Every January most of us start the New Year with a determination to lose weight, drink less alcohol, exercise more and generally to live more healthily. So we join a gym or start exercising; buy the necessary gadgets for a healthy diet and go dry for a while on the booze. But by the end of February most of us stop going to the gym; the gadgets end up in the top kitchen cabinet and the wine bottle becomes our best friend again. Then we have another go in the summer in order not to look totally ghastly in a swimming costume. Soon we return to our comfort zone – snacking at our comfort food on a comfy couch. This becomes a vicious cycle, what dietitians call yo-yo dieting.
Despite the fact that we’ve been told over and over again that the only way to lose weight is basically burn more calories than we take in, we are in constant search for a magic diet or substance that shreds the fat off quickly and easily. The diet industry certainly understands our wish and plays into our anxieties, promising new plans, superfoods or magic solutions.
Every year there is a new wonder diet endorsed by celebrities, gurus and so on promising to be effective, quick and longstanding. Over the last 30 years we’ve had the popular regimens of the Low-fat diet, the South-beach diet, theFood combination (or Hay) diet, the Detox diet, the low-GI-diet, the Aitkens diet, the Zone diet, the Paleo diet, the Intermittent fasting (or 5:2) diet, the Raw Food diet – not to mention the wacky fad diets such as the Cabbage Soup diet, the Blood Type diet, the Grapefruit juice diet, the Baby food diet, the Lemonade diet and so on. (I’ll write more about these diets later).
Most of the popular diets have a “scientific” explanation, backed up with medical buzzwords, statistics, research groups and success stories. Yet the western population is getting more and more obese – apparently people on average are 20 Kg more than 50 years ago. We blame this on the food industry and single out evil components – for a long time it was fat, then red meat, then carbs, and now it’s sugar. And who can forget the professional advice to avoid eggs, avocado, coconut and butter (all of which are now highly recommended for a healthy diet)?! No wonder we’re confused as to what’s good and what’s bad for us!
During the last 30 years or so I have witnessed many of my friends’ struggle with their weight. Overall they’ve tried most of the above-mentioned diets, and most of them worked (in the short-term) – mainly because most of them are based on reducing calories one way or another. But as soon as they stopped the programme the pounds piled up again.
The diet that works
There is no magic formula to losing weight,the only diet that works permanently is a generally healthy lifestyle i.e. when you eat more vegetables than meat; when you exercise every day (half an hour walking is enough); when you drink plenty of liquid (herbal teas, water and soups). But this doesn’t mean that you can’t enjoy your favourite comfort foods & drinks – you just have to be sensible about them. It’s blatantly obvious to me that the reason my friends haven’t been able to keep off the pounds is not to do with their genes, hormones or other “beyond-their-control” factors, but simply their attitude towards food, cooking and eating.
I’m not a dietitian, a doctor, a fitness instructor nor any kind of guru. My weight is still the same as it was 30 years ago. I’m slim, and many people assume that I starve myself or that I’m constantly on a diet. I used to dispute this – calling myself a natural ectomorph, who never had to try a fad diet – but actually it’s sort of true that I’m on a constant diet. I do follow a healthy, varied and balanced diet. I love food. I love to have a drink. I love a nice piece of cake. I do eat anything and everything. I’m on a
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