Will Dieting Help Me Lose Those Extra Pounds?

Cutting out certain foods will not help you lose the weight you want to.

By: Sophie Budd

Over 650 million adults are considered overweight. 39% of men and 40% of women. The rates
are increasing significantly and have been since 1975. The rate of obese adults has tripled in the
last 40 years. How will this problem be solved?

Each person’s body responds to food differently. For example, Person A might have a higher
metabolism and react to heavier foods better. Person B may digest slower and naturally keep
more calories for fat, which is only really good in a life crisis. This, by no means makes Person
A weigh less. A lot of people get that confused.

A lot of people believe dieting is the best way to lose weight fast. Humans are used to instant
gratification; it’s the way we have lived the past 10 years. Everything at the tip of our fingers.
Dieting sounds appealing to humans because they market it as a quick fix, easy to accomplish, or
seeing results in one day. It’s difficult not to get caught up in the idea that losing weight can be
easy with little effort involved.

Think about it: If diets really worked, the diet industry wouldn’t exist. But the truth is that 45
million American people go on diets every year, and most of them fail to meet their goals. ​When
diets don’t work​, it’s actually possible to gain weight, rather than lose it. If you follow a fad diet
that claims to help you drop a large amount of weight in a short amount of time, your body is
tricked into thinking it is in a state of starvation and attempts to hang on to every calorie to
survive. Leptin, a hormone made by fat cells. Decrease in your diet and the body tells you that
you need to eat more calories.
With new diets being advertised, it's hard not to jump on the promises of a quick fix. Knowing
your own body, and doing what you think is right has proven to be a better way to lose weight.
It’s known as “intuitive eating,” and it’s more of a lifestyle approach or philosophy than a
traditional diet approach. It requires listening to your body, and nourishing it appropriately, in
the hope of avoiding yet another failed diet when your brain fights back against weight loss.

Studies have demonstrated the effectiveness of intuitive eating,” confirms Dr. Hendrick. “I
would agree with respecting your fullness—eat when you’re hungry, stop when you’re not.
Eating to refuel versus eating when there’s food around is, I think, a very important distinction
we should all remember.

If you want to lose those extra pounds, think twice about the best way to do it. Restricting
yourself completely is never the answer. At the end of the day, humans are going to eat what
they want to. No, this does not mean to eat whatever you want all the time, it’s about balance.
Listen to your body and do what you think is right for your body type.