Name a diet...any diet. It doesn't work. Try to name another diet. Nope, no good. It doesn't work. No diets work. Don't misunderstand me, diets can help you lose weight, but that's only half the battle. What about weight regain?

Diets today don't work because they focus on weight loss, the easy part. The hard part is getting you not to gain the weight back...it's called weight regain. Interestingly, the same diets that help you lose weight, end up causing weight regain. This is why diets don't work.

A Diet Is Just A Diet

Diets cause weight loss by promoting a menu with fewer calories. Nothing more and nothing less. Eat fewer calories, create a negative energy balance (an energy deficit), utilize stored energy to make up for the deficit, and lose weight. There you have it!

To make things even better for you, they do this in the fastest possible time with the most weight loss possible. Fast and extreme weight loss, promoted by a majority of diet plans in the market today, causes diet shock and eventually weight regain.

The consequence of weight regain is the Yo-Yo Diet. This is a bad cycle of losing weight, gaining the weight back, and losing it again. This pattern of weight change has recently been shown to be a significant health risk.

Diet Shock, Weight Regain, and Yo-Yo

Yo-Yo dieting is as much of a health risk as obesity. So do you just give up and accept the "damned if you do and damned if you don't" mentality? Absolutely not!

Obesity is a significant risk factor for many weight related diseases, this has not changed. You need options that will lead to weight loss without causing weight regain.

Somehow you have to lose weight, prevent diet shock, and promote a state that keeps weight off. What are your options?

Options for Losing Weight and Keeping it Off

You have two options...

1. Stop dieting and start exercising as your sole means to weight loss.

2. Diet as usual but add steps to prevent diet shock and weight regain.

Please stay tuned for my next two articles...Resistance Training and Make Your Diet Work.

To Healthy Living!

Michael A. Smith, MD
Chief Medical Consultant
Diet Basics Website

Michael Smith, MD

Dr Smith is the Chief Medical Consultant for Diet Basics, a content based website dedicated to the on-line dieter. Educational & Informative, Dr. Smith writes several articles directly effecting your weight loss success.