High carb, low carb, high protein, high fat, low fat, the list goes on. There are many diets out there that all claim to help with healthy weight loss, but which one is the best?
When looking at the research into different types of diets, over the long term it actually doesn’t make a difference which one you follow. All diets result in weight loss and while some result in more rapid weight loss initially, over the long term the total amount evens out.
So what matters most when choosing how to achieve your healthy weight loss goals? A healthy weight loss plan must:
- Be sustainable – When making a change think about whether you can keep up that change in the long term. There’s no point making changes to your diet or lifestyle if you can’t keep them up. If you’re making changes that you can’t realistically sustain it will only lead to abandoning of efforts and feelings of failure. Don’t cut out carbs if you love them and can’t see yourself doing it forever. Similarly there’s not point thrashing it out at the gym 7 days a week if you can’t keep it up or just don’t like the gym.
- Provide all your essential nutrition – It’s important that you provide your body with everything it needs, so a balanced nutritional approach is best. Going to extremes and cutting out entire food groups (without a medical reason to do so) and/or overdoing others may lead to unbalanced nutrition. If you are cutting out particular foods, you need to make sure you’re getting that nutrition from somewhere else.
- Not leave you feeling deprived, guilty or anxious about food – this is so important as these feelings only work to sabotage your progress and damage your relationship with food. The more you’re deprived or restricted of something, the more you want it which can lead you to breaking your ‘rules’ and overdoing it. Healthy weight loss doesn’t have to be all or nothing. It’s better to include small amounts of the foods you love, and enjoy them without feeling guilty or anxious.
- Provide you with support and motivation – Having someone who supports your healthy weight loss goals is important for long term success. With any lifestyle change challenges can arise, so having someone in your corner to help guide you through and keep you motivated can be the difference that gets you to your goal.
Ultimately there’s not a one size fits all approach. For healthy weight loss consider your own individual needs and which method will help you keep your weight off in the long term.
At Jenny Craig we have a balanced approach to weight management, and healthy weight loss. With menus that not only provide you with balanced nutrition but also a realistic approach that doesn’t deprive you of your favourite foods. And of course, our members have the benefit of ongoing support and motivation from their own Consultant.
