "change" can be overwhelming.
The most effective method I have found to make permanent, long-term changes manageable, is to take baby steps and focus on one dietary or exercise goal at a time.
Making permanent dietary and lifestyle change is not a short-term project - there are no quick fixes. Understanding which foods work for you and which ones make you fat and sick is crucial to both long-term health and fat loss. EVERYTHING you eat creates a reaction in the body, and it's important to identify what helps and what hurts.
There is so much conflicting dietary advice floating around, it can be overwhelming to figure out where to start making adjustments. Some areas of exploration you might find useful as you make your own priority list to improve your health include:
1. Consider keeping a food and exercise journal. Successful business people know that keeping score is essential for tracking long-term success, and managing food is the same. Apps can make it easy. Watch physical reactions to food for signs of allergies and sensitivities, emotional reactions to food that may cause binge eating, and portion control.
2. Consider adding nutritious, whole (non-processed), chemical free foods (natural, local or organic) to your healthy diet. Choose healthy protein, (lean grass-fed meats, fish and poultry, hemp seed, spirulina), plenty of non-starchy colorful vegetables, healthy fats (olives, olive oil, avocado, coconut oil, butter, nuts and seeds), and super foods (mushrooms and Shakeology).
3. Consider cutting out junk and processed foods (especially high fructose corn syrup, trans fats, GMO foods and meat/dairy treated with antibiotics and hormones). Think twice if it comes in a bag, box or can.
4. Consider educating yourself on the benefits of super foods, herbs, and supplements and their possible beneficial effects.
5. Consider trying an elimination diet to test for food sensitivities. (wheat, dairy, soy, eggs, peanuts and citrus are common offenders).
6. Consider testing which foods cause weight gain for you – all calories are not created equal, as some foods (carbs especially) may be stored immediately as fat.
7. Consider evaluating the ratio of “good” to “bad” bacteria in the gut, and add prebiotics, probiotics, and fermented foods to the diet to increase immune function and weight management. (Tip: Shakeology is LOADED with these!)
8. Consider visiting your doctor to evaluate and balance the hormones related to metabolism, including insulin, thyroid hormone, adrenals, reproductive hormones (estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone), and fat storage/release hormones (ghrelin and leptin) to improve both overall health and weight loss results. It is always wise to visit a doctor before changing dietary protocol.
Now that you've seen some areas to explore, are you ready to start working on your first "permanent change?" If so, pick one habit you would like to improve and make a plan to attack it. If you are feeling especially daring and would like the accountability, post your "one thing" on Facebook at The Fitness Vixen Challenge, and we can all cheer each other on.
XOXO,
Christy
