For as long as people have been overweight and self-conscious about being so, they have been searching out diets that work that they can fit into their busy lifestyles as well as fit into their budgets. For almost as long, so-called diet gurus have been putting out books and videos and diet plans promising fast, easy results without having to give up favorite indulgences, and that you too can look like them.
Unfortunately, for every 100 people who lose a significant amount of weight thanks to these diet products, magic shakes, special weight loss foods, and fitness gurus, as many as 90 of them gain much of that weight back, despite spending on weight loss products reaching $60 billion dollars per year in the United States alone.
There are plenty of easy diets that work out there that you can work into your life on your own that support a healthy lifestyle and do not line the pockets of the weight loss industry with gold. The purpose of this page is to help you find them.
Are There Any Fad Diets That Work?
When we talk about fad diets, we are referring to all the popular diets that get a lot of press and attention at first, and then fade into the background for one reason or another. Examples of fad diets are the Atkins Diet, the cabbage soup diet, the lemonade diet, and the Hollywood diet.
One of the primary ties that bind these sorts of diets together is that they are extremely restrictive in what you are allowed to eat. The problem with intense restriction is that it leads to a sense of deprivation that can bring about an almost obsessive desire for what you can’t have. Some people who have followed the Atkins diet, for example, have spoken of lying awake at night wishing that they could have an orange or a piece of bread.
So, what is it that we can take from this? Diets that work allow a wide range of foods and are not restrictive to the point of inducing obsession.
Diet Plans That Work Avoid Processed Foods
Another problem common to many, “crash diets that work,” and guru diet plans such as Jenny Craig is their high dependence either on pre-packaged branded foods that they sell themselves or on highly processed foods that contain high levels of sugar, sodium, and other chemicals.
There is no doubt that these foods can taste great, but there are a few problems that diets consisting mainly of processed foods do not take into account.
1.) They do not teach you to cook for yourself and to find healthy food options in the real world. This leaves you helpless if you are eating out, at a friend or relative’s house, or are unable to get the food your particular diet requires.
2.) They contain high levels of sodium, preservatives, additives, dyes, and other potentially harmful chemicals. For example, many so-called “diet” foods contain high levels of high-fructose corn syrup, which is definitely not helpful when it comes to weight loss, or even good health in general. Recent research indicates that high-fructose corn syrup may even contain mercury due to the manner in which it is produced.
3.) This kind of diet can’t be maintained for the long-term. At some point, you have to stop eating branded foods and start eating real food again. Diets that work have to give you the tools to feed yourself for the rest of your life.
What Is Necessary To Create Simple Diets That Work?
Realistically, each of these three points must be addressed when you are trying to create a diet that not only works, but that you can maintain for a long time. There are five things that will be necessary that are common to all the best diets that work at helping you achieve effective weight loss. Follow them carefully and you will be just fine.
1.) You have to eat real, high-quality food. Avoid processed foods whenever possible. Replace white breads and processed sugars with whole grain breads and naturally sweet foods, such as berries.
2.) Do not unduly deprive yourself. If you want something sweet, have a little piece of high-quality dark chocolate. Don’t overindulge yourself, but a taste now and again is fine.
3.) Learn how to cook. You will be amazed at how much weight you will be able to lose simply by cooking for yourself and choosing quality, natural ingredients.
4.) Count your calories. Weight loss is as simple as a mathematical equation. Calories in has to be less than calories out.
5.) Eat food. Weight loss may be an equation, but the calories consumed should not fall below 1200 for women and 1600 for men, or the body will enter starvation mode and drastically reduce your metabolism because it thinks that it is starving and needs to survive.
6.) Don’t overanalyze. Don’t spend all of your time worrying about what you can and can’t have. Just find ways to get healthy foods into your diet that you enjoy without having to bring all the processed junk and sugar along with it. Relax and enjoy your food. Diets that work for a lifetime are ones that are not only healthy, but that you can enjoy.