Diets Never Work
Most people know this, but for those who don’t, it bears repeating. Weight loss diets don’t work. Ever.
Yes, you can lose weight with many of the diets out there — but so long as it is a temporary ‘diet’ rather than a lifestyle, the weight loss will also be temporary. You have to change your life if you want to permanently change your weight. There are two ways to do that. 1) Eat much less food (for the rest of your life!) or 2) Begin intermittent fasting, and learn to control your appetite.
Of course we think #2 is a much better option, not only because it is easier, but because it has additional health benefits beyond weight loss. Something about the intermittent fasting regime allows your body to adjust towards it’s own natural and healthy weight, with only minimal conscious intervention on your part. Learn not to eat when you are not hungry. Learn to accept hunger as a natural consequence of fasting. And learn to not overcompensate when you end your fast, and your body will take of getting rid of excess weight — slowly, and permanently.
With any weight loss diet that works at all, there is an immediate benefit when you begin dieting, then after a couple weeks or a month you reach a plateau — or worse — rebound. That is your body adjusting to the lower calorie levels in your diet. Go back to eating the way you did before the diet, and your now more-efficient body will bloat out with new-stored fat.
Intermittent fasting is not a diet, but a permanent lifestyle. The plateau may be at or near your ideal weight — if not it is likely to be only temporary, and weight-loss will continue after a few more weeks or months. You lose weight more slowly than with a weight-loss diet, but take that as a good sign that the loss will be permanent. You eat a full, satisfying meal each day, and a small meal or snack in the morning or evening, depending on the schedule. You are not deprived of calories, or certain foods, nor suffer any of the other problems associated with weight-loss diets. So it is easy to maintain intermittent fasting as a lifestyle.
Given time, this will become such a widespread and popular lifestyle choice that the neighbors won’t even think you’re weird when they hear the word ‘fasting.’ It will become the predominate method of weight control and health enhancement in years to come because it works, and it’s easy.
