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Most people who read my content and e-books know me personally as a science guy who likes to quote studies and apply research to everyday problems such as weight loss, bodybuilding, and other health/fitness related topics. Nevertheless, sometimes you have to step back from the science and look at the picture as a whole to help bring people back into focus, so they can see the forest for the trees, so to speak.

For most people reading this article, finding a highly effective diet that works most of the time must appear as complicated as nuclear physics. It's not, but there are a bewildering amount of choices for diet programs out there. High unwanted fat or no fat? High carbohydrate or no carbohydrate? Low protein or high proteins? To make matters even worse, there are always a million variants and mixtures to the above diet plan scenarios to increase the confusion. It seems countless and causes many visitors to provide their hands in frustration and give up. In this post I will attempt to change all that.

There are several general guidelines, rules of thumb, and ways of viewing a eating plan that will enable you to decide, once and for all, if it's the right diet for you. You may not usually like what I have to say, and you should be under no illusions this is another magic pill, "lose 100 pounds. in 20 days," guideline of some sort. However, in case you are sick and tired of being confused, tired of taking the weight off and then put it back on, and sick and tired of wondering how to take the 1st methods to deciding the right diet plan for you that may result in permanent weight loss, after that this is the content that could change your life...

Does your diet pass "The Test"?

What is the number one reason diets fail long term; most of all? The number one cause is...drum roll...a lack of long term compliance. The quantities don't lie; the vast majority of individuals who lose excess weight will restore it - and often exceed what they dropped. You knew that already didn't you?

Yet, what are you doing in order to avoid it? Here's another reality check: virtually any diet you pick which follows the essential concept of "burning" more calories you then consume - the well approved "calories in calories out" mantra - will cause you to lose weight. To some degree, they all work: Atkins-style, no carb diets, low fat high carb diet plans, all manner of fad diets - it simply does not matter in the short term.

If your goal is to reduce some weight quickly, then pick one and follow it. I assure you will eventually lose some weight. Studies generally find any of the commercial weight loss diets will get around the same amount of pounds off after six months to a calendar year. For example, a recently available study found the Atkins' Diet plan, Slim-Fast plan, Pounds Watchers Pure Points program, and Rosemary Conley's Eat Yourself Slim diet plan, were all equally effective. (1)

Other studies comparing additional popular diets attended to basically the same conclusions. For example, a study that compared the Atkins diet, the Ornish diet, Excess weight Watchers, and The Area Diet plan, found them to be basically the same in their ability to take fat off after twelve months. (2)

Recall what We said about the main reason diets fail, which really is a lack of compliance. The business lead researcher of the recent study stated:

"Our trial found that adherence level instead of diet type was the principal predictor of weight loss"(3)

Translated, it's not which diet plan they chose by itself, but their ability to actually adhere to a diet plan that predicted their weight loss success. I can just start to see the hands going up today, "but Will, some diet plans must be much better than others, ideal?" Are some diet plans better then others? Certainly. Some diet programs are healthier then others, some diet programs are better at preserving lean muscle mass, some diet programs are better at suppressing urge for food - there are many differences between diets. However, while the majority of the popular diet plans will work for taking weight off, what's abundantly very clear is that adhering to the diet plan is the most important element for keeping the fat off long term.

Exactly what is a diet?

A diet plan is a brief term strategy to lose excess weight. Long term weight loss is the result of a modification in lifestyle. We are worried with life lengthy weight management, not magic pill weight loss here. I don't like the term diet, as it represents a short term try to lose excess weight vs. a modification in life-style. Want to reduce a bunch of weight quickly? Heck, I will provide you with the information on how to achieve that here and today for no charge.

For the next 90 to 120 days eat 12 scrambled egg whites, one whole grapefruit, and a gallon of water twice a a day. You will eventually lose plenty of excess weight. Will it be healthful? Nope. Will the weight stay off once you are finished with this diet and so are then forced to go back to your "normal" method of eating? Not a chance. Will the weight you lose result from fat or will it be muscle, drinking water, bone, and (hopefully!) some fat? The idea being, there are various diets out there that are properly capable of getting pounds off you, however when considering any eating plan made to lose weight, you must ask yourself:

"Is this a means of eating I could follow long term?"

Which brings me to my test: I call it the "MAY I eat that method for the rest of my entire life?" Test. I know, it does not specifically roll off your tongue, nonetheless it gets the idea across.

The lesson here is: any nutritional plan you select to lose weight should be part of a way of life change you will be able to follow - in a single form or another - forever. That's, if it's not really a way of feeding on you can adhere to indefinitely, even after you get to your target weight, then it's worthless.

