Are You Ready for the Hard Truth About Losing Weight?
When it comes to weight control, the best advice is based on expert scientific findings. That’s where you’ll find solid recommendations based on research evidence. These 5 evidence-based truths can help you take the best approach to weight loss—the one that will work for you.
1. There are many good reasons to lose weight if you are clinically overweight or obese.
Obesity is linked to more than 50 other health issues, including a higher risk/or worsening of diabetes, atherosclerosis, heart disease, osteoarthritis, psychiatricconditions such as anxiety and depression, early death, and impaired overall health and wellbeing. In some respects, obesity speeds up the normal aging process.
2. To be successful, a weight loss diet must be sustainable.
In other words, the best diet is the one that you can stick to during and after weight loss. One study looked at the weight loss and sustainability of the diets of 250 overweight adults who followed intermittent fasting, Mediterranean diet, or Paleo diet programs. The researchers found that while more than half the participants chose the fasting diet and lost the most weight after 12 months, those who chose a Mediterranean diet plan were better able to stick to their diet after one year than those on a fasting or Paleo diet. Regardless of their chosen plan, those individuals who were still consistently following their chosen diet after 12 months lost the most weight within their group.
Excerpted from Psychology Today
