Today I have a guest post that touches on a subject I have talked about before on the site and that is finding a diet lifestlye that works for you. Many people struggle to eat correctly just to maintain their weight never mind trying to find out how to lose pounds of excess weight by going on the latest fad diet. In this article Will Kashis who is a freelance healthy writer discusses why many of these diets let you down while offering a solution you may want to consider.
How to Lose Pounds if You Are Tired of Strict Diets
It’s hard to follow a diet plan every day. The strict demands of most diets require users to keep a log of everything they consume and keep constant track of calories. The inability to adhere to the rules of diet plans is the reason why most people fail at losing weight. Constantly monitoring caloric intake is simply too tedious for most individuals.
An article published in the International Journal of Obesity in 2007 shared the results of a study revolving around diet plans with strict tracking requirements. The study gathered 311 overweight females and randomly placed each of them on either the Atkins Diet, the Zone Diet, the Ornish Diet, or the LEARN Diet.
Before the women began their diets, they were each given a handbook to study and were required to attend a series of eight classes lasting up to an hour each so they could learn about their individual plans. At the completion of their courses, they were required to give a report proving that they understood how to follow their diet plan – and then they were instructed to follow their individual plans for one year.
By the end of the study, none of the women had lost more than ten pounds. All women lost a fair amount of weight during their first two months of dieting, but after the first two months had passed, weight loss slowed significantly, and some women gained weight.
Only one of the 311 women followed her diet exactly as she should have. All the other women failed to follow details in some area or another. Direct correlations were found between how well each female followed her plan and how much weight she lost.
If you’ve had trouble following your current diet plan, you might be a good fit for a diet that is tracked on a weekly – not daily – basis.
The Eat Stop Eat method is a little-known way to simplify your weight loss plan.
Men and women who follow Eat Stop Eat are only required to monitor their diet and exercise during one 24-hour period per week by fasting and weight training. The diet was created in 2008 by Canadian research scientist Brad Pilon, who had spent more than a decade previously working in the nutrition and health field.
Eat Stop Eat users are required to count their calories on a weekly basis rather than daily. This rids the diet of the psychological disadvantages of stress and repetitiveness that come with a daily routine. When individuals are faced with the tiresome task of constantly monitoring their food intake, they often are tempted to give up altogether.
With Eat Stop Eat, dieters only need to reduce their caloric intake over the course of one week. For example, if you need to consume 2,000 calories in order to maintain your current body weight, you would need to reduce your caloric intake by 250 calories daily in order to lose a half a pound per week.
If you attempt to lose weight with the Eat Stop Eat method, however, you are able to eat as you normally would six days out of the week and then fast for one day. You’re still reducing your caloric intake, and you’ll still lose the same amount of weight, but you’ll be able to diet more flexibly while still enjoying your favorite foods.
One of Eat Stop Eat’s mottos is “Think weekly, because nothing changes in one day.” Managing your calories weekly rather than daily produces much less stress, and, as a result, your weight loss results will probably be greater than with most normal diets.
While most Eat Stop Eat users fast one day per week, more experienced and more motivated individuals may fast twice. Users are encouraged to exercise in order to build muscle. Experienced users may be able to fast and exercise on the same day.
While many think fasting can cause the body to store up fat in reaction to its lack of nourishment, Brad Pilon advises that the consumption of small amounts of calories over long periods of time will have no negative effects on metabolism. As long as you exercise, you can still retain and build muscle while fasting. Fasting can even cause cholesterol to be reduced, prompting the body to burn some of its own fat.
Will Kashis is a freelance writer who writes for health sites and recently launched his site at Diets.md
Note – As Will explains not all diets have to be very restrictive if you want to lose a few extra pounds. Eat Stop Eat is a program I have recommended on this site before because I think it offers a viable solution for many people who just don´t have the time or inclination to organise their diet. If you think Eat Stop Eat could be the diet solution for you then visit the official site here —-> Eat Stop Eat Site
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{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
Howard,
I’m a big fan of Eat Stop Eat and tracking calories on a weekly basis. It’s really a chore trying to hit a daily target. Tracking calories weekly allows you much more flexibility, especially with large restaurant meals, which I love.
Alykhan
I’ve never been a believer in strict diets. They may work temporarily but never in the long run. Sticking to fundamental concepts of training and eating right should get the job done.
I like the information in this post, I would like to say that in order to help you stay positive and see your progress, it is necessary to set small goals for your weight loss, rather than huge sweeping goals. It is easy to lose motivation to lose weight when you feel like your goal is so far off. By breaking down your overall weight loss goal into small monthly or even weekly goals, you will be more inclined to stick with it
lose weight