Why Diets Dont Work
October 8th, 2006The whole diet process might seem like a physical act but to me it is much more psychological than physical and a key reason why diets dont work. The body follows the mind in everything we do, whether it be playing sport, working or eating, this is a major reason why diets dont work for most people. We make a mental decision and then our body carries out that command. When we want to lose excess body fat, most people turn to some sort of diet without a definite plan or understanding of what they have to do in order for their plan to be successful. When this plan fails we often feel frustrated and this usually leads us back to the very thing we were trying to prevent in the first place, eating more of the wrong foods.
If you did a random survey anywhere in the world and asked people one simple question, what is the one thing you must do to lose weight? I bet the most common response to that question would be, eat less food. As you are reading this, you are probably thinking that answer sounds correct and it certainly does make sense but in fact, that answer is wrong, so once again this is another reason why diets dont work. The true answer, as unbelievable as it may sound, is you need to eat more food to lose weight. That is more of the right foods, not the wrong ones. It is normally due to a lack of understanding when it comes to eating and the body why diets dont work for most people.
The key to losing weight is in the foods you eat, at what times you eat and the frequency of your meals. If you truly are motivated enough and have a deep enough desire to lose fat and keep it off for reasons nobody needs to know but you, let me tell you it can be done. Why diets dont work for many people is they are simply not commited to changing their poor or lazy style of eating.
The word diet is so overused and it often conjures up the idea of restriction, and as human beings we detest the idea of restriction and instead crave as much freedom as possible in all the things we undertake in our lives. You may have heard the saying, you always want what you cannot have, well that certainly seems to be the case from the very day we start on a new diet and adds another factor in why diets dont work. The sweets and fatty cravings for burgers or pizza we may succumb to at times when we are not dieting often seem irresistible once we begin a diet, this is another common reason why diets dont work. So it is the cravings we need to address in order to begin and stay on the correct path when eating well for life.
In order to begin this new style of eating it is important to be aware there are no fad diets that work. You cannot eat a grapefruit only diet and lose weight and stay healthy and even if you could, would you really want to? The good news is that although most diets do fail, we have all heard of obese people who have managed to lose most of their bodyfat and keep it off for life. The following information explains how they did it and if you stick to this style of eating it will work for you. So finally you can stop wasting time and start getting results.
The effective solution to losing fat and keeping it off lies is an understanding of your metabolism. Once you get a clearer understanding of how the metabolism works you will begin to see why diets dont work. Metabolism is the rate at which your body processes food. Or more simply put, the faster your metabolism the faster your body can burn calories and the best way to speed up your metabolism is to eat food more often. If you concentrate on eating lean meats like chicken, fish or beef with lots of green vegetables and regular servings of fruit spread out every 3 hours in medium servings you will speed up your metabolism. Instead of eating 3 meals per day which will keep your metabolism at quite a slow rate, try and eat 5-6 small to medium size meals per day and do not eat till you are full. On top of this, to keep your metabolism really firing throughout the day, sip on a half liter of water between each meal. The continuous water intake also allows your body to metabolize fat better and therefore it is less likely to store it.
One way I learned to understand how the metabolism process worked and why diets dont work was to consider the old steam train. The more coal you could shovel into the engines furnace the faster the train would go. As the coal burned out and no more was shoveled into the engine, the slower the train would run. The human body works on exactly the same principle, the more good food or energy you feed your body the faster your body will burn calories. However, the opposite happens if you try and restrict your calories. When you cut your food intake, your bodys metabolism will slow down to the point where it is hardly moving at all and it will store all the food you put in it. This food that is not burned or metabolized eventually turns to fat.
Another important point that is worth mentioning is, if you keep your calories at a steady level and do not try and starve yourself into losing weight which may in fact work, but at what cost to your health? You will burn bodyfat instead of burning muscle. By taking in small to medium amounts of protein in each meal you feed your muscles and keep them strong and functioning. It is the very action or continual working of these muscles that keeps you burning fat. If you restrict your calories to such a point where your body starts to burn muscle for energy you will make it almost impossible to burn calories in the future. So it is vital that you have muscle to allow you to keep burning fat.
If you make a plan to eat 5-6 meals of good clean food, consisting of lean types of protein, plenty of fresh vegetables and keep to small servings of complex carbohydrates like rice, bread, pasta, potatoes and cereals with each meal you will be eating about every 3 hours. By eating this often it is unlikely you will crave any extra food in between meals. By frequently sipping on clear water in between your meals you not only suppress your appetite, you also speed up your metabolism at the same time, meaning you will literally be burning fat the whole time you are awake.
Yes, this particular style of eating will take some getting used to but it really is the only healthy and effective way to lose fat and keep it off and still eat plenty of food at the same time. Once you begin this new way of eating and you start to see the results as your metabolic rate begins to increase you will be able to eat some junk food occasionally. It is when your metabolism really starts to fire that you become the one in charge of your body and at this point you will not need to be as strict as you learn how your body works. As you start to notice results you do not need to feel so restricted and as a reward for eating well, you could give yourself one day per week when you eat whatever it is you want as you cannot gain too much fat in only one day as long as you stick to the plan for the rest of the week. This is a plan for eating right permanently, not a diet that will not last. So now you know why diets dont work for most people but a regular and consistent eating plan will.
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November 13th, 2006 at 10:10 pm
Hi John, this is a fascinating article!
“you always want what you can’t have” ….I can’t agree with this more. I have found thatgoing on a diet is actually psychological sabotage. It sets you up for failure by alerting the mind that you are going to be going through a period os stress and sacrifice. I find that improving your diet should never feel like a sacrifice. You need to approach “diets” in a manner where your body actually wants and craves nourishing and freshhow le foods.
Unfortunately, our mainstream media has programmed us to crave certain unhealthy things. Re-programming yourself will take time, but ultimately can be a fun journey. When done properly, it can result in lasting change…and of course…a healthy and energetic body!
THanks again for submitting to the blog carnival. I look forward to reading your upcoming posts!
Ravi in Seattle, WA
July 3rd, 2007 at 2:56 am
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October 31st, 2007 at 1:15 pm
John, this is a fantastic post about diet. I couldn’t agree with you more. This is the kind of things we should be taught from a young age. There are so many misconceptions about diet and our eating habits. Thanks for the enlightening read. Thanks for participating in Fitness for Moms Carnival.
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