Diets Don’t Work; What To Do Instead

Do diets really work – long term, that is? If you’ve ever tried a diet, you will probably answer with a confident and vehement “No!”

Yet, Americans – especially women – continue to believe that weight loss is a matter of reducing calories and generally feeling hungry and deprived. I listened to a podcast the other day where the host and her guest went off on a tangent about losing weight. It was the same old thing, talking about cutting back and avoiding fast food and forcing herself to exercise.

They – like so many other Americans – are totally missing the boat. Medical conditions such as hypothyroidism aside, maintaining a healthy weight consists of three main elements.

1. Eat a whole foods diet low in starchy foods.

If you’re idea of losing is eating two pieces of whole wheat bread a day instead of four, or replacing ice cream with store-bought strawberry yogurt, chances are you will have a hard time losing all the weight you want. Chances are also high that you will eventually regain whatever weight you lost, and then some.

I go much more into detail in my incredibly inexpensive e-book, Weird Health, about how starches and processed foods affect weight. Suffice it to say that both contain chemical elements – either natural or synthetic – that promote weight gain.

And by the way, yes, whole wheat bread is a processed food, not a health food.

2. Focus on raw foods.

Raw foods are bursting with nutrients and – in the case of vegetables and some fruit – fiber. They make your body feel satiated sooner and take longer to chew, which lessen your tendency to overeat. Eating more raw foods will also give your more energy.

3. Take a walk every day.

You don’t have to kill yourself at a gym when you’re trying to lose weight. If you’ve been a couch potato, start with ten minutes around the block at a leisurely pace. Build up until you’re walking at a brisk pace for thirty minutes four times per week. Take your iPod or mp3 player with you to help time go faster. Better yet, walk with a friend. Weird Health lays out a basic work out schedule that anyone can do.

Nix the processed foods, eat more raw food and take a walk. Follow these principles and you will not only lose weight, but also be a lot healthier in general.