According to a number of experts the individual approach in nutrition is paramount to the success of the battle with excessive weight. Undoubtedly non-customized weight loss diets are not only ineffective, but also pose some serious health risks and often lead to gaining additional excessive weight above the initial one under the form of body fat because of the so called yo-yo effect!
What does a diet mean?
A temporary nutritional plan, characterized with significant reduction of the calorie intake with a view to to burn body fat and reduce the excessive weight.
There are different types of diets depending on their strictness and duration. We have all heard of low carbohydrate diets, diets with water or fruit and vegetable juices, diets without fat and on the contrary – high fat diets, with complete exclusion of carbohydrates.
Those who cannot give up their favorite food choose easier diets by simply reducing the quantity of consummated food or choose to restrain from food after 4 or 6 o`clock pm, others stick to mono diets where within a day they can consummate practically unlimited quantity of one type of food, which is often unseasoned and without added salt, fat or sugar …
Whichever variation we choose the statistics of fighting excessive weight are not encouraging regarding the desired results and the permanent loss of weight.
Why, despite of their variable nature, diets DO NOT work?
Diets are ineffective for a number of reasons – from biological to psychological. According to many authors genes play an undoubted role in individual regulation of weight for every person. Most of us have genetically predisposed body mass and structure. When we try to step out of the individual physical limits which are normal for us, the body experiences serious difficulties to adapt.
Psychological reasons consist in the fact that the function of our brain requires a certain level of food in order to secure survival. Reducing calories creates a psychological stress which predetermines gaining weight, not losing it.
Most people following a given diet do it led by one of the following reasons: oppressed by the popular physical beauty standards they are convinced that they cannot be pretty, worthy or attractive if they are not skinny. They also believe that their incapacity to lose weight and maintain it, is a sign of weakness, lack of self-control and consists a personal flaw. In the meantime they have concerns about the potential health risks resulting from being overweight.
Regardless of the type of diet we choose, in the beginning losing weight is relatively easy and we can lose from 5 to 10 % of our weight but afterwards the lost weight almost always restores even above the initial levels.
For most people diets do not lead to permanent weight loss or health benefits. The proofs indicate that frequent body mass variations – multiple weight loss and then weight gain are related to a number of cardio-vascular diseases, strokes, diabetes and weakening of the immune system. The advantages of diets are too small and their potential damage – too big, to be recommended as a safe and effective treatment of obesity.
We can be sure of one thing! Diets do not aim at permanent weight loss, otherwise why a diet industry of over 30 billion dollars would exist.
Here comes the question: with so many different diets and so many different approaches and nutritional experts and books, why are we not losing weight?
The answer is logical and simple: diets impact directly our physics, psychic and our innate need of enjoyment and pleasure.
The main reasons why diets are ineffective:
Diets slow down the weight loss
Diets slow down the weight lossMany people suggest that when they try the hardest to get rid of the excessive weight, their body seems to work against them, and this is entirely correct. Our bodies perceive the diet as a stress factor.
When under stress our bodies produce high levels of cortisol and adrenaline (stress hormones). These hormones make our bodies slow down the calorie burn rate. Our bodies deliberately slow down our efforts to lose weight as they perceive the low calorie intake as a threat to our existence and the aim of our bodies is to preserve our life and health.
Diets do not bring sustainable change
While following a certain diet most people cannot change their nutritional habits for a period of one or two weeks or sometimes even a month or two, and most frequently the changes caused by the diet are only external.
Certainly, it is important what we eat, but the change in selecting the food today does not necessarily lead to a long-term change in the nutritional habits. This is due to the fact that we perceive diets as a temporary solution and they do not impact our deeply established beliefs, behavioral models and forms, which predetermine our preferences and nutrition in the longer term.
If a diet is focused only on the selection of food and does not affect the question “why” we continue craving for food that decreases our energy and impairs our health, then probably we will remain only on a superficial level. In order to make sustainable changes in our nutritional habits we have to understand why we eat, how do we eat and who we are as consumers.
The long-term change is due to changes both at external (food selection and nutritional behavior) and internal level, also called the psychology of nutrition. Our way of thinking, consciously or unconsciously, is the key to the relation between food and our bodies.
Diets are limiting
All diets have an element of limitation and often contain a list of foods to be avoided if we want to accomplish any results. Restrictive diets require having the “will” and capacity to follow the rules. But the problem with this restricting and harsh relation is that it is not pleasant! We do not enjoy the food when we constantly restrain ourselves and control what we eat.
These constant restrictions are a prerequisite for forming a stressful environment in our bodies and the increased secretion of stress hormones decreases our potential to burn calories. This is exactly how we create prerequisites which hinder weight reduction.
Diets are not effective but researching the in-depth psychology related to the pleasure of food is. By creating a positive link between us and the food we actually help our bodies both on physical and psychological level and we provide the perfect conditions to achieve our natural, perfect weight. While diets deal with the external aspect, the psychology of nutrition pays focused attention to who we are and what are our nutritional habits.
Diets are not successful in the longer term
If diets were successful, we would follow a diet, lose weight and learn what works for our bodies and we would never undergo a diet again. While diets can work quite well in a short term, it is easy to understand why the latter are not effective in the longer term.
The initial restriction of calories and increasing the activity lead to losing few kilos. This may serve as motivation to continue until we reach an obstacle.
As the human body is very adaptive, excessive physical activity and significant calorie reduction can put the body in a state of stress which slows down the metabolism. Put in simpler words our bodies store all fat to keep us alive in the face of a hunger threat, as they perceive the diet like such threat.
Thus, gradually, weight loss will require even more calorie reduction and more exercise. This is the vicious circle of most diets and that is why people give up on them. We are designed to seek pleasure and avoid pain.
The constant state of stress during a diet is painful as finally we return to the previous pleasures under the form of the very food we have eliminated during the diet. Unfortunately this usually leads to gaining more weight than we have initially lost.
Diets do not have an individual approach
Our metabolic power is based on many things beside calories and energy consumption. Our nutrition and lifestyle have bigger impact on our body and our weight compared to the number and type of calories we consume. Diets give us rules which we follow, but our unique circumstances, personal factors and individuality are not considered.
Identifying our specific metabolic needs requires experimenting and investigating our personality, genetics, lifestyle, physical type, relationships and many others. It is important to realize that the diet you follow may be 100% suitable for someone but probably that someone is not you.
Most people following diets lack confidence in themselves and in their own capacity to lose the excessive weight. They desire quick solutions of their problems and seek immediate weight loss formula. They invest their money and time into misleading promises for quick and easy weight loss which finally will not be effective, and they feel unsuccessful and miserable afterwards.
So instead of wasting your precious energy giving power to another diet, it is time to believe in yourself and in your ability to listen to your body in order to find what nutrition you really need. You are the best expert and only you can create the perfect diet in order to satisfy all your individual needs for nutritional, physical and psychological health.
We are sure that you already know why we, the Lucky Fit Bansko team do not recommend and apply diets in our programs. Our mission is to help you preserve your health and get rid of the excessive weight. We work solely with customized nutrition plans, designed entirely according to the needs and specifics of each individual.
You wish to lose weight, you have tried a number of diets without a result … Trust our experts! Based on an individual physical examination our experts will elaborate a personal nutrition plan and will help you improve permanently your nutritional habits!
Looking forward to see you!