Thus, many crash diets you see away there are instantly eliminated, and you don't have to be concerned about them. The query isn't whether the diet works well in the short term, if the diet can be implemented indefinitely as a lifelong method of eating. Going from "their" way of eating back to "your" way of eating after you achieve your target weight is certainly a recipe for disaster and the cause of the more developed yo-yo dieting syndrome. Bottom line: there are no brief cuts, there is absolutely no free lunch, and only a commitment to a lifestyle transformation is going to keep the fat off long term. I recognize that's not what a lot of people want to hear, but it's the truth, enjoy it or not.

The figures don't lie: obtaining the weight off isn't the hardest component, keeping the weight off is! Invest the a close look at the many well known fad/commercial diets out generally there, and you are honest with yourself, and apply my test above, you will find most of them no more appeal to you because they once did. In addition, it brings me to an example that adds additional clarity: In case you have diet A which will cause the most pounds reduction in the shortest amount of time but is certainly unbalanced and essentially difficult to follow long term vs. diet B, that will take the fat off at a slower speed, but is easier to follow, balanced, healthful, then one you can comply with every year, which is excellent? If diet A gets 30 lbs off you in thirty days, but by next year you have gained back all 30 lbs, but diet plan B gets 20 lbs off you in the next 3 months with another 20 lbs three months from then on and the weight stays off by the finish of that year, which is the better diet?

Unless you know the answer to those questions, you have totally missed the point of this article and the lesson it's trying to instruct you, and are create for failure. Return back and go through this section again...By default, diet plan B is superior.

Teach a guy to Fish...

A favorite Chinese Proverb is - Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day time. Teach a guy to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.

This expression fits perfectly with the next essential step in how exactly to decide what eating plan you should follow to lose excess weight permanently. Will the dietary plan plan you are considering teach you how exactly to eat very long term, or does it spoon-feed you info? Will the diet depend on special bars, shakes, supplements or pre-produced foods they supply?

Let's perform another diet plan A vs. diet B comparison. Diet plan A is going to supply you with their foods, and also their special drink or bars to eat, and tell you precisely when to eat them. You will lose - say - 30 pounds in two months. Diet B will probably attempt to help you find out which foods you should eat, how many calories you need to eat, why you need to eat them, and generally attempt to help train you how to eat as part of a total lifestyle change that will permit you to make informed decisions about your nourishment. Diet plan B causes a sluggish steady weight lack of 8 -10 lbs monthly for the next 6 months and the fat stays off because you right now learn how to eat properly.

Recall the Chinese proverb. Both diets will assist you to lose excess weight. Only one diet, however, will educate you on how to end up being self-reliant after your experience has ended. Diet A is simpler, to be certain, and causes faster fat loss than diet B, and diet plan B takes longer and needs some considering and learning on your own part. However, when diet plan A is over, you are back where you started and have been given no abilities to fish. Diet companies don't make their income by teaching you to fish, they make their money by handing you a seafood so you must depend on them indefinitely or get back to them once you gain all of the weight back.

Thus, diet plan B is first-class for allowing you to succeed where other diet plans failed, with understanding gained that you can apply very long term. Diet programs that try to spoon feed you a diet with no attempt to educate you on how to eat without their help and/or depend on their shakes, pubs, cookies, or pre-produced foods, can be another diet you can eliminate from your set of choices.

Diet plans that provide weight loss by drinking their product for several meals accompanied by a "sensible dinner;" diets that enable you to eat their special cookies for most meals with their pre-planned menu; or diet plans that attempt to perhaps you have eating their bars, beverage, or pre-made meals, are of the diet A variety covered above. They're easy to follow but destined for failure, long term. Each of them fail the "MAY I eat that method for the rest of my life?" test, unless you think you can consume cookies and shakes for the others of your life...Bottom line here is, if the nutritional approach you use to lose excess weight, be it from a book, a class, a clinic, or an e-book, will not teach you how to eat, it's a loser for long term weight loss and it should be avoided.

