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

For most people reading this article, finding a highly effective diet that functions most of the time must seem as complicated as nuclear physics. It's not, but there are always a bewildering quantity of options for diets out there. High fat or no fat? High-carb or no carbohydrate? Low protein or high protein? To make matters worse, there are always a million variants and combos to the above diet plan scenarios to increase the confusion. It seems limitless and causes many people to provide their hands in frustration and present up. In this article I will attempt to change all that.

There are several general guidelines, rules of thumb, and ways of viewing a diet program that will allow you to decide, once and for all, if it's the proper diet for you. You may not constantly like what I have to say, and you should be under no illusions this is another quick fix, "lose 100 pounds. in 20 days," guidebook of some kind. However, if you are sick and tired of being confused, tired of acquiring the weight off and then put it back again on, and sick and tired of wondering how exactly to take the first steps to deciding the proper diet for you which will result in long lasting weight loss, then this is the article that could transformation your life...

Does your daily diet pass "The Test"?

What is the number one reason diets fail long term; above all else? The number one reason is...drum roll...too little long term compliance. The amounts don't lie; a large proportion of individuals who lose excess weight will regain it - and often exceed what they lost. You knew that already didn't you?

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

If your goal is to reduce some weight abide by it, then choose one and quickly. I assure you will lose some weight. Studies generally find the commercial weight reduction diets will get around the same amount of excess weight off after six months to a year. For example, a recent research found the Atkins' Diet, Slim-Fast plan, Weight Watchers Pure Points system, and Rosemary Conley's Eat Yourself Slim diet plan, were all equally effective. (1)

Other studies comparing various other popular diets have come to essentially the same conclusions. For example, a study that compared the Atkins diet, the Ornish diet, Pounds Watchers, and The Area Diet plan, found them to be fundamentally the same in their ability to take pounds off after twelve months. (2)

Recall what I said about the number one reason diet plans fail, which is a lack of compliance. The business lead researcher of the recent study stated:

"Our trial discovered that adherence level instead of diet plan type was the primary predictor of weight reduction"(3)

Translated, it's not which diet plan they chose per se, but their capability to actually stick to a diet that predicted their pounds loss success. I can just start to see the hands going up right now, "but Will, some diet plans must be better than others, ideal?" Are some diet programs better then others? Definitely. Some diets are healthier after that others, some diet programs are better at preserving lean muscle mass, some diet plans are better at suppressing appetite - there are several differences between diets. However, while most of the popular diet programs will work for taking fat off, what is abundantly apparent is that adhering to the diet is the most important aspect for keeping the pounds off long term.

What is a diet?

A diet plan is a short term strategy to lose fat. Long term weight reduction may be the result of an alteration in life style. We are worried with life lengthy weight management, not quick fix weight loss right here. I do not like the term diet, as it represents a brief term try to lose weight vs. a modification in life-style. Want to lose a bunch of pounds quickly? Heck, I will provide you with the information about how to do 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 pounds. Will it be healthful? Nope. Will the weight stay off once you are finished with this diet and are then forced to return to your "normal" method of eating? Not a opportunity. Will the pounds you lose result from fat or might it be muscle, drinking water, bone, and (ideally!) some fat? The point being, there are plenty of diet plans out there that are flawlessly capable of getting weight off you, however when considering any eating plan designed to lose weight, you need to ask yourself:

"Is this a way 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 life?" Test. I understand, it does not specifically roll off your tongue, but it gets the idea across.

The lesson here's: any nutritional plan you pick to lose weight must be part of a way of living change you will be able to follow - in a single form or another - forever. That is, if it's not a way of feeding on you can comply with indefinitely, even once you obtain to your target weight, then it's worthless.

Thus, many crash diets you see away there are immediately eliminated, and you don't need to be concerned about them. The query is not whether the diet works well in the short term, but if the diet can be adopted indefinitely as a lifelong way of eating. Heading from "their" way of eating back again to "your" way of consuming after you achieve your target weight is normally a recipe for disaster and the reason for the well established yo-yo dieting syndrome. Bottom line: there are no brief cuts, there is no free lunch, and only a commitment to a lifestyle modification is going to keep carefully the fat off lengthy term. I understand that's not what a lot of people want to hear, but it's the truth, enjoy it or not.

The statistics don't lie: obtaining the weight off is not the hardest component, keeping the weight off is! If you take a close look at the many popular fad/commercial diets out right now there, and you are honest with yourself, and apply my check above, you will see most of them no longer appeal to you because they once did. It also brings me to a good example that adds extra clarity: Should you have diet plan A which will cause the most excess weight loss in the shortest period of time but is normally unbalanced and essentially difficult to follow long term vs. diet B, which will take the pounds off at a slower speed, but is simpler to follow, balanced, healthy, and something you can adhere to every year, which is superior? If diet plan A gets 30 lbs off you in thirty days, but by following year you have gained back all 30 lbs, but diet plan B gets 20 lbs off you within the next three months with another 20 lbs 3 months after that and the weight remains off by the finish of this year, which is the better diet?

