Eat • Eat • Eat!
Avoid the trap
Once you've decided it's time to go on a weight loss diet, it's panic time! The first instinct is often: get the weight off as quickly as possible! No wonder there are so many get-thin-quick schemes. But quick weight loss is one of the first traps that lead to gaining the weight right back. Here's what you can do to avoid the trap.
Eat, Drink and be Merry!
Eat – If you want to keep off the weight you're working so hard to lose, then be patient and let the right diet work for you. The optimal rate of weight loss is no more than 1 to 2 pounds a week for most people. The miraculous stories of rapid weight loss are the results of water loss – big deal! Drink a glass of water and the weight is back on.
Five reasons why "eating" helps you lose weight
The key predictor of weight gain is a low metabolic rate
Reason 1 – The goal is to lose body fat, not water and muscle. Eating the right amount of food helps to protect your body from losing muscle mass. The slower you lose weight, the greater percentage of body fat loss. The faster you lose, the more muscle you lose. Which brings us to reason #2
Reason 2 – You don't have to starve to maintain your new weight! Eating helps maintain your metabolism at a higher rate. (Metabolism is the rate at which your body burns calories). Because lean muscle mass takes more energy to maintain it and fat is much less active (it's like a storage unit for energy), when you preserve lean muscle mass by eating enough food, your body needs more calories to function. This means: a lean, muscular body with less fat (the new you) needs more calories to maintain it weight compared to someone who loses weight rapidly. So now, you don't have to starve to maintain your new weight…. you have arrived and will be more likely to stay at your goal because you ate!
Eating gives you the energy you need to lose weight successfully
Reason 3 – Eating enough calories while you lose weight gives you "staying power". It makes sense: it's much harder to stay on a very low calorie diet long enough to lose the weight you want. Being hungry is o.k.. Feeling deprived and starved is not. And, did you know that very low calorie diets are associated with an increase in "binge" eating? Definitely not a good outcome.
Reason 4 – When you eat enough food, you will have more energy to burn off the calories through physical activity. Too many times, I have heard from people who feel tired all the time because they are trying to eat too few calories. They don't have the energy to get through the day, much less do extra exercise to build lean body mass and burn fat. This happens especially in women who are exercising a lot and cutting calories at the same time – it multiplies the effect of too few calories.
Reason 5 – This last reason is quite simple: if you don't eat enough food, you won't get the nutrition you need to stay healthy. One of the two main reasons people want to lose weight is to get healthier and to look better. People who are not eating enough simply don't look well because they aren't as healthy as they need to be. Healthy people have better looking skin, hair and teeth, and overall their higher energy level is much more attractive than someone dragging around. So fast weight loss really doesn't accomplish either the goal of looking or feeling better over the long haul.
What's the right amount of calories for you?
Your Healthy Diet Plan should give you a diet with the right amount of calories to lose weight safely and to optimize your body composition – losing more fat and less muscle. This is absolutely key to making you successful at staying at your new lower weight. Your weight loss calories are determined based upon your age, physical activity, sex, height, current weight, and special needs. If and when you need an adjustment, we will do that as part of your plan. And, when you reach your goal weight, we'll help you determine your maintenance plan.