Oftentimes, weight loss seekers fall victim to one or more of the hundreds of dieting programs on the mainstream market. I’m sure you’ve done it at least once yourself. Now, don’t get me wrong here, some of them do offer useful strategies, advice and tips but, unfortunately, many make empty promises. In order to achieve a goal of permanent weight loss, you should reject dieting programs with any of the following ten characteristics.
- Advocates extreme calorie restriction.
- Encourages unbalanced nutrition (low-carbohydrate, high-protein or high-fat diets).
- Promotes exclusive consumption of a single type of food (lemon, grapefruit or cabbage).
- Advocates continuous use of laxative aids, whether over-the-counter, prescribed or herbal-based.
- Claims to be based on some “SCIENTIFIC BREAKTHROUGH”.
- Advocates excessive consumption of prepackaged meals, food bars, drinks or pills.
- Implements meaningless gimmicks (calorie-cycling, hormonal balancing or eating for your blood type).
- Promises weight loss in the absence of exercise.
- Has associated TV, radio, print and/or online advertisements with the “RESULTS NOT TYPICAL” disclaimer.
- Encourages dietary behaviors you can’t continue for a lifetime.
All things considered, I encourage you to accept dieting resources promoting a balanced approach to weight loss. Such an approach includes regular exercise, a sensible diet based on sound nutrition, and strategies that reflect realistic expectations that are within your comfort zone so you can implement them over the long-term.
