The Best Way to Lose Weight

It Might Not Be What You Think

 

 

If you’re looking for a quick way to lose weight, the old method of cutting back on calories and adding more exercise to your daily routine can certainly be effective. In fact, many people find this to be the best way to lose weight for an upcoming special event; however, while this method can be effective, it’s usually short lived. In other words, you might lose some weight, maybe even a considerable amount of weight, but research shows that the majority of people who implement this type of calorie restriction weight loss method will gain back the lost weight, and then some.

 

 

Maybe It’s Not All About Restricting Calories

 

According to Dr. Ludwig, an endocrinologist and professor of nutrition at Harvard School of Public Health, the long term rate of weight loss success among obese individuals is abysmal. In fact, this is why new weight loss plans and diets come out every year. The weight loss industry is a billion dollar a year enterprise. Maybe eating less isn’t the solution to long-term weight loss success.

Cutting back on calories will cause the body to fight back in several ways. For example, one of the first things that will happen is you’ll get hungry. You might be able to ignore hunger for a short time; you might even be able to trick your body by drinking a lot of water or by going for a long walk, but you’re not going to be able to sustain the restricted calories forever.

Additionally, when you’re hungry and not getting enough calories, your body retaliates by slowing your metabolic rate. This is the body’s way of conserving energy. Unfortunately, it also means that you’re burning fewer calories, so you’ll need to cut even more calories from your diet if you want to keep losing weight.

If you restrict calories long enough, your brain will signal your body that it’s starving. When this happens, biological responses will be triggered that will signal your fat cells to begin storing any calories they can. Of course, this is exactly what you’re trying to avoid. This is the problem with traditional diets, they simply work against your natural biology. For sustained weight loss, you need to actually work with your body.

 

 

How can you work with your body?

 

The best way to work with your body is to make sure that you’re eating the right foods. For example, it’s important to have a diet that contains health sources of dietary fats, such as olive oil, avocados, nuts, nut butters, full-fat dairy products, dark chocolate, and full-fat salad dressings.

 

Eliminate Refined Carbs

For two weeks, eliminate refined carbs, like pretzels, breads, cookies, chips, and processed snacks from your diet. Starchy vegetables such as potatoes should also be avoided. When you follow this way of eating, the hunger will subside and your body will no longer need to store fat. Foods that you can eat include fish, meat, fruit, non-starchy vegetables, beans, and a variety of other whole foods. In fact, you can eat as much of these allowed foods as you like.

Many experts agree that eating healthy fats can help promote weight loss. They not only quell hunger, but they also increase your feeling of fullness. This can certainly help make it more comfortable for you to lose weight. Clearly, the best way to lose weight is to replace unhealthy carbs with healthy fats.

After you’ve followed this eating plan for 2 weeks, you can begin to add whole grains and starchy vegetables back into your diet. These can include grains such as buckwheat, quinoa, and steel-cut oats.

 

What to Expect

A pilot study showed people who followed this diet lost up to 2 pounds per week – without feeling hungry.  Your weight will reach a lower set point where you’ll be able to start adding some processed carbs back into your diet; in moderation, of course. Your new diet plan will be much like the healthy Mediterranean diet way of eating. This diet plan isn’t extreme, but if your ultimate goal is to find the best way to lose weight and keep it off, then this is the method that is supported by science.

 

What about exercise?

There are many very good reasons why you should be getting regular exercise; however, without a major change to your diet, exercise isn’t going to help you lose much weight. If you’re looking for the best workout to go along with your healthier eating plan, a HIIT or High Intensity Interval Training program is a great choice. All exercise is beneficial, but the bursts of high intensity activity has been linked to helping lower body weight.

 

 

Courtesy of Time.