Is There a Perfect Diet for Weight Loss? Let’s Find Out

Just eat clean and go easy on yourself. If you were to crash diet, you won’t be able to sustain it.

Guys, it seems I have cracked the secret to weight loss – it’s discipline and patience. Hate to be a buzzkill, but honestly, that’s all that there is to it.

So, what about all the diets being thrown your way – Keto, Atkins, Mediterranean, GM, Vegan...so on and so forth? I think a good way to start would be to stop letting everything on the Internet decide for you what you should eat. With that out of the way, let’s move forward.

The golden rule, that seems to be making a recurring appearance if you dig deeper, is eating clean. Irrespective of the diet you opt for, this is a universal pattern running through all diets. Avoid trans and saturated fats, say no to artificial sugar and junk food, and then see this simple abstinence work its wonders on your body.

Too caught up to read? Listen to the story here:

Now would also be a good time to get a nutritionist involved if you have specific health conditions. However, if you are an average adult without specific allergies or medical problems, just eating clean should suffice.

Kavita Devgan, weight management consultant and nutritionist, emphasises the idea of clean eating and says:

The word diet actually means ‘what you eat’, not ‘what you don’t eat’. Whereas all these modern day diets (fad diets) have given a negative connotation to the word. I don’t believe ‘dieting’ works. Only eating clean, eating right works. And according to me, the moment you remove any food group completely from your diet, as these diets suggest, you have lost the plot.

Carb Vs Fat

Studies have shown that overall weight loss results have been the same in diets which were individually focused on either carbohydrates or fats. A study was carried out over a year with over 600 people in the 18-50 years old age bracket. While all participants were overweight or obese, none of them had any pre-existing medical conditions.

While one group was made to reduce their carbohydrate intake, the other was asked to cut down on fat. Otherwise, there were similar guidelines for both groups – no sugars, refined flours and trans fat. They were also advised to increase the intake of vegetables and generally adopt an overall healthy lifestyle.

The weight loss results were identical for both groups at the end of one year. The study concluded:

In this 12-month weight loss diet study, there was no significant difference in weight change between a healthy low-fat diet vs a healthy low-carbohydrate diet.

Bottomline

If you’re struggling to lose weight or get fit (or both), the idea of a fad diet, a unique name that often exploits gimmicks to make you believe in the possibility of dropping weight instantly, is an easy trap.

Remember, it takes 21 days to form a habit, and even longer to sustain the habit long enough to convert it into a lifestyle choice. If your diet is too restricting, sustaining it would be very difficult, in most cases leading to regaining of any weight you may have lost.

Therefore, instead of falling for the next diet-fad that comes your way, remember balance is the key. With moderation, you will lose weight slowly, but in a lasting manner, and experts agree.

The better idea is to include all foods, and food groups in your diet, but keep a check on portion sizes. My mantra: no food is bad per say, so no food should be banned. Just eat more of the good and less of the bad. Moderation is the key.

Kavita Devgan

Every week allow yourself one cheat day and eat clean on all other days. Eat lots of fruits and vegetables, whole wheat and good fat, drink enough water to keep yourself hydrated, have poultry and fish, or vegetarian alternatives. Do whatever you choose, but eat and keep yourself full the whole time. Chances of you slipping and binging on samosas, pakodas or that extra slice of cake would reduce like that.

The first week would be the hardest, but once you start easing into this new lifestyle choice, you’ll realise there is no going back for you. And that indeed would be a happy realisation.

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