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There are many diets out there; from low fat, paleo, ketogenic, sugar free, low carb and more. It can be confusing to know what information out there is correct, and what diets may be useful to follow or take inspiration from. Many diets can be categorised as a Fad Diet, meaning it promises fast weight loss without scientific basis. Unfortunately this becomes quite confusing and misleading for the people out there trying to make some dietary changes to improve their health. Below is some information to help identify if the information you are reading is credible.
A recent clinical trial assigned 609 participants to either a low fat, or low carb diet over a 12 month period. Both groups produced similar weight loss success, indicating that the best diet should be based on personal preferences, health goals and sustainability. Therefore if you love carbs (many of us do) following a low carb diet will not be a sustainable change. This highlights the need to consider your goals and preferences that can lead to healthy sustainable changes when striving to lose weight.
To help you spot a Fad diet, answer these questions:
Are you required to cut out an entire food group/s?Are you only allowed a few foods to be consumed?
Is rapid weight loss (>1-2kg/week) promised?
To succeed you need to purchase a certain type of supplement?
If you answered yes to one or more of these questions, you have found a Fad Diet.
While following the latest diet may lead to fast weight loss, this usually comes from water and lean muscle mass which is not desirable with little to no changes in your body fat mass. It also means you are more likely to experience dehydration, weakness and fatigue, nausea, constipation, and inadequate vitamin and mineral intake none of which positively impact our general health. When we reduce our dietary intake significantly, our metabolic rate (how much energy your body can burn) also decreases, so when the diet is stopped and previous eating habits continue, it is much easier to gain body fat than it was prior to beginning the diet. Before you try a new dietary strategy a good question to ask yourself is… Would you want your children to eat like this and can you see yourself eating like this in five years time? If the answer is no, it is not ideal to follow that particular diet trend.
Our Dietitian’s think that two of the most underutilised weight loss strategies include eating a minimum of 5 serves of vegetables per day, and reducing portion sizes. These are cheap and effective weight loss strategies that won’t deprive your body of essential nutrients or blow the budget. Dietitians are the experts in helping undertale sustainable weight loss practices by personalising strategies based on the individuals goals as well as improving your relationship with food, for example the “I can’t eat that” mindset. If you want to know more about achieving weight loss contact Coast Sport now online or by calling 02 4356 2588.
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