The missing web page link for long-term weight loss

We now make our way to another test to assist you choose a nutrition plan for long-term weight reduction, and it generally does not actually involve nourishment. The missing hyperlink for long-term weight loss is workout. Exercise is the essential element of long term weight loss. Many diet plans do not contain an exercise component, this means they are losers for long-term weight reduction from the very start. Any program that has its concentrate on weight reduction but does not add a comprehensive fitness plan is like investing in a car without wheels, or a plane without wings. Individuals who have successfully kept the fat off overwhelmingly have incorporated exercise into their lives, and the research that look at individuals who have successfully lost weight and held it off invariably discover these people were consistent with their diet and exercise plans. (4)

I am not likely to list all the advantages of regular physical exercise here, but regular physical exercise has positive effects on your metabolism, allows you to eat even more calories yet still be in a calorie deficit, and may help preserve lean muscle (LBM) which is essential to your wellbeing and metabolism. The many wellness benefits of regular exercise are well known, therefore i won't bother adding them here. The bottom line here is, (a) in case you have any intentions of getting the most from your own goal of losing weight and (b) plan to keep it off long term, regular exercise must be a fundamental element of the weight reduction strategy. Therefore, you can eliminate any program, be it reserve, e-publication, clinic, etc. that will not offer you path and help with this essential part of long-term weight loss.

Side Bar: A quick note on exercise:

Any exercise is better than no exercise. However, like weight loss programs, not all exercise is created equal, and many people often choose the wrong kind of exercise to maximize their attempts to lose weight. For example, they will do aerobics exclusively and ignore resistance training. Resistance training is an essential component of fat loss, since it builds muscle essential to your metabolism, boosts 24 hour energy expenditure, and has health benefits beyond aerobics.

The reader may also note I said weight loss above not weight loss. Though I use the word 'weight reduction' throughout this content, I do so only because it is a familiar term most people understand. However, the true focus and objective of a properly create nutrition and fitness plan should end up being on fat loss, not weight loss. A focus on losing weight, which may add a loss essential muscle tissue, water, and also bone, in addition to fat, may be the wrong strategy. Losing the extra fat and keeping the all important lean muscle (LBM), may be the goal, and the method for achieving which can be within my ebook(s) on the topic, and is definitely beyond the scope of the article. Important thing: the kind of exercise, intensity of that exercise, length of time carrying out that exercise, etc., are crucial variables here when wanting to lose FAT while retaining (LBM).

Psychology 101 of long term weight loss

Many diet programs away there don't address the psychological aspect of why people neglect to be successful with long-term weight loss. However, a number of studies exist which have looked at just that. In lots of respects, the psychological element is the most crucial for long-term weight loss, and essentially the most underappreciated component.

Studies that compare the psychological characteristics of people who've successfully kept the pounds off to individuals who have regained the pounds, see clear differences between both of these groups. For example, one study that looked at 28 obese females who had lost excess weight but regained the excess weight that they had lost, in comparison to 28 formerly obese ladies who had lost weight and maintained their excess weight for at least twelve months and 20 women with a stable weight in the healthy range, found the women who regained the excess weight:

o Had a tendency to judge self-worth in conditions of weight and shape

o Had too little vigilance in regards to to weight control

o had a dichotomous (black-and-white) thinking style

o Had the inclination to use taking in to regulate mood.

The researchers concluded:

"The results recommend that psychological factors may provide some explanation as to the reasons many people with obesity regain weight subsequent successful weight loss."

This particular study was done on women, so it reflects a few of the specific psychological issues women have - but make no blunder here - men also have their own psychological conditions that can sabotage their long-term weight loss efforts. (6)

Additional studies on women and men find psychological qualities such as for example "having unrealistic weight goals, poor coping or problem-solving skills and low self-efficacy" often predict failure with long term weight loss. (7) On the other hand, psychological characteristics common to individuals who experienced successful long term weight loss include "...an interior motivation to lose weight, sociable support, better coping strategies and capability to handle life stress, self-efficacy, autonomy, assuming responsibility in life, and overall more psychological strength and stability." (8)

The main point of this section is to illustrate that psychology plays a significant role in identifying if people are successful with long-term weight loss. Whether it's not addressed as part of the overall plan, it can be the factor which makes or breaks your success. This, however, isn't a location most nutrition programs can adequately deal with and should not be expected to. Nevertheless, the better applications do generally try to help with motivation, goal setting techniques, and support. If you https://500px.com/p/jaggedfitness see yourself in the above lists from the organizations that failed to maintain their weight long term, after that know you will have to address those issues via counseling, support groups, etc. Don't expect any weightloss program to cover this subject adequately but do look for programs that try to offer support, goal setting, and resources which will keep you on the right track.

"There's a sucker born every minute"

So why don't you see this type of honest information about the realities of long term weight loss more often? Let's be honest here, telling the simple truth is not the simplest way to sell bars, shakes, books, products, and programs. Hell, if by some miracle everyone who read this article in fact followed it, and delivered it on to millions of other people who in fact followed it, manufacturers of said items could be in financial difficulty quickly. However, in addition they know - as the person stated - "there's a sucker born every minute," so I doubt they'll be kept up at night worrying about the consequences that I, or this article, could have on their business.

