Why diets don't work: why a drastic caloric deficit doesn't lead to long-term weight loss...

Why diets don't work...

What: a drastic caloric deficit.

Why it doesn't work: it stalls and sabotages weight loss success.
Although a calorie controlled diet is essential for the effective elimination of excess weight, cutting our caloric consumption too low can not only stall weight loss by slowing our metabolism - an action that forces the body to conserve calories in fear of famine - but it can also supersize our silhouettes by increasing the incidence of overeating - we're less likely to sustain self-control and more likely to make poor food choices when our body and brain are feeling famished and fatigued from a lack of fuel.

Ditch a caloric deficit for: a dietary change that complements your current calorie intake.
Instead of raising the risk of resorting back to unhealthy eating habits by subjecting yourself to self-starvation, aim to initially consume no more than 500 calories less than your current intake if you have a substantial amount of excess weight to eliminate (many overweight and obese individuals are consuming a minimum of 2,500-3,000* calories a day and therefore need to allow their body, brain and appetite time to adapt to less food i.e.calorie reduction should be a prolonged process with a regular re-evaluation of energy intake as weight is eliminated), or 400-500 calories less than your daily recommended intake (this is 2,000 for the average woman, and 2,500 for the average man) if you have a minimal amount of weight to lose.

Final thought: although eating more may not seem like a sensible solution to shrinking our silhouettes, under eating can be equally as detrimental as overeating when it comes to weight loss - particularly if our diet demands that we consume 1,200 calories or less a day, and/or fails to consider and complement our current energy intake.

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