I’ve tried hundreds of diets for five days at a time. And, all the diets that cut calories worked.
According to new research published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, it doesn’t matter if a person cuts carbs, fats or protein. As long as a person restricts calories, he or she will lose weight, the Huffington Post reported on the study.
Of course, the real secret isn’t how to lose weight, but how to keep weight off.
What good is it to lose weight only to gain back more?
Four hundred and twenty four overweight and obese men and women took part in the study conducted by Pennington Biomedical Research Center scientists.
The men and women were placed on one of four different diets during the 2-year study: high fat with high protein, low fat with high protein, low fat with average protein or high fat with average protein.
Dieters all cut 750 calories from their daily food intake. And, all the dieters stuck to a high-fiber diet low in saturated (animal) fat and cholesterol. They all lost an average of 9 pounds of body fat and 5 pounds of muscle.
The real key to weight loss success was just sticking to their diets.
If you think about it, it makes sense. How many times have you heard a friend swear by a certain diet that worked for them? Another friend may try the same diet, but fail because they couldn’t stick to it.
In order to cut 750 calories from your eating plan, it helps to know your RMR (resting metabolic rate).
I had my RMR tested professionally at my local YMCA.
I was told I burn 2,174 calories at rest. When I had the same test conducted 10 years earlier, my RMR was 1,800.
One of the metabolism myths I often hear is that your metabolism slows down as you lose weight and as you age. That’s not always true. My metabolism increased by 374 calories a day even though I was 10 years older and had lost the pregnancy weight.
In order to lose weight like the people who were part of the Pennington study, I’d want to eat 1,424 on days I don’t exercise. I’d increase my calories to match the calories burned during exercise.
I would never have to go on an extremely low-calorie diet such as the HCG diet that allows only 500 calories a day. I would not have to starve myself with crazy shakes, pills or food plans with weird restrictions and rules.
The good news for dieters, based on this study, is that they can lose weight by decreasing calories even just slightly. They can pick a plan that allows them to enjoy their favorite foods in moderation. That’s refreshing news for anyone who has ever tried to survive on melba toast.
Laura Cone is a “professional dieter” and blogger who tries diets for her Five Days on a Diet blog.
More from this contributor:
Taming Diet Rebellion
6 Gross Diet Aids That Work
Do you Inherit Your Mom’s Figure?