Why is dieting so difficult?
One thing that at least 60% of us have tried this year is a diet. Judging by the increasing weight of most of the population in Western Europe, we are not being very successful.
While our diet may work for a period of time, invariably, our weight creeps up to a few pounds above our own ideal weight. If we are honest with ourselves, most diets do not really work in the long term. The main reason for this is habit. The habits of a lifetime are almost impossible to shake off in a few days or even months.
Losing weight is one thing but the really hard part is keeping it off. We know that we should focus on developing better eating and exercise habits that we can maintain for the long haul. Instead of going on and off diets, we need to completely change our approach. We are aware that we should make exercise and good nutrition our way of life but…easier said than done.
So the million dollar question is: “How can I lose excess weight permanently?
Crash Diets do not work!
Any diet based on severe calorie restriction, often dipping well below 1000 calories per day is unlikely to work in the long term.
A crash diet is unlikely to work because our bodies have evolved to be extremely efficient fat storing machines in case of times of famine or deprivation. The direct and unavoidable consequence of very low calorie diet is a reduction in lean body mass and a decrease in metabolic rate. When this occurs, our progress will grind to an agonising and screeching halt. At this point we often give up. Then, discouraged and depressed by our failure we resort to our old habits and bingo…we are back to our original weight. All that effort has been for nothing and the worst thing is, often our regained weight is mainly in fat.
Lean Body Mass is made up of muscle tissue and can store the same amount of weight in a smaller area of space than if it is stored by fat tissue. So what happens when we crash diet is we lose weight from our lean body mass and when we then put it back on again, it goes back on as fatty tissue and we end up looking fatter than before and end up eating more to feel better!
Weight Management
The ability to maintain a healthy body weight and a low fat–to–muscle ratio will become the objective of most ‘dieters’. This we should now refer to as weight management. Dieting, on the other hand, refers to the active reduction of body fat over a specific period of time.
The key to successful weight management is to try to get our body’s metabolism to behave like those lucky few who seem to eat whatever they like without putting on any fat and to make small changes in our daily habits, over time, these changes can produce quantum changes in our body and indeed our health.
What is the best way to lose weight, manage our weight and help our bodies keep that weight off?
1) Eat the right foods in the right proportions
Divide calories into the correct portions of protein, carbohydrates and fats. Each meal should contain approximately 30% of the calories from lean proteins and 55% from natural complex carbohydrates. The remaining 15% will come from fat. For high energy levels, the best sources of carbs include 100% whole grain cereals and breads, potatoes, brown rice, oatmeal, beans, pulses, legumes, vegetables and fruits. Great sources of protein for muscle development include egg whites, low fat dairy products, chicken, turkey, fish and lean cuts of red meat. Fats should be kept to a minimum, but cutting all the fat out is not necessary. Essential fatty acids are just as important as amino acids, vitamins and minerals. Our diet must contain a wide variety of natural unrefined foods. The less processed your food choices are, the better; eating foods in their natural state the way they came out of the ground is ideal. A good rule to operate to is: if you cannot easily tell what the food was made from, don’t eat it! This rule will ensure that we do not eat burgers, sausages, meat pies and the majority of processed foods which is a very good start for a successful weight management programme.
2) Calories do Count
Keep track of daily calorie intake. Calories do count! Human physiology dictates that losing fat is a simple matter of consuming fewer calories than you burn up. Too much of anything gets stored as fat. To lose weight, we have to consume fewer calories than we burn.
The trick is to decrease calorie intake slightly below our maintenance level but not to cut them back too far. Women can usually eat as many as 1400-1800 calories per day and men 2200-2600 per day and still lose body fat.
Plan on losing weight slowly. Everyone wants fast results, but we can’t undo a lifetime of inactivity and poor nutrition overnight. If we lose weight at a rate of 1-2 lbs. per week we will be more likely to keep it off permanently. Many diet programmes promise rapid weight loss. Some diets can take off pounds very quickly, but much of the weight loss consists of water and muscle. Instead of worshipping the almighty scale, measure progress in terms of body composition. This will help you distinguish between fat weight and muscle weight. It does us no good to lose 5-6 lbs. per week if it is mostly muscle or water! Measure your progress using a tape measure, don’t rely on the bathroom scales. Apart from being very inaccurate, on a day-to-day basis the bathroom scales pickup weight changes which have more to do with water retention or loss than any changes in body fat.
3) Exercise is vital
Arguably, the most important habit of all is exercise. Nutrition is only half the battle; the other half is working out. Cardiovascular exercise is the real secret to burning body fat. Aerobic activities such as bicycling, walking, jogging, stair-climbing and rowing are all terrific fat burners. Try for at least thirty minutes, three to five times per week for optimal results. Weight training is also important because the more lean muscle tissue you have, the higher your resting metabolic rate will be. In other words, by developing more muscle, you will be burning more body fat all day long, even when you’re not working out.
4) Try a new generation weight management supplement
Of course, anybody who has read this far will say: “OK, on paper this is right, but I have a life to live and simply do not have the time, energy, will power or the inclination to radically change my lifestyle and anyway I am impatient and want results as soon as possible”.
Weight management is hard and we deserve all the help that we can get. The new generation of weight management supplements do help. Why not let these supplements help us start that long road to the body that we all want?
A newly developed CLA extract called Tonalin may be the answer. Its claims are all supported by good scientific evidence and are as follows:
• It helps reduce body fat while maintaining lean body mass (a calorie controlled diet is still required).
• It promotes fat loss.
And finally, in summary
It is human nature to look for quick fixes. However, when it comes to fat loss, there are no shortcuts. It is easy to fall for the hottest diet craze. Short-term diets never work! Dieting for a few weeks or months just to get in shape for summer, only to put the weight right back on makes absolutely no sense at all! Try developing habits that can be maintained long term. It may take a little more discipline, patience and hard work this way, but in the end it will all be worth while. The new generation of supplements will help us lose weight without loosing lean body mass and they can help us stay there but it will still require an effort on our part as well.
