We’ve all heard the statistics that somewhere around 95% of all dieters gain back any weight they lose and then some. Why is that the vast majority of people can’t lose weight and keep it off? What’s the secret of the 5% who do?
It’s not really a secret. It’s something simple that they do before they ever go on a diet.
Not doing this simple thing is the biggest mistake that the other 95% of dieters make, which keeps them from being successful with weight loss long-term. Want to know what that thing is?
They simply learn to eat right first.
There are many different reasons for people being overweight, but one of the major ones is simply the standard American diet (SAD). Let’s face it, we eat too much processed crap, we drink too many useless calories, and we don’t eat enough whole, natural foods.
For the average American, the vast majority of their calories come from overly processed food, or more accurately, stuff that pretends to be food. And, for the average dieter, their strategy is to go from the SAD to the SAD with fewer calories. Then, when they’ve lost the weight, they go right back to the SAD.
Well Sparky, if that’s your strategy, then you can bet your ass you’ll gain the weight back. Most likely more than you lost.
The 5% who are successful at keeping the weight off generally have learned what it means to eat right first, and have gotten away from the SAD.
This is the first thing any dieter should do if they want to succeed. The first thing to do isn’t to cut calories, the first thing to do is to cut the crap out of your diet and replace it with nutritionally dense, whole foods.
Do that first, and you could be part of the 5%.
And honestly, it’s not that hard to do. Let me give you a few simple steps to take before you ever go on another diet again.
1. Stop drinking your calories. No more soda no more juice, no more monstrous 750 calorie milkshakes pretending to be coffee drinks from Starbucks. Sure, you can have a cup of coffee or two in the morning. That’s fine (and I do). But the vast majority of what you drink should be plain, clean water, and green tea.
Want to have a couple glasses of wine a week? Maybe a glass of milk here and there? Have at it. No problem.
2. Stop eating overly processed crap. The vast majority of your calories should come from whole foods that are ingredients, and not from processed, prepackaged foods that contain dozens of ingredients. Candy, cookies, bagels, donuts, crackers, pretzels, chips and other snack foods, fast food, frozen convenience dinners, ice cream, most breakfast cereals, cake, bread and pasta made with processed enriched flours, fried food, food you get through the window of your car, muffins, those 100-calorie cookie packs, waffles, pancakes, nachos, hot dogs, etc.
Really want to know the biggest contributor to the size of your waist, hips, and ass? There’s your list. Junk food is still junk food even if you eat fewer calories of it.
3. Eat more whole foods. Fresh fruits, veggies, nuts, seeds, lean proteins (grass fed beef, free range chicken, wild caught fish, eggs, legumes, etc.). Instead of simply worrying about the quantity of food you eat, start by upping the quality of the food you eat. Buy more ingredients at the grocery store, and less food with ingredients.
4. Don’t be afraid of fat. The low-fat craze started in the 80s, and guess what? We developed an obesity epidemic. Fat is not evil. Your body needs fat. I love olive oil, eat whole fat yogurt all the time, and I’m crazy about coconut milk. Fat is not the boogeyman. But, stay away from trans fats, as those are industrially manipulated fats that do you absolutely no good, plenty of harm, and for the most part are evil.
5. Eat several times per day. I like to eat five or six times a day. Maybe four times works for you. Whatever.
Minimally, you need to eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I like to throw in a few snacks in between and suggest you give that a try as well. Bottom line though, you must not skip breakfast or any of the three major meals.
So there you have it. Pretty freakin’ simple if you ask me.
If you want to lose weight, before you go out and try the latest fad diet, or any diet for that matter, implement these five steps first. Unlike a diet though, these steps can’t be temporary. If you want to lose weight for life, you need to take these steps for life.
Do it right and who knows? You probably won’t even have to go on a diet.
I’d love to know what you think. Let me know in the comments below.
~Dave
(12 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)About the Author
Dave Soucy is a coach, trainer, motivator, husband, dad, and former fat guy. His goal is to teach as many people as possible how to achieve a life of health, fitness, and wellness through simply eating right and exercising. Click here to learn more about Dave.
Related posts:
