The weight loss industry is a multi-billion dollar industry that thrives on people’s desire to lose weight quickly and easily and leads you to believe you will have the body you want. And it continues to grow every year. Why is that a concern? Many are simply ineffective or even harmful. They are unsustainable, unhealthy, and despite the widespread evidence that diets don’t work, many people will choose to continually find the next “shiney diet” in the pursuit of losing the unwanted body fat that they have accumulated over months and years and yoyoing back and forth only to go back to the way they were or in most cases, gain even more weight than when the started. But restricting calories for the goal of weight loss doesn’t work. This is due to the fact that they make the diets extremely restrictive by either excluding certain food groups and by giving you rules on what you can and can’t eat or by simple reducing the amount of calories to ridiculous low levels that people just can’t sustain for very long.
The weight loss industry can be misleading and harmful and it’s been shown by the National Institute of Health that over 90% of people who lose weight on a diet will regain all of their lost weight within five years.It is essentially selling lies. The average woman will attempt approximately 21 different diets in her lifetime in the pursuit of losing weight and getting the body they want. And by continually doing these diets on and off will not only mess with your mindset, you will continually add more body fat every time you try. Why? Because your body doesn’t know you are on a diet. All it knows is that it wants to survive. It’s basically in survival mode, it doesn’t want restriction.
But what people don’t realise is that first and foremost, weight loss is not just about diet and exercise. And many diets and diet programs will only focus on one aspect, which is usually the food itself. And there lies the problem. While these factors are important, they are not the only things that affect weight. The largest factor determining your weight is your genetics. But also hormones, stress, and sleep all play a role in weight management. Therefore, it’s essential to take a holistic approach to weight loss that addresses all of these factors.
Another important factor is mindset, and being willing and committed to changing your habits and behaviours so that you can make it a lifestyle rather than a quick fix. It needs to be for long term sustainability not a short term solution.
There is no magic pill or quick fix for weight loss. Many products promise fast and easy weight loss, but they often come with serious health risks or are simply ineffective. Instead, it’s best to focus on making sustainable lifestyle changes, such as eating a balanced diet, getting regular exercise, managing stress, and prioritizing sleep. It also takes time and effort and a dedication to reach your goals.
The weight loss industry often perpetuates harmful diet culture and unrealistic beauty standards. The worst thing is that it often profits from people’s insecurities and shame about their bodies. Many products and programs use fear-based marketing tactics to convince people that they are not good enough as they are and that they need to lose weight to be worthy. It relies on your poor body image and lack of self acceptance to promote the idea that thinness equals health and happiness, and lead you to believe you will have the body you want. And this can lead to harmful behaviours of self worth and then leading into such things as going on extreme diets and over-exercising.
There’s no doubt that weight loss is critical for overall health and well being. But it’s not just about eating well and getting in exercise. Those two things are extremely important but they aren’t the only factors that will determine whether you will lose weight or not. There is no doubt that weight loss is difficult and can be a life long battle for a lot of people. But the only way to end this battle is take the focus off weight loss.
The focus needs to be on health. And when you focus on health, weight loss then becomes a by product of the habit shifts and behaviour changes that you have made to improve your health and your body will then settle into what’s known as your body fat set point or “healthiest” weight, which is different for everyone.
Weight loss is hard for a lot of reasons and there is no one diet that works for everyone. There is a lot of overwhelming information out there which in itself is just making people more confused and overwhelmed with even knowing what they should eat.
The very first thing that needs to be addressed, is identifying your WHY and knowing your purpose for achieving weight loss. Without knowing this, it’s going to be really difficult to be able to keep motivated. It shouldn’t just be “I want to lose weight”. It needs to be something like, so you can feel better about being in a swimsuit or to be healthier as you age, or being able to fit into that designer dress or jeans you keep in the back of the cupboard.
In terms of nutrition it’s important to eat a healthy well balanced diet. One that is high in fibre, protein, wholegrains, nuts and seeds. It’s not about cutting out foods which many diets do. It’s finding the foods that you enjoy and also including what you would term as “fun” foods. So 80% of the time you are eating nutritious whole foods and the other 20% have whatever you like. It’s about being inclusive of ALL foods.
The next thing you will want to do is to move more. For long term success in losing and maintaining weight, you need to be moving more. 10,000+ steps per day is the ideal and something to aim for. Also, incorporating resistance training will not only help you to lose weight but will help you to maintain muscle and get you stronger and fitter for life.
You also need to manage your stress and get enough sleep. Find ways to relax that will work for you, whether that be meditation, listening to music or yoga. And the best way for you to get a good nights sleep is to keep yourself away from the computer or your phone for at least an hour before bed and go to bed that little bit earlier.
And lastly, make sure you have supportive people around you. Whether that be friends, family or getting yourself a coach. Having a support network will help you stay accountable to your goals and someone to lean on when the going gets tough.
The diet industry is all about money and don’t have your best interests at heart and don’t take into account that everyone is individual. There is no magic when it comes to weight loss and there are no secrets. It’s about habits, behaviours and changing your lifestyle.