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Contrary to the consistent marketing efforts of the multi billion pound diet industry (estimated to be worth a staggering US$586.3 billion by 2014*), diets don’t work and I’m here to tell you the truth. The truth is diets only work as a limited and superficial solution to the problem of being overweight and obesity. They may help you to lose the weight, but what’s the point if (like an unbelievable 90-95% of dieters), you end up putting it all back on again?
What you really want is an effective, long-term strategy – a change in lifestyle – to address the cause of the problem and most importantly keep the weight off.
As someone who has spent many years of my adult life on what I call the yo-yo treadmill, I have personally researched almost every diet on the market. You too huh?
This includes a period spent following a somewhat effective Very Low Calorie Diet with which I successfully lost over 4 stone. I say somewhat effective since without a plan beyond losing the weight I quickly began to put the weight back on again until I slammed the brakes and put more effective weight management strategies in place. So I’m here to tell you that diets alone don’t work, at least not as a sole solution to losing weight.
I repeat, diets alone do NOT work.
Let’s be clear, I’m not completely against weight reducing diets. Where appropriate I will recommend evidence-based diet plans. But the fact is any weight loss diet will only address the weight problem superficially, and will often do little or nothing to address the cause. Your weight problem is simply a symptom, the effect of a deeper or separate issue altogether.
You need to raise your awareness of what it actually is that’s causing the problem in the first place. You can then design your own individual long-term strategy for success which will enable you to lose the weight AND keep it off. PERMANENTLY! You don’t really want to be on a diet for the rest of your life. That would so NOT be fun.
By all means go on a sensible, weight reducing diet, but BE WARNED, your dietary intake is just one component of your weight.
So make this time the start of your introduction to your new healthy habits.
Better still try to incorporate healthy changes to your diet that you can stick to for the long haul. Take my advice and use these tips to work out a simple, sustainable strategy for losing the weight and keeping it off!
*Global Weight Management market 2009 (Markets & Markets Research)
About Author: Linda Stewart, the Healthy Living Coach, is a Women’s Coach, Reiki Practitioner, Healthy Living Expert and founder of The Healthy Living Club. Linda empowers busy, health-conscious women across the globe with her simple, transformational, systems, strategies and support that will inspire and motivate you to lose weight, love your body and transform your life. You can grab a free copy of Linda’s latest weight loss report for women “5 Essential Steps to Losing Weight and Keeping It Off” at www.freeweightlosstipsforwomen.com.
