When you talk about diet plans, you need to be careful not to group all diets together. Some diets are developed after years of scientific research and others are created to generate revenue by selling books and videos. Fad diets are not the same thing as scientific diets and crash diets are not the same as a change in lifestyle.
The word “diet” is also a little misunderstood. According to Psychology Today, a diet is made up of your normal eating habits and consists of the foods that you eat. Everyone is on a diet, but not every diet is healthy. As we examine the effectiveness of diet plans, let’s keep in mind that we are talking about the plans that are created to improve health and help people to lose weight.
Diets Need To Be Comprehensive To Be Effective
Fad diets rarely work because they ask people to make sudden and drastic changes to their eating habits for the purpose of losing weight. Even if you lose weight on a fad diet, you will gain it back as you reward yourself for losing so much weight by eating the foods that caused you problems in the first place.
The medical experts at WebMD point out that diet needs to utilize more than just willpower to be successful. You need to analyze your eating habits and make adjustments to those habits that will bring about positive results. For example, you may just need to lower your intake of carbohydrates to lose weight instead of eliminating them completely. You can still have the carbs you love, but in lesser portions. This is a comprehensive program that puts you in a position to succeed.
You Need To Develop Realistic Expectations
WebMD also reminds us that setting drastic weight loss goals is unhealthy and unrealistic. Unfortunately, it is much easier to gain weight than to lose weight, but that does not mean that you should set unhealthy goals just to lose those extra pounds.
A gradual diet plan that allows you to make a series of changes to the way you eat and puts you in a position to lose a healthy amount of weight each week is the best approach. This is the type of diet plan you are most likely to keep and it is also a diet plan that will allow you to maintain your health as you lose weight.
Don’t Diet Alone
Some of the most successful diet plans are done through support networks that people use to fend off cravings and stay on their programs. Even the healthiest and most gradual diet plan can be difficult at first, especially if you have been used to eating unhealthy foods for years.
If you want your diet plan to succeed, then do not diet alone. There are online support networks you can use, or you can join a local weight loss group and make some new friends while you shed the pounds.
Remember To Exercise As Well
For a diet to work, you need to start burning off the excess weight as you change your eating habits. We talked with Max Fitness Academy about this idea, and they added, “Exercise is a good idea in general because healthy blood circulation keeps your body’s joints and organs healthy. Exercise when used in conjunction with a good diet plan will help you to gain natural energy as you lose weight and feel much better about yourself.”
Do diet plans really work? Fad diets and crash diets that try to get you to lose a lot of weight fast are both unhealthy and ineffective. But when you follow a diet plan that is gradual and sets realistic expectations, then you can expect to feel and become healthier as time goes by.
