Many Dieters Feel That It Is Time for Change

As the American way of life changed significantly following World War II, the Soup Diet allowed people to eat unlimited amounts of cabbage soup. The fad diet was so restricted in calories that the body had to shed pounds. However, most of the weight was likely to return once the diet was stopped. Experts often argue that rather than dieting leading to short-term weight loss followed by long-term weight gain, the relationship should be analyzed in the opposite direction. In other words, people who are prone to gain weight are more likely to follow a diet in the first place. The recent decline in dieting is obvious in dieters who have already adopted new attitudes about being overweight.

Dietary studies show that most fad diets were never intended for people to achieve unsustainable weight loss goals for the long-term due to challenges, such as:

• WEIGHT CYCLING - Research shows that losing weight quickly and gaining it back repeatedly confuses your body and makes it more difficult to lose weight on subsequent attempts. Crash diets can cause muscle loss along with a reduction in stored fat.
• CULTURAL NORMS - Many Americans have abandoned hope that a diet is a temporary change of eating habits that will allow them to make major adjustments to their weight. This has caused a cultural shift in seeing strict dieting or fad dieting as an effective way of achieving permanent weight loss.
• FORBIDDEN FOOD LISTS - Some people do well with a forbidden food list, whereas others become obsessed with not being able to eat the foods listed. If you feel like you have to eat something, it is best to eat it, enjoy it and get over it.
• LOW LEPTIN HORMONE - Sleep deprivation causes changes to hormone production that regulate your hunger and appetite. The leptin hormone encourages your body to expend energy and suppresses appetite. The appetite hormone ghrelin goes up when you're short on sleep.
• TOO MANY RESTRICTIONS - You should always eat smart, but if you fail to eat enough food, you may miss essential foods such as fruits, veggies and proteins that provide the energy you need to stay strong.
• EXAGGERATING NEGATIVES - As long as you focus on the negatives or setbacks, you will never feel empowered by the new skills that you've developed. If you make a mistake, correct it and move on. Instead of exaggerating the negatives, review the positive things you did that day.

You may need to give up on the idea of perfect control of your diet to improve your overall self-control by eliminating food-related stress and anxiety. One of the most useful approaches to permanent weight loss is to review your own success stories. Those who adopt a mindful attitude toward eating will constantly be applying knowledge about their dietary needs, such as the best portion sizes to keep the weight off. If you are looking for a weight loss strategy that encourages you to appreciate and celebrate your body while working to restore your good health, schedule a free, no-obligations consultation at the Metabolic Research Center nearest you.