Made a goal to lose weight? This article will be worth your time!
If you recently mustered the courage to step on a scale and cringed at the number that appeared, hoping that perhaps somehow it was defective, you aren’t alone. The holiday season, which for many has as its hallmarks sedentary activities and the overconsumption of unhealthy food, seems to all-too-perfectly include New Year’s at its tail end, giving us the timely chance to repent of our health sins. With newfound motivation, we set high goals, sometimes without the best plan to reach them or in many cases, without a realistic plan at all. Those who are serious about losing weight will have a strategy to achieve their goal. Most people know that being overweight or obese is a risk factor for many chronic diseases. If this is true, is there a wrong way to approach weight loss? Is any effort or plan better than another if the end goal is achieved?
The answer is yes. Two important factors should guide our judgment of the many weight loss programs available: sustainability and impact on long-term overall health. The first is quite simple to understand, especially after observing the ominous statistics of weight loss program success. Americans spend over $60 billion a year on weight loss products (1), yet our average weight is actually increasing (2). Many weight loss programs are tempting because short term results are achieved. However, the initial weight loss in the first week or two of a low carbohydrate diet comes primarily from reductions in water weight as carbohydrate stores run dry. When dieters see this initial “success” but results level off afterwards, they often blame themselves for not adhering to the diet well enough. Furthermore, even diets that boast the testimonials of those who have lost dozens of pounds still need more thorough examination. A testimonial does not describe what a person’s eating habits looked like before the diet, nor does it usually guarantee that the happy customer has maintained their weight loss for years or even months. Many consumers who use a weight loss program fail in the long run, typically returning to the same or even a higher weight than they were previously. The key is recognizing that “diets” are often not sustainable for as long as you want to be skinny. Some diets involve eating in essentially the same way you are used to while severely restricting portions, or cutting down on major food groups. Both of these elements can leave a person craving food. No matter how much motivation they begin with, they will eventually succumb to their cravings for the basic human need to eat. Restricting calories is necessary to lose weight, but this must be done in a specific way to avoid feeling hungry that will be discussed later.
The second concern is impact on long-term overall health. Most Americans don’t begin to diet solely out of a desire to prevent chronic disease. However, it is important to not leave overall health out of the equation entirely. Research has long upheld the idea of a balanced diet. Consuming a healthy proportion of carbohydrates, fats, and protein is important. It is also wise to recognize that many landmark studies have shown the importance of eating whole grains, vegetables in abundance, fruits, leafy greens, legumes, nuts and seeds for health. While certain diets may work in the short term to help you lose weight, if they proscribe dietary patterns that vary from the findings of the most trustworthy sources, they will lead you to an increased risk of chronic disease and a shorter lifespan. Your skinny waistline will have come with a very high cost.
So how can you find a sustainable diet that will improve your long-term health? The tried and true combination of calorie reduction paired with increased physical activity is your best shot. Both can be sustainable. Both, when applied with wisdom, will positively influence your long-term health.
A major problem with the typical American diet is that it is low in nutrients and high in calories. Rather than eating highly processed foods that are stripped of nutrients and loaded with sugar, salt, and unhealthy fats, focus on consuming whole (minimally processed) foods that are high in nutrients and low in calories. These foods will help you feel full and energetic all day long so you do not eat more than you should. They are high typically high in fiber and water content, which will lead to a full stomach and less digestible calories. Whole grains are complex carbs, which take longer to digest and provide energy for hours, rather than a quick burst of energy followed by a crash and more hunger. Vegetables and fruits can be a delicious snack or part of a meal while supplying very few calories. As you consume less sugar, the natural sweetness of fruit will begin to taste like dessert. Water should always be your drink of choice. Research shows that calorie-dense soda pop will enter your body without signaling it to feel “full”, which is a perfect recipe for overconsuming calories.
Beyond considering what to eat, it is important to apply some of the many healthy weight loss strategies regarding how to help you eat that way. For example, you can have healthy snacks on hand so you feel less enticed by unhealthy food at the office, you can decide to limit eating after a certain time at night when you are more likely to indulge, you can set boundaries with eating or find other outlets when you are feeling emotional, and you can make sure your home is filled with healthy options so junk food is “out of sight, out of mind”.
Also, people who have successfully lost large amounts of weight and kept it off for years said their efforts were enhanced by enlisting social support, not skipping meals, and keeping a balanced approach to eating even on weekends or holidays (3).
Exercise is also a vital part of healthy weight loss. Sedentary people who diet may lose fat, but part of their weight loss also comes from reductions in muscle mass. Those who exercise in conjunction with restricting calories will lose fat while gaining muscle. Although it may take longer to reach a desired value on a scale, their body composition will change quicker and they will be much healthier. Not only does engaging in physical activity burn calories, but many people feel less enticed by unhealthy foods when they regularly exercise.
So if you are trying to lose weight, have confidence that you can reach your goal. It isn’t easy for anyone, but if you take the time and have the discipline establish and maintain healthy habits, next year you will finally have to think of something new to work on.
References
- https://money.usnews.com/money/personal-finance/articles/2013/01/02/the-heavy-price-of-losing-weight
- https://www.cnn.com/2018/12/20/health/us-average-height-weight-report/index.html
- Wing, Rena R, and Suzanne Phelan. “Long-Term Weight Loss Maintenance.” The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, vol. 82, no. 1, 2005, doi:10.1093/ajcn.82.1.222s.