This is a continuation of the article entitled, "Making Diets Work." In the original article, I introduced the concept of Diet ShockTM and its role in weight regain.
Statistically, two out of three dieters (roughly 68%) experience weight regain, which is gaining weight immediately after stopping a diet (in some cases during dieting). Weight regain posses a significant health risk to dieters because it initiates weight cycling, or the Yo-Yo Diet.
Why is this bad? Weight cycling has now been shown to decrease life expectancy rates and increase mortality associated with cardiovascular disease and certain cancers. For you, this means you must lose weight without gaining it back and avoid the dangerous cycle of the Yo-Yo Diet.
How do you diet to lose weight and not gain weight back? It's not easy but I will share with you a few steps from my own research to help make it possible.
Diet Shock to Weight Regain
A quick review is in order before sharing with you the steps involved to prevent weight regain. Diet shock is the body's reaction to eating fewer calories and losing weight.
Unfortunately, diets on the market today employ the exact method of weight loss that causes diet shock...severe calorie restriction producing extreme weight loss in the shortest time possible (aka, fast weight loss). This type of dieting method will eventually cause weight regain.
Why do the current dieting plans promote a weight loss method destined to fail? It's what you want. Fast and extreme weight loss is what sells. Slow and low weight loss (the method I designed several years ago for my overweight patients) does not satisfy the immediate gratification mentality of our society. In a nut shell, slow and low weight loss doesn't sell.
Once in diet shock, your body initiates a series of reactions that ultimately slow down your metabolic rate. From there, weight regain is just around the corner.
Remember, weight regain is not good for two reasons...
1. Leads to the Yo-Yo Diet, which has now been shown to be as much of a health risk as obesity.
2. Weight regain results from a slower metabolism brought about by the breakdown of muscle tissue. The weight you gain back is all fat, replacing the lean tissue (muscle) that was lost due to diet shock. You're actually worse off then you were before starting the diet.
In order for you to lose weight and keep it off, you must make your diet work by adding five simple solutions. As a whole, the five solutions will prevent diet shock and weight regain. Without the 5 simple solutions, weight regain is inevitable.
Five Simple Solutions for Losing Weight and Keeping it Off
1. Keep, tone, and build muscle through resistance exercises using resistance bands.
This is an easy way to, at least, tone muscle. Additionally, I teach a little trick that can actually tone muscle faster, in about half the normal time. It's simple and quick with one training session lasting only 30 minutes.
2. Add more protein and raw vegetables to your diet.
Just keep your total protein intake under 1.5 grams per kg of body weight (1 pound=2.2 kg).
3. Shape your weight loss goals and cycle your diet.
On average, you can double your chance for weight loss success by doing applying the two techniques (based on research collected from my patients).
4. Exchange it, couple it, and combine it.
Three more techniques to almost guarantee your success at losing weight AND keeping it off.
5. Follow a maintenance plan to keep it off (it's almost like a separate diet).
The simple maintenance plan that I developed is an absolute requirement for successful prevention of weight regain.
Don't even try to diet without applying these simple solutions. For details, check out my site at the URL given in my Bio section.
To Healthy Living!
Michael A. Smith, MD
Chief Medical Consultant
Diet Basics Website
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