Get out of Weight Loss Trap: Know Why Your Diet Is Not Working

It's just 2 weeks from a wedding and you want to lose weight fast? You require a quick fix and turn to the seemingly obvious solution - Crash Diet. Crash or fad diets are the ones that focus mainly on deprivation to achieve extreme weight loss in a short period.

There seems to be a new fad diet cropping up every day be it master cleanse, paleo, detox diet, raw food diet, etc. While these diets as tempting as they promise that they will help you lose weight faster, but the truth is they are doing our bodies much more harm than good.

Read on for reasons as to why you should stay away from these diets.

Deprivation

All the crash diets have one thing in common: Deprivation. The deprivation may be in terms of calories, food groups, or specific foods, but one thing that remains constant in all diets is that they do take something significant away from your diet.

Though this step looks logical, it really is not a viable one. The main reason behind this is that if you cut an entire food group from our diet plans it is a surefire way to increase the temptations and cravings for it and indulging in them can ultimately result in hampering the weight loss.

Food Is Your Foe

Fad diets make you believe that food is your enemy which is not actually true. Food when eaten in balanced proportions, helps to nourish your body and improve the functioning of the entire system.

Instead of cutting the entire food groups, the focus should be on the addition of quality foods into your diets. Ranging from whole grains to nutrient-dense fruits and veggies, there are plenty of satisfying foods that you can add in your diet to aid the weight loss process.

Unsustainable

Another major problem is that fad diets are unsustainable in the long run. The reason behind this is that our bodies are not build to endure the level of deprivation demanded by these fad diets. For example: if you restrict calories your body starts burning the muscles instead of fats which ultimately makes a negative impact on your metabolism levels.

As a result of this at the end of the diet when you step on the scale you might find that you've actually gained weight instead of losing. This type of fad diets are extremely dangerous and can have detrimental effects on your health in the long run including the increased risk of heart disease, damage to arteries, and the immune system.

What Can You Do to Lose Weight Without Risking Your Health?

It’s no secret that fats have a very poor reputation amongst weight watchers. Intake of food items that are high in fats, is generally prohibited by most of the medical communities & nutritional fields. Are you afraid to eat fats too?

Well, then you shouldn’t be. Of your total daily calories, 25 to 30% should come from fat. The key to following here is to pick good-for-you fats and limit the bad ones.

Some of the Major Benefits of Increasing the Consumption of Fats in Your Daily Routine Are –

Eat more fat to burn more fat

From a biochemical point of view, the fad of low-fat diets harms fat/weight loss. Low-fat diets lower the levels of adiponectin, which is actually a true fat-burning hormone that works to enhance your metabolism and increase the rate in which fats are broken down. Intake of good fats boosts the functioning of adiponectin, which helps to boost the weight loss process.

Eating fats curbs your appetite

Nothing is worse than eating a low-calorie diet that leaves your hungry all the time. The best benefit of including fats in your diet is its satiating effect, which keeps you full for longer. Intake of fats results in releasing CCK and PYY hormones, which helps in appetite regulation. The more satiated you are, the less likely it is that you’re going to sneak in snacks between meals or pile on a second helping.

Eating fat reduces the intake of carbs

The total nutrient consumption of your food needs to sum up to a total of 100%. Increasing the intake of one nutrient will lower down the levels of the other one. The first nutrient that should be given priority is the proteins followed by fats and carbs.

If you increase the intake of fats in your diet it indicates the intake of fewer carbs. From a fat loss perspective, displacing carbohydrates by increasing fat in your diet sets the stage for an optimal fat loss environment.

So What Fats Are You Actually Supposed to Eat and What to Avoid?

The Good: Monounsaturated & Polyunsaturated Fats

Monounsaturated Fats

Benefits:

These fats, known as MUFAs, raise the good HDL cholesterol, lower the bad LDL cholesterol. Along with this, they also protect against the buildup of plaque in your arteries. Not only this, but studies have also shown that they help to prevent belly fat.*Food items: These fats are found in olive oil and olives, canola oil, almonds, cashews, peanuts, peanut butter, sesame seeds, and avocados.

Quantity:

Most of the fat you eat should be unsaturated, like MUFAs. Dr. Roberts says that “Just two to three tablespoons of olive oil a day can raise HDL levels and protect against heart disease.”

Polyunsaturated Fats

Benefits:

These fats also prove helpful to lower down your LDL levels. Along with this, they also contain essential omega-3 fatty acid, which helps to strengthen your immune system, keeps your skin & eyes healthy, boosts brain functioning and also improves your mood.

Food items: Omega-3s are primarily in fish as well as flaxseed, chia seeds, walnuts, canola oil, and tofu. Omega-6s are in corn and safflower oil, corn-fed chicken, and beef and farmed fish.

Quantity:

Most of the PUFAs, you eat should be omega-3s. To increase its consumption replace vegetable oil with canola oil and increase the intake of fish. Also, the intake of omega 6 should be limited as it can lead to inflammation that further links to heart diseases.

The Bad: Saturated Fats

Outcomes: The intake of saturated fats should be kept to a minimum as they are mainly responsible for raising the cholesterol levels and also increase the risk of heart diseases.

Food items: In meat and poultry, in dairy products like cream, butter, and whole and 2 percent milk, and in some plant foods like coconut and palm oil.

Quantity: If possible saturated fats must be avoided as they don’t make any healthy contribution towards your body. In case you still consume, their quantity should be restricted to less than 10% of your total calorie intake!

The Ugly: Trans Fats

Outcomes: Trans fats raise bad LDL and lower good HDL, increasing inflammation throughout the body. They promote heart disease 100 percent.

Food items: In margarine, doughnuts, french fries, and processed foods such as crackers, cookies, chips, and cakes.

Quantity: Zero. Avoid them completely!

So finally we can conclude that instead of making anyone nutrient a villain, we need to be calculative about the total calorie content of the food we eat for faster weight loss!

The Bottom Line

Thus, the crux of the above discussion can be concluded that the healthiest and best way to shed off those extra pounds permanently is to aim for 1-2 pounds of weight loss per week. There is no need to rely on "Fast Weight Loss Diets" as they will not be sustainable in the long run.

Rather than expecting a transformation overnight try to focus on creating one healthy habit a week. Along with this stop treating food as your enemy and start considering exercise as your friend and you will definitely reach your desired weight loss goals before the special occasion!