The No Diet Way to Lose Weight and Keep it off!

Yes, you read it right…no diets! The first step in this weight
management program is to gather all of your old fad diets, quick
weight loss remedies, and “magic cures”. Once you have them all
together in a nice, neat pile- throw them into the trash! One
thing we have learned in the last 20-30 years is diets don’t
work and actually can make things worse. Fad diets may provide
short term weight loss but they are generally too difficult to
stick with for a lifetime. The majority of people who lose
weight on fad diets regain that weight within 3 to 5 years. Over
time this yo-yo dieting effect can slow your metabolism, the way
our bodies burn the calories from the food that we eat. Most fad
diets require you to significantly restrict your caloric intake
by limiting or even eliminating specific foods from your diet.
They lead you to believe that it is these specific foods that
are causing you to gain weight. The fact is; a cookie or a slice
of French bread is not responsible for weight gain. It is the
total number of calories that you consume in a day compared to
the amount of calories you use as energy. The calories you don’t
use as energy turn into stored fat and over time this translates
into more body weight.

Yes, its true consuming excess carbohydrates can result in large
insulin spikes and cause you to store fat more readily and
stimulate your appetite. However, does this mean that everyone
in America is eating too many carbohydrates? Not necessarily.
Does this mean we need to completely eliminate all carbohydrates
from our diet? Absolutely not. It means we need to learn how to
eat the right kind of carbohydrates and the right amount.

It’s also true that eating excess fat can make us gain weight
because fat carries more calories than protein and
carbohydrates, but does this mean that everyone’s issue is too
much fat? Once again, no. Therefore, we must approach weight
management on an individual basis because not everyone is eating
too many calories from bread. Just the same, not everyone is
consuming too many calories from cookies. We are all individuals
and our eating habits are all unique which is why the one size
fits all diet plans don’t work. The ultimate key to success is
BALANCE.

Balance is providing the appropriate amount of calories,
nutrients, and (don’t forget) enjoyment from our meals. In a
balanced diet, there are no perfect days, no foods are omitted,
and you don’t have to starve yourself. It may simply be that
you’ve been eating too many starchy foods and too little fat.
This may have stimulated your appetite and caused you to consume
more than your body needs. Or vice versa, it may be that you are
consuming too many fats and too little fruits and vegetables
which can cause you to have a high calorie level with a fairly
small intake of food. Perhaps you’ve been eating the right
balance but with too large of portion sizes. These are the kinds
of things that throw us off balance and cause us to consume more
calories than we utilize for energy.

Let’s take an example

Unbalanced Day Breakfast: skip (too busy) Large latte Snack:
chips from vending machine Lunch: (restaurant) hamburger and
large French fries Dinner: 8 oz steak and 2 cups mashed potatoes
Dessert: large bowl of ice-cream (1-2 cups)

Meal Makeover Breakfast: bowl of oatmeal with blueberries, 1 cup
low fat milk Snack: apple, 1 oz peanuts Lunch: (restaurant)
turkey sandwich on whole grain bread with a bowl vegetable soup
Dinner: 3 oz steak (size of a deck of cards), 1 cup mashed
potatoes, and a large salad w/1 TB vinaigrette dressing Dessert:
small bowl of frozen yogurt or sorbet (1/2- 1 cup)

The original meals were heavy in high fat foods, large in
portion sizes, (beef, French fries, chips, and ice-cream) and
low in fiber. The balance was off. By making these changes we
saved approximately 800 calories while still enjoying steak,
mashed potatoes, and dessert! Not to mention you get to eat more
when you incorporate more plant based foods since they are much
lower in calories. We also improved the nutrient content by
adding more fiber/vitamins/minerals/and antioxidants with
increased fruits, vegetables, and whole grains.

So, stop fad diets and start balancing your meals for lifelong
weight loss!

© Meri Raffetto, 2004

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