There is a very interesting report in a recent edition of The New England Journal of Medicine has found that it really doesn’t matter whether you go on a low carb diet, a high protein diet, a low fat diet an Atkins diet, a Zone diet or even an Ornish diet, it all boils down to the number of calories you take in and the number of calories you expend…so it’s calories in and calories out. Goodbye to diets then?
When you look at these studies, it’s a good idea to see how long they ran for and how many people were involved. In this study it was over two years and involved 800 people, so it was a very comprehensive study. The study also found that the weight people lost came back again…hey ho, have we heard this before? Couple this with the results of a recent study carried out by UCLA where they found that the majority of people who went on a diet never achieved permanent weight loss, and you are getting a very clear picture about the ineffectiveness of diets.
The bottom line is that diets don’t work. The other thing that they found lacking was any form of structure. People found that there was no clear guidance or support.
Most diet books, Atkins included are over-complicated and difficult to follow. Not everybody who wants to lose weight has a university degree! Weight loss programs need to be clear and simple to follow.
The best way to lose weight is not to go on a diet. It can’t be put more simply than that!
It is of course about calories in and calories out and this can be put into a very simple and structured format of habits, slim habits, habits that include what you eat and how much you eat. Habits about calories and about exercise. Only by learning new habits can you get rid of your old bad habits and achieve permanent weight loss.