Unless you know the response to those queries, you have totally missed the idea of this article and the lesson it's trying to instruct you, and are set up for failure. Go back and examine this section once again...By default, diet B is superior.

Teach a man to Fish...

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

This expression fits flawlessly with another essential step in how to decide what diet program you should follow to lose weight permanently. Will the dietary plan plan you are thinking about teach you how exactly to eat very long term, or does it spoon-feed you information? Will the diet rely on special pubs, shakes, supplements or pre-produced foods they supply?

Let's do another diet A vs. diet plan B comparison. Diet plan A will probably give you their foods, as well as their special drink or bars to consume, and tell you precisely when to eat them. You will lose - say - 30 lbs in 8 weeks. Diet B will probably attempt to assist you to find out which foods you should eat, just how many calories you need to eat, why you need to eat them, and generally attempt to help teach you how to eat as part of a total lifestyle change that may allow you to make educated decisions about your nutrition. Diet plan B causes a slow steady weight lack of 8 -10 lbs monthly for the next six months and the excess weight stays off because you now learn how to eat properly.

Recall the Chinese proverb. Both diets will help you to lose weight. Only one diet, however, will educate you on how to be self-reliant after your encounter is over. Diet A is simpler, to be sure, and causes faster pounds loss than diet plan B, and diet B takes much longer and needs some considering and learning on your own part. However, when diet plan A is over, you are right back where you began and have been given no abilities to fish. Diet companies don't make their earnings by teaching you to fish, they make their money by handing you a fish so you must rely on them indefinitely or get back to them once you gain all of the weight back.

Thus, diet B is better for allowing you to succeed where other diet plans failed, with understanding gained that you could apply longer term. Diet plans that try to spoon feed you a diet plan with no attempt to teach you how to consume without their help and/or rely on their shakes, pubs, cookies, or pre-produced foods, can be another diet you can remove from your list of choices.

Diet plans that provide weight loss by drinking their product for a number of meals followed by a "sensible dinner;" diets that allow you to consume their special cookies for most meals along with their pre-prepared menu; or diets that attempt to have you eating their bars, drink, or pre-made meals, are of the diet A variety covered above. They're simple to follow but destined for failing, long term. They all fail the "Can I eat that way for the rest of my life?" test, if you don't think you can consume cookies and shakes for the rest of your life...Important thing here's, if the nutritional approach you use to lose excess weight, be it from a publication, a class, a clinic, or an e-book, does not teach you how to eat, it's a loser for long-term weight reduction and it should be avoided.

The missing link for long-term weight loss

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

I am not going to list all the benefits of regular exercise here, but regular exercise has positive results on your metabolism, enables you to eat even more calories yet still be in a calorie deficit, and will help preserve lean muscle mass (LBM) which is essential to your health and metabolism. The many wellness benefits of regular physical exercise are well known, so I won't bother adding them here. The bottom line here's, (a) when you have any intentions of getting the most from your goal of slimming down and (b) plan to keep it off long term, regular exercise must be a fundamental element of the weight loss strategy. Therefore, you can get rid of any system, be it reserve, e-reserve, clinic, etc. that will not offer you direction and help with this important part of long-term weight loss.

Side Bar: A quick note on exercise:

Any exercise is preferable to no exercise. However, like diet plans, not all exercise is created equal, and many people often pick the wrong type of exercise to maximize their initiatives to lose excess weight. For example, they'll do aerobics solely and ignore weight training. Resistance training is an essential component of fat loss, since it builds muscle essential to your metabolism, raises 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 term 'weight loss' throughout this content, I do so only since it is usually a familiar term a lot of people understand. However, the real focus and objective of a properly set up nutrition and exercise plan should be on weight loss, not weight loss. A concentrate on losing weight, which might add a loss essential muscle tissue, water, and even bone, along with fat, may be the wrong approach. Losing the fat and keeping the all important lean body mass (LBM), may be the goal, and the technique for achieving which can be found in my ebook(s) on the topic, and is definitely beyond the scope of the article. Bottom line: the type of exercise, intensity of this exercise, length of time doing that exercise, etc., are essential variables here when wanting to lose weight while retaining (LBM).

Psychology 101 of long-term weight loss

Many diet programs out there don't address the psychological facet of why people neglect to be effective with long-term weight loss. However, several studies exist that have looked at just that. In lots of respects, the psychological element is the most important for long term weight loss, and probably the most underappreciated component.

Studies that compare the psychological characteristics of people who have successfully kept the excess weight off to people who have regained the pounds, see clear distinctions between these two groups. For instance, one study that viewed 28 obese females who had lost weight but regained the fat that they had lost, in comparison to 28 formerly obese females who had lost pounds and taken care of their excess weight for at least twelve months and 20 ladies with a stable weight in the healthy range, found the ladies who regained the excess weight:

o Had a tendency to judge self-worth with regards to weight and shape

o Had a lack of vigilance in regards to to weight control

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

o Had the inclination to use eating to regulate mood.

