Those seeking to establish healthy diets and get help losing weight are often faced with the BIG question: “Which diet to I start that will actually work?” With Low Carb, low calorie, high protein, pre-packaged meal plans, etc. etc. Ultimately however, this is the wrong question to be asking. A more targeted question is “Do I have the discipline and commitment to follow a diet at all?” Healthy diets that are well thought out and established will reduce your weight. But only if you follow them over a period of time (usually 3-6 months minimum).
Why Dieters (and not Diets) Fail
It is difficult in this day and age to miss the endless stream of new dieting approaches and programs that seem to pop up just in time for you to switch to from the diet you started 3 weeks ago that isn’t working. There is always a “next best thing” that promises weight loss with little effort and eating all of the cake you can handle. But before the latest fad sells you on their program, ask yourself “Did I follow my current diet step by step?”, “Did I cheat at all on the nutritional aspects or miss workouts?” If you answered yes to either of these it is likely you that failed the diet and not the other way around. Make no mistake about it, you MUST stick to the guidelines of the diet in order for it to help you lose weight, there is no getting around this.
Consuming Less Energy Than You Burn – The Key to ALL Healthy Diets
The human body gets its energy from the foods (calories) we eat. This energy is converted into glucose or stored in fat cells to be used at a later time (a function that many scientists believe has evolved from when our ancestors lived in the savanna type climates and had to go long time without food. The body learned to store as much energy in order to keep them alive). To speak generally, the reason why the average person becomes overweight is that they are consuming high calorie meals and not generating enough movement to utilize those calories and they are simply being stored.
Those who follow healthy diets and sensible exercise and fitness programs simply avoid meals and foods that bombard the body with calories. By exercising and raising the metabolism they also allow the body to burn calories at a rate which prevents the storage process mentioned above from taking place. If you are currently overweight, try writing down everything that you eat and then use a calorie counter to find out how many calories you are consuming per day. Then weigh yourself on a scale and find out how much you weigh. You should be able to then determine how many calories it takes to sustain that weight. If your daily calorie intake is higher, you will continue to gain weight. Lower the amount of calories through healthy diets (for an extended period of time) and you will begin to lose weight. Add a fitness regimen and you will really start to see results.
