How to Love Eating and Still Lose Weight
Flexible dieting can transform your life.
Flexible Dieting is about how being less rigid with your diet can give you a greater chance of sustainable, long-term success. It is the modification and customisation of a personalised eating plan based on individual goals, as well as the food you like to eat. There are no forbidden foods to be avoided! In the same way that you don't have to eat the foods you hate!
Flexible dieting is a skill which is about learning to eat mostly (so-called) healthy foods, and still being able to incorporate your favourite foods and treats. All while still making progress with your weight-loss efforts, free of guilt and shame! It's not about exclusion, it's about eating a combination of food that creates satiety, satisfaction and doesn't leave us feeling deprived, and having to rely on willpower (or some concept thereof).
The term "healthy foods" is used here to help explain the concept of flexible dieting, which for the most past avoids discriminating against foods as "good" or "bad". It is more realistic to view foods as varying in nutrient- or calorie-density.
Always remember that it is not a particular food that makes us lose or gain fat. So with flexible dieting you get to eat the foods you enjoy. Because regardless of the food source, food is energy. So if you eat more calories than you burn, you will gain weight! And if you eat fewer calories than you burn, you will lose weight! Of course, we also need to ensure that we get enough protein, (healthy) fats and carbohydrates. Also, you want to make sure that you are getting sufficient vitamins and minerals, many of which are found in whole, unprocessed food and especially fruit, vegetables and sources of lean protein.
The evidence of The Energy-Balance Equation is overwhelming and that's why it's accepted by the large majority of the science-based nutrition community. For further evidence of this just look to the tens of thousands of athletes, body builders and physique competitors who practice this principle to achieve peak physical condition time and again.
Still not convinced? There have been many studies conducted to prove that it's not about the type of food that is consumed that leads to weight loss, but rather the caloric intake that is important. These include the Twinkie Diet and the Ice-Cream Diet which were conducted to prove this point. It's not to say eating like this is healthy, because of the lack of certain nutrients, vitamins and minerals. I am definitely not saying go off and eat 1,600 calories of chocolate a day because you will get hungry, and possibly nutrient deficient. These particular diets were undertaken to make a point about calories in and calories out.
However, this is not to say that flexible dieting is focused on eating junk food. It's about learning how to eat an overall healthy diet based on satiating, nutrient-dense foods and learning how to incorporate your favourite foods and treats, while still progressing towards your weight-loss goals.
In my upcoming posts we will look at flexible dieting in more detail and share some tips about how to best develop an eating plan that works for you! Until then, if you are interested in understanding more about this way of eating, and how it can be used as part of a nutrition and diet plan that will help you achieve sustainable results, please feel free to connect with me to discuss how I can support you with your health goals.
