It sounds simple enough: dietitians recommend reducing caloric intake by 500 calories a day through diet and exercise to lose about 1 lb. per week. However, almost anyone can confirm that weight loss is never as easy as it looks on paper. That's probably why countless consumers are compelled to try fad diets that claim to guarantee success. Successful weight loss is actually considered just a 10 percent loss of body weight, according to the July 2001 "Annual Review of Nutrition." Yet even this amount seems too small for impatient dieters.
Fad Diets are Temporary
The unrealistic demands of a fad diet -- like aiming for 15 lbs. of weight loss in a month -- make relapse almost certain. The sheer boredom of a strict diet is enough to send even the most self-controlled dieters fleeing for the nearest ice cream parlor. After all, who wants to live on grapefruit, bean sprouts and cabbage soup for a month? A fad diet is a temporary state by definition. The calorie deficit may help you lose weight, but once you return to your old eating patterns, the weight will return.
Exercise Matters
Dieting alone rarely produces sustainable weight loss. Ninety-four percent of successful dieters increased physical activity as part of their weight-loss plan, according to the National Weight Control Registry. Ninety percent say they continued to exercise one hour a day after achieving their goal weight. Fad diets, on the other hand, generally promise weight loss without the need for exercise.
Psychological Factors
Food carries deep psychological meaning for most people. You may turn to food when you need comfort or feel anxious. Your eating preferences reflect your culture, your upbringing and who you are. No wonder it is difficult to manage food urges, eating habits and attitudes toward food. This effect is compounded among people who lack confidence in their ability to manage their weight. A diet you print off the Internet does not come with behavior management strategies -- a key component in successful weight loss.
Society and Environment
The saying goes that a recovering alcoholic can avoid being around alcohol, but a recovering food addict does not have the luxury of avoiding food. This statement may be true, but it does not reveal the full extent of the dieter's dilemma. Our entire society has been dubbed "obesogenic," because unhealthy choices have become the norm. Healthy choices have become difficult because of the way our society is arranged. For example, it is not easy to walk or bicycle to work, to buy fresh produce on a budget, to find time to exercise around a work schedule or to identify low-calorie alternatives in a restaurant. What's worse, a 2007 study in the "Journal of General Internal Medicine" suggested that minorities and people from lower socioeconomic backgrounds may be disproportionately influenced by our obesogenic society.
References
- American Dietetic Association: Position Statement
- The National Weight Control Registry: NWCR Facts
- PubMed.gov: Psychosocial Factors Related to Physical Activity and Weight Loss in Overweight Women
- "Journal of General Internal Medicine"; Unique Perspectives on the Obesogenic Environment; Jamy D. Ard; May 2007
- "Annual Review of Nutrition"; Successful Weight Loss Management; Rena R. Wing and James O. Hill; July 2001
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