Successful Dieting Methods Are Real Today

Successful dieting methods would seem to be elusive.

What one weight loss program promotes; the next says is off limits because it hurts your ability to lose weight.

For the past few years; the most “hyped” programs fall under three categories; all of which have their good and bad points. All of them can produce good results when their respective plans are closely followed; but therein lies the problem:Are they practical and by practical; I mean easy to follow?

It breaks down like this:

1) There is the age old method of “counting calories”. The truth be known; losing weight is simply a matter of burning more calories than we consume. But doing that is not a simple matter for physiological reasons. Yes; if you successfully eat fewer calories than you consume; you will lose weight; on any diet. Every diet that works accomplishes that in one way or another. The problem with calorie counting; as most of have experienced at one time or another; is that it is really hard to do; especially when dining out. Sure; you can go to McDonalds and have a salad for lunch; but how satisfying is that? The fallacy behind calorie counting is that it fails to address the body’s natural reaction to a reduction in caloric intake…the metabolism slows down in order to conserve calories. The body “thinks” that it is starving and it protects itself by burning fewer calories. That is why calorie counting diets are hard to follow and often fail.

In recent years; weight loss programs have become more sophisticated due to increased knowledge concerning the body’s reaction to dieting; and that brings us to the next two categories of weight loss plans; which are somewhat similar; but still differ from each other enough to be discussed separately:

2) “No-carb” diets that would have us try to avoid carbohydrates almost entirely. The benefit of such plans is that you can eat until satisfied; so there are no hunger pangs and no perceptions of being “deprived”. The problem I see with such plans are that we are supposed to try to delete almost an entire, important food group from our diets without regard to the fact that those foods are being replaced with foods that are oftentimes high in cholesterol and high in fat. That can lead to other health risks aside from excess weight.

3) “Low-glycemic carb” weight loss systems. These plans make more sense to me; and in fact; I have personally had some good results with one of them. Low glycemic carbs are those carbs that are more readily burned as energy rather than being stored as fat if those extra calories are not promptly burned away. The problem here is that meals must be carefully planned and often involve purchasing pre-packaged foods which can be somewhat expensive. And some of those meals are not exactly satisfying. Additionally, these plans focus upon not just controlling the intake of the right type of carbs; but fat and protein as well. We get back to “portion control”; which is not quite as restrictive; but is essentially the same as “calorie control”.

So what should we look for in searching for a weight loss program that will actually help us reach and maintain our weight loss goals?

1) We should look for a plan that allows us to eat fairly often; rather than seldom; so as not to feel deprived.

2) We should look for a plan that is practical and fairly easy to follow.

3) We should look for a plan that addresses the body’s natural response to reduced caloric intake so as not to slow the metabolism.

The best plans that I have recently reviewed accomplish the above mentioned goals and are based upon a relatively new dieting concept known as “calorie shifting”

Calorie shifting promotes a method by which we feed the body often so as to keep the metabolism running in high gear. That also helps to keep us feeling satisfied rather than deprived.

The concept of calorie shifting promotes the fact that we can partake from all of the necessary food groups and still lose weight; therefore it promotes a healthy diet.

The primary focus of calorie shifting is to eat the right foods at the right times; so that you feel satisfied; and your body does not “think” that it is starving; and thus slow down the burning of calories.

I personally started a calorie shifting weight loss plan three weeks ago; and I am seeing exceptional results (I want to lose that last ten pounds!).

Article by Carter James