You wake up one morning, and decide you want to lose a few pounds. You’ve been eating poorly and inactive all year, and you decide that now is the right time to put in the hard work. You want to shed those last few pounds for your summer beach holidays. You buy a personal trainer and start going to the gym five days a week. You carefully monitor your diet and exercise regime, watching every calorie and trying not to eat anything that isn’t on the food pyramid. You cut out soda and ice cream, and tell yourself that you’ll never have a fat layer around your belly again.
The problem is, this won’t get you very far. It might make you feel better for a couple of months, but eventually, you’ll find yourself right back where you started, or even worse than before. Why? Because while it’s easy to blame your weight loss on circumstances outside of yourself (i.e., the economy, the heat, or the cold weather), the truth is, it’s much more likely that a hidden weight loss gene is to blame.
The Hidden Weight Loss Gene
It’s not your fault. This is certainly not fair, but it’s the brutal truth. No matter how hard you try, you’ll never be able to shed those extra pounds. You might think you can, but deep down, you know you can’t.
There’s a reason they say ‘happy is the bride who wears the fat suit’. It’s not because the bride feels happy, but because she needs to wear the fat suit to make it look like she’s lost the weight. Once the dress is taken off, she’s back to her original, pre-wedding size, and has to find a way to live with herself, or at least appear to live with herself. This is usually achieved with the help of an experienced make-up artist, and a lot of blush.
This is why it’s not a good idea to go on a diet, even if it’s temporary. Diets don’t work. Yes, you might lose weight for a while, but eventually, you’ll find yourself right back where you started, or even worse than before. This is assuming you even make it that long before you give up and go back to your usual habits.
Why Diets Don’t Work
There are numerous reasons why diets don’t work. Some people may not have the metabolic rate that allows them to burn calories effectively, while others may be predisposed to weight gain due to a genetic predisposition. It’s also possible that the person you’re following the diet for doesn’t match up with the goals you have in mind.
The ‘Mostly Asparagus’ Diet
This diet has been around for centuries, and has been used primarily in Austria and Germany to treat digestive issues. In the 1800s, people began to experiment with ways of cutting down on asparagus intake, and within a few decades, people were referring to this diet as a way of inducing weight loss. It’s still around today, and is a popular choice for those who want to try a low-carb diet.
Asparagus is an odd food to begin with. It grows underground, and when it comes up through the ground, it looks like a thin green stick. To make matters worse, it has a pretty powerful stench that will stick with you for the rest of the day. The good news is, while it does provide nutrients and fiber, which is helpful for your body, it’s also very high in calories. A 100 gram serving contains 80 calories (that’s 10% of the daily recommended calorie intake for an average person).
Asparagus is a popular choice for those who want to try a low-carb diet because it has a very low glycemic index. This index measures the rate at which food releases glucose into the blood stream, and lower numbers indicate a lower glycemic impact, which some people claim can lead to weight loss. Glycemic impact isn’t everything though. Some low-carb diets still contain the same amount of carbohydrates as regular diets, but since they have a much lower glycemic impact, the body doesn’t register them as carbohydrates and thus, doesn’t raise insulin levels. This means that while some people claim that low-carb diets help reduce weight, it’s not necessarily the case.
Fruit Flies
This is one of the grossest facts about diets. We’re not talking about little fruit flies here, we’re talking about actual flies. When fruit is left out in the open, you have to deal with the little fruit flies that come in looking for a tasty meal. When this happens, it’s often a gruesome scene, as they fly around your mouth, looking for the best spot to land and feed. This is why you should never leave food out in the open when you’re not serving food, particularly when you’re in a hot climate, as it encourages fruit flies to come in and eat. When this happens, you have to brush your teeth several times a day, which, in turn, can cause cavities.
Fasting
There is significant scientific research indicating that repeated periods of fasting can lead to significant weight loss, as long as the fast is done sensibly. When you’re fasting, you’re not consuming any calories at all, which means that your body is in a state of complete rest, and it has the chance to perform some pretty amazing things. Your body’s primary job while you’re fasting is to preserve as much energy as possible so that you can survive the ordeal. This is why it’s suggested that you do a week of ‘clean’ fasting every month to reduce fat and ensure you maintain a healthy weight.
The ‘Omron Technique’
This technique is based on the research done by the German company Omron back in the 1950s, and it’s one of the few diets that’ve been around for longer than just historical interest. The idea behind this diet is to measure the volume of your bowel movements, and base your daily calorie intake on the number of bowel movements you have each day. For instance, if you have eight bowel movements each day, you’d need about 64 calories per day. This diet is quite simple, and it isn’t difficult to adhere to, which makes it quite popular among those who want to try it. There is evidence that suggests that using this technique can lead to significant weight loss, but it’s not a diet anyone should consider using for the long term.
Genetics
It is quite possible that you are genetically predisposed to weight gain. If your parents and grandparents were all heavy set, it’s quite possible that you inherited this trait. Some people claim that if you have a history of obesity in your family, you’re likely to continue this pattern and end up as a big person too. It’s quite sad when this happens, as there’s always the option of undergoing weight loss surgery, but until then, you’ll just have to live with it.
Not One, But Two Popular Diets
This brings us to one of the most popular diets of recent years. The ketogenic diet was initially popularized in the 1970s, and within a few decades, it became one of the most popular diets in the world, especially among those who want to try a low-carb diet. The first and most popular book about the ketogenic diet was Dr. Atkins’ Diet Revolution, published in 1965. Since then, the diet has grown in popularity every year. In the last five years, the number of people who follow the ketogenic diet has doubled, according to the American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR). AICR attributes this rise in part to the increasing popularity of low-carb diets in general, and the ketogenic diet in particular. The ketogenic diet has also become a popular choice for those who want to try a vegan diet, as it’s often easy to navigate as a vegan and makes it much easier to follow. (Many restaurants and food manufacturers have also jumped on the vegan bandwagon, making it easier for people to follow a vegan diet as well).
One of the most significant things about the ketogenic diet is that it doesn’t contain any grains, sugar, or dairy. This makes it a perfect option for those who either have celiac disease, diabetes, or digestive issues, as these are all conditions that are aggravated by these foods. Another positive aspect of the ketogenic diet is that it has a very high success rate. According to the AICR, the diet is effective in causing weight loss in 80% of those who try it, which is significantly higher than the average rate of success for other diets. If you’re looking for a way to lose weight and get your body back into shape, the ketogenic diet might be the answer for you.