Therefore let's recap what has been learned here: the big picture realities of long term weight loss and how you can look at a weight loss program and decide for yourself if it's for you based on what has been covered over:

o Permanent weight loss isn't about finding an instant fix diet, but building a commitment to life style changes that include nutrition and exercise

o Any weight loss program you choose must pass the "Can I eat that method for the rest of my life?" test,

o The weight loss program you choose should ultimately teach you how exactly to eat and be self reliant so http://www.thefreedictionary.com/New Jersey that you can help to make informed long term choices about your nutrition.

o The weight loss program you choose shouldn't keep you reliant on commercial bars, shakes, supplements, or pre-made foods, for your long term success.

o The weight loss program you choose must have an effective exercise component.

o The weight loss program you choose should attempt to help with motivation, goal setting, and support, but can not be a replacement for psychological counseling if needed.

Conclusion

I want to take this last section to include some additional points and clarity. For starters, the above advice isn't for everyone. It's not intended for those who genuinely have their diet dialed in, such as for example competitive bodybuilders and additional athletes who reap the benefits of fairly dramatic changes in their nutrition, such as for example 'off time of year' and 'pre-contest' and so forth.

The article is also not intended for people that have medical issues who could be on a specific diet to take care of or manage a specific medical condition. This article is intended for the average indivdual who wants to get off the Yo-Yo diet plan merry-go-round forever. As that's probably 99% of the population, it will cover millions of people.

People should also not be scared off by my "you have to eat in this manner forever" advice. This does not mean you will be dieting for the rest of your lifestyle and have only starvation to anticipate. What it does mean, nevertheless, is you will need to figure out how to eat properly actually once you reach your target body weight and that way of eating should not be an enormous departure from how you ate to reduce the weight in the first place. Once you get to your target weight - and or your focus on bodyfat amounts - you will go onto a maintenance phase which generally has even more calories and options of food, actually the occasional treat, just like a slice of pizza or whatever.

Maintenance diets certainly are a logical extension of the diet you used to lose the weight, but they are not predicated on the diet you followed that place the weight on in the first place!

Regardless of which program you choose, utilize the above 'big picture' approach which keeps you on the right track for long term weight loss. Discover you in the gym!

References

(1) Truby H, et al. Randomised controlled trial of four industrial weight reduction programmes in the UK: initial findings from the BBC "diet plan trials" BMJ 2006;332:1309-1314 (3 June),

(2) Michael D., et al, Evaluation of the Atkins, Ornish, Weight Watchers, and Zone Diets for Weight Reduction and Heart Disease Risk Reduction. A Randomized Trial. JAMA. 2005;293:43-53.

(3) Comparison of Diets for Weight Reduction and CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE Risk Reduction-Reply. Michael Dansinger. JAMA. 2005;293:1590-1591.

(4) Kruger J. et al. Dietary and physical activity behaviors among adults effective at weight loss maintenance. International Journal of Behavioral Diet and Physical Activity 2006, 3:17 doi:10.1186/1479-5868-3-17

(5) Byrne S, et al. Weight maintenance and relapse in obesity: a qualitative study. Int J Obes Relat Metab Disord. 2003 Aug;27(8):955-62.

(6) Borg P, et al. Meals selection and eating behaviour during pounds maintenance intervention and 2-y follow-up in obese males.Int J Obes Relat Metab Disord. 2004 Dec;28(12):1548-54.

(7) Byrne SM. Psychological areas of pounds maintenance and relapse in obesity. J Psychosom Res. 2002 Nov;53(5):1029-36.

(8) Elfhag K, et al. Who succeeds in preserving fat loss? A conceptual review of factors associated with weight reduction maintenance and weight regain. Obes Rev. 2005 Feb;6(1):67-85

Author Bio

Will Brink is an author, columnist and expert in the health supplement, fitness, bodybuilding, and excess weight loss industry and has been extensively published. Will graduated from Harvard University with a focus in the organic sciences.

His often ground breaking articles can be found in publications such as for example Lets Live, Muscle Media , MuscleMag International, THE LIFE SPAN Extension Magazine, Muscle n Fitness, Exercise For Males Only, and numerous others.

He has been co author of several studies associated with sports nutrition and health found in peer reviewed academic journals, and also having commentary published in JAMA. Will formerly trained higher level Olympic sports athletes, bodybuilders and fitness and now operates seminars for (SWAT).

He is the author of Bodybuilding Revealed which teaches you how to gain solid muscle mass drug free and Fat Loss Revealed which reveals exactly how to get healthy completely naturally, lean and ripped.