Given the enormous interest in weight loss in our society and the growing waist lines on many of us, a fundamental question has to be asked about popular diets. Do they work? To start with it is important to separate out short term from long term results. There are many well known diets on the market that help with weight loss over the short and medium term.
But that begs another question - when you want to lose weight, shouldn't you look at your overall lifestyle to see if it can be changed to accommodate long term weight management? The reality is that even though you may follow any of the most popular diets for immediate weight loss, if you simply focus just on this aspect, you may succeed in dropping several pounds but the loss will only be temporary. In order to have long term, sustained weight loss you should consider the following when deciding whether or not a specific diet will work for you:
1. Rate of Weight Loss
Diets that claim you can lose 10 pounds in 10 days, while perhaps true statements, are usually not true from a long term weight management perspective. If you need to drop a dress size or two before the 20th high school re-union this type of rapid weight loss may be OK. But for long term, healthy weight management, look for programs that aim for a loss of 2-4 pounds per week.
2. Maintaining Metabolic Change
One of the more effective weight loss methods that has emerged over the past ten years from some of the most popular diets that combine exercise into their overall approach include Fat Burning Furnace or Truth About Abs is a focus on resistance training to build muscle mass. Increasing muscle ups your metabolic rate and that helps to burn calories. This is a healthy approach but you have to embrace the ongoing exercise routines necessary to maintain and build muscle, otherwise the weight will come back over time.
But that begs another question - when you want to lose weight, shouldn't you look at your overall lifestyle to see if it can be changed to accommodate long term weight management? The reality is that even though you may follow any of the most popular diets for immediate weight loss, if you simply focus just on this aspect, you may succeed in dropping several pounds but the loss will only be temporary. In order to have long term, sustained weight loss you should consider the following when deciding whether or not a specific diet will work for you:
1. Rate of Weight Loss
Diets that claim you can lose 10 pounds in 10 days, while perhaps true statements, are usually not true from a long term weight management perspective. If you need to drop a dress size or two before the 20th high school re-union this type of rapid weight loss may be OK. But for long term, healthy weight management, look for programs that aim for a loss of 2-4 pounds per week.
2. Maintaining Metabolic Change
One of the more effective weight loss methods that has emerged over the past ten years from some of the most popular diets that combine exercise into their overall approach include Fat Burning Furnace or Truth About Abs is a focus on resistance training to build muscle mass. Increasing muscle ups your metabolic rate and that helps to burn calories. This is a healthy approach but you have to embrace the ongoing exercise routines necessary to maintain and build muscle, otherwise the weight will come back over time.
