"Where facts are few, experts are many. "Ronald R. Gannon"
Olive oil used to be bad for you. It's now a 'good fat'. Now 'fasting' within reason, may actually be good for you...every time you turn around there's a new study on what's good for you or...not. There's diet cards, wheels, calendars, and software; it's deceptively easy to get lost in the cloud of opinions and data.
\"Diet Meals\"
What we do know is. There are only two ways to lose weight: one way is by eating less (consuming fewer calories) and the other is by increasing expenditure of energy (using up more calories).
Sounds simple right? And it should be. Unfortunately, most diets make what seems like a simple concept into a nightmare of planning, counting, sorting, packing and denial.
You start the program, get confused, or tired of the rigid planning and fall off the wagon. Or, worse still, you never start; after having invested in a sure fire program.
OK, so here I'll catch hell from the experts for promoting FAD diets, because they all know they aren't good for you, you'll never maintain the weight loss, yadda yadda.. Of course Morbid Obesity isn't very good for you either. I'm certainly not an expert on diet or exercise, but I now know what works for me.
One morning recently, I struggled trying to make one side of my zipper meet the other, and was truly disgusted with myself. I said "enough." I was determined to take action! So immediately...I fired up the computer. Hey, it beat going to the gym.
Guess what, there are a gazillion diets and exercise programs. Many requiring way to much counting, and preparing and packing and well...money. So I settled on few basic parameters.
1. It had to be cheap, no high priced meals.
2. It had to be easy, with minimal planning.
3. It had to get fast results
4. It had to include treats.
5. It had to have an easy maintenance program.
6. It had to be satisfying.
7. It had to provide a support community.
8. It had to be portable (grab it and go).
9. It had to be tasty.
10. It couldn't involve a "cleansing" supplement.
The only type of diet that met our needs was a "meal replacement" diet that had a "high protein" treat it's core substitute. However wasn't was CHEAP and didn't have a support community. But other criteria was met so...we started on...yes, a fad diet. We stuck rigidly to the plan for one week, even the though the 'satisfying' part wasn't close to true. We then, calorie for calorie, found low fat 'real meal" substitutes to add variety after our initial diet period. Eventually we cut costs more, when made our own "bake at home" diet bars that to this day continue to be our "safety net". But, through the pain we lost weight and learned some valuable lessons about the benefits for us of the "meal replacement" diet.
1. It gets you to do something!(most people fail because they never try. You can start it easily)
2. It gets you to feel comfortable with hunger.(take control of your hunger and don't be a slave to flavor)
3. It gets you to realize what you've been stuffing into your face.(most of us eat mindlessly)
4. It gets you to cut out fast food(usually not part of any diet)
5. It gets you to change what you've been stuffing into your face.(or at least how much)
6. It gets you to clean the crap out of your pantry.(you'll do this while you're caught up in the moment)
7. It teaches you discipline. (Most require some 'first week' week routine)
8. It's cheap!(meal replacement bars are cheap compared to junk food, and buying diet meals)
9. You know when you are cheating.(If you aren't eating the bar, you are cheating, no rationalizing)
10 You have a safety net to return to.(if you fall off the wagon, just start eating bars again)
11. It satisfies your desire for a Treat.(most people like sweets and need a dessert-like substitute for long term success)
12. It's flexible.(once you see success, you can replace them with the same calorie count, low fat 'real meal'.
Must I go on? Look, I'm here to get you to do something. Meal replacement diets are convenient, relatively cheap in the short term, and they work well enough to give you the success you need to get you motivated. They can be tailored to your lifestyle. After that, it's up to you to keep yourself motivated and healthy. I suggest you choose a Diet Community for long term inspiration, education and success. Good luck, and happy dieting!
"A life spent making mistakes is not only more honorable, but more useful than a life spent doing nothing." George Bernard Shaw
Why A "Protein Bar" Diet Can Work - A Dozen Reasons To Consider A "Meal Replacement"!
Frank Mira is a business consultant, sales trainer and motivational speaker/author. If you enjoyed this article and would like to learn more about weight loss and motivation please visit his websites.