What’s the best diet for YOU?
II'll get to the point and the only key to success.
It's the one you can stick to.
Studied over the longer term, the results from many types of diets will be similar. In the nutrition world, we credit this to adherence (or ‘stickability’). Support also plays a factor.
Humans are hard-wired to seek out foods that provide reward or satisfaction. Cravings were for survival - our brains driving us to energy-dense foods.
Think about whether you find it easier to abstain or whether you can have 'a little bit' of food - without losing all sense of reason till you reach the bottom of the packet. Too tempting? Maybe just 'edit' that food out for the period you're planning to diet.
If you base your diet on nutrient-dense foods, you'll have very few cravings. Ensuring variety means you'll be getting a broad range of essential vitamins and minerals - all needed to support hormonal and other processes in the body. When they're in balance, weight loss happens.
You'll often see great results just by crowding out the crappy, highly-processed foods.
For those with digestive or skin issues, gluten and or dairy are often a large part of the problem. These are both the most common culprits causing problems. Other therapeutic diets can be trialled depending on specific gut issues.
If you have a lot of weight to lose, have blood sugar or have other metabolic issues, evidence shows a lower-carb strategy is very effective.
The research tells us that most 'diets' work for most people, most of the time, if followed consistently.
Remember too - weight that has taken a year to gain will probably take longer than a month to lose. In the name of research, I've tried them all (and most of them have worked when I've been able to adhere to them - though not all of them have left me feeling great).
Confused about all the weight loss advice, or battling with food intolerances? Wondering what’s right for YOU and your lifestyle?
Using research-backed diet, lifestyle and change strategies I teach my clients how to eat to feel better, lose weight naturally and keep it off.
Dansinger ML, Gleason JA, Griffith JL, Selker HP, Schaefer EJ. Comparison of the Atkins, Ornish, Weight Watchers, and Zone Diets for Weight Loss and Heart Disease Risk Reduction: A Randomized Trial. JAMA. 2005;293(1):43–53. doi:10.1001/jama.293.1.43
Gibson AA, Sainsbury A. Strategies to Improve Adherence to Dietary Weight Loss Interventions in Research and Real-World Settings. Behav Sci (Basel). 2017 Jul 11;7(3):44. doi: 10.3390/bs7030044. PMID: 28696389; PMCID: PMC5618052.
Lemstra M, Bird Y, Nwankwo C, Rogers M, Moraros J. Weight loss intervention adherence and factors promoting adherence: a meta-analysis. Patient Prefer Adherence. 2016 Aug 12;10:1547-59. doi: 10.2147/PPA.S103649. PMID: 27574404; PMCID: PMC4990387.
