Why Are Most Traditional Weight Loss Methods Ineffective?

There are probably millions of diets out there, so people who want to lose weight have many options to choose from. Some diets emphasize eating fewer carbohydrates or less fat, others recommend eating more protein or fiber, and still others recommend eating smaller portions or eating more frequently.

Many of them don’t work. People who try these diets either don’t lose weight at all, or they soon gain it back. To add insult to injury, some people actually end up heavier than before after abandoning their diet. There are a number of reasons why traditional weight loss methods tend not to help people.

The Diet Emphasizes Deprivation

An extreme example of this kind of diet is the very low-calorie diet, or VLCD. It calls for the dieter to restrict their caloric intake to the absolute bare minimum needed to stay healthy. For most people, that’s around 800 calories a day. There are some obvious problems with this. First, the dieter is going to be hungry all day long. Second, they will have to cut out most or all of their favorite foods. Third, nobody can maintain a diet like this for very long. While they will lose weight while on it, they will gain the weight back as soon as they resume their normal eating habits.

The Diet isn’t Intended for Weight Loss in the First Place

For example, some people use diets that focus on the glycemic index diet. Examples include Nutrisystem®, the Zone Diet and Sugar Busters®. There’s one tiny problem: the glycemic index diet isn’t a weight loss diet; it was designed for people with diabetes. It helps people choose foods that won’t make their blood sugar levels spike.

Unfortunately, the foods that have low glycemic indices aren’t always the same foods that help with weight loss. Similarly, some foods with high glycemic indices are quite nutritious and can aid in weight loss. Parsnips and sweet potatoes are examples of this last type.

The Diet is Treated as Temporary

There are at least two problems with viewing a diet as temporary. The first is that when the dieter reverts to their old eating habits, they gain the weight back. This can lead to yo-yo dieting, in which the patient veers back and forth between dieting and normal eating. Yo-yo dieting can wreak havoc on a person’s metabolism and make it increasingly hard to lose weight.

The second problem with viewing a diet as temporary is that it allows the dieter to pick an extreme plan for weight loss, like the VLCD. Such extreme traditional weight loss methods can only be maintained for a short time, and some may lack essential nutrients.

What Does Work?

While some traditional weight loss methods can be effective temporarily, a medical weight loss program is the best way to lose weight and keep it off. At Simply Slim Medical in Bethesda, our team of experts can help you every step of the way in your weight loss journey.

We have a variety of resources available that can help you to reduce your daily caloric intake without the excruciating feeling of hunger. Best of all, your weight loss journey will be supervised by highly qualified medical professionals. Say goodbye to traditional weight loss methods that don’t provide long-term results. Contact our office today to schedule your appointment to learn more about our amazing services.