The researchers concluded:

"The results suggest that psychological factors might provide some explanation as to the reasons many people who have obesity regain weight subsequent successful weight loss."

This particular study was done on women, so that it reflects some of the specific psychological issues women have - but make no mistake here - men also have their own psychological issues 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 traits common to people who experienced successful long-term weight loss include "...an internal motivation to lose weight, sociable support, better coping strategies and ability to handle life stress, self-efficacy, autonomy, assuming responsibility in life, and general more mental strength and stability." (8)

The main point of the section is to illustrate that psychology plays a major role in identifying if people are successful with long-term weight loss. Whether it's not addressed within the overall plan, it can be the factor which makes or breaks your achievement. This, however, isn't a location most nutrition applications can adequately tackle and should not be likely to. Nevertheless, the better applications do generally attempt to help with inspiration, goal setting, and support. If you see yourself in the above lists from the organizations that failed to maintain their weight longer term, after that know you will need to address those issues via counseling, organizations, etc. Don't expect any weight loss program to cover this topic adequately but do search for programs that attempt to offer support, goal setting techniques, and resources which will keep you on track.

"There's a sucker born every minute"

So why don't you see this kind of honest details about the realities of long-term weight loss more often? Let's not pretend here, telling the truth is not the easiest method to sell pubs, shakes, books, products, and applications. Hell, if by some miracle everyone who read this article in fact followed it, and sent it to millions of others who in fact followed it, makers of said products could be in financial problems quickly. However, they also know - as the man said - "there's a sucker born every minute," so I doubt they'll be kept up during the night worrying about the consequences that I, or this content, could have on their business.

So let's recap what has been learned here: the picture as a whole realities of long term weight loss and how you can look at a weightloss program and choose for yourself if it's for you based on what has been covered above:

o Permanent weight loss is not about finding an instant fix diet, but making a commitment alive style changes that include nutrition and exercise

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

o The weightloss program you choose should eventually teach you how exactly to eat and become self reliant so that you can help to make informed long term choices about your nourishment.

o The weight loss program you choose should not keep you reliant on business bars, shakes, supplements, or pre-produced foods, for your long term success.

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

o The weightloss program you choose should try to help with inspiration, goal setting, and support, but can't be an upgraded for psychological counseling if needed.

Conclusion

I wish to take this last section to add some additional points and clarity. For starters, the above advice isn't for everyone. It's not intended for those who really have their nutrition dialed in, such as for example competitive bodybuilders and various other athletes who benefit from fairly dramatic changes within their nutrition, such as 'off time of year' and 'pre-contest' and so forth.

The article can be not intended for those with medical issues who may be on a specific diet to treat or manage a specific medical condition. The article is meant for the average indivdual who wants to log off the Yo-Yo diet plan merry-go-round once and for all. As that's most likely 99% of the population, it will cover millions of people.

People also needs to not be frightened off by my "you have to eat this way forever" advice. This does not mean you'll be dieting for the rest of your existence and have nothing but starvation to look forward to. What it does mean, nevertheless, is you will need http://kamerongloh702.lucialpiazzale.com/why-we-love-personal-trainer-nj-and-you-should-too to figure out how to eat properly even after you reach your target weight and that method of eating should not be an enormous departure from how you ate to lose the weight to begin with. Once you can your target weight - and or your focus on bodyfat amounts - you will look at a maintenance phase which generally has more calories and options of food, even the occasional treat, such as a slice of pizza or whatever.

Maintenance diets are a logical extension of the dietary plan you used to reduce the weight, however they are not based on the diet you followed that place the weight on to begin with!

Irrespective of which program you choose, use the above 'big picture' approach which will keep you on the right track for long-term weight loss. Find you in the fitness center!

References

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

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

(3) Comparison of Diets for Weight Loss 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 successful at weight loss maintenance. International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and EXERCISE 2006, 3:17 doi:10.1186/1479-5868-3-17

(5) Byrne S, et al. Weight maintenance and relapse in weight problems: 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 weight maintenance intervention and 2-y follow-up in obese men.Int J Obes Relat Metab Disord. 2004 Dec;28(12):1548-54.

(7) Byrne SM. Psychological aspects of excess weight maintenance and relapse in weight problems. J Psychosom Res. 2002 Nov;53(5):1029-36.

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

Author Bio

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

His often cutting edge articles are available in publications such as for example Lets Live, Muscle Media , MuscleMag International, THE LIFE SPAN Extension Magazine, Muscle tissue n Fitness, Workout For Guys Only, and numerous others.

He has been co writer of several studies relating to sports nutrition and health within peer reviewed academic journals, in addition to having commentary published in JAMA. Will formerly trained higher level Olympic athletes, bodybuilders and fitness and today runs seminars for (SWAT).

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