The Real Truth About Diets and Long-Term Success
Have you ever tried going on a diet? If you're like most people, the answer is yes. Maybe you cut your portions in half or tried to eat only "healthy" foods. At first, things probably went well. You might have even lost some weight. But then something happened. The diet got harder to follow. You started eating the way you used to. And before you knew it, the weight came back.
You're not alone in this struggle. Studies show that most people who lose weight on a diet gain it all back. Many people actually end up weighing more than when they started their diet. This happens so often that doctors and researchers have been studying why diets fail for years.
What Does "Diet" Really Mean?
Here's something that might surprise you. The word "diet" doesn't actually mean what most people think it means. Today, when we say "going on a diet," we usually mean following strict eating rules for a short time to lose weight quickly.
But the word "diet" comes from an ancient Greek word called "diata." This word meant "a way of life" or "how you live every day." The Greeks understood something important that we've forgotten: lasting change comes from changing how you live, not from following temporary rules.
The idea of going on special diets isn't new either. The first recorded diet was created by an Egyptian doctor named Imhotep about 6,000 years ago. Even back then, people were looking for quick fixes to their health problems.
The Diet Industry Problem
Today, there are thousands of different diets you can try. Companies make millions of dollars selling diet books, meal plans, and special foods. They promise quick results and easy solutions. But here's the truth: most of these diets are just different ways of doing the same thing - eating less food for a short period of time.
Scientists have grouped all these diets into about ten main types. Even with all our modern knowledge about health and genetics, we still can't match the perfect diet to each person. What works for your friend might not work for you.
The Secret to Long-Term Success
If diets don't work for most people, what does? The answer is simpler than you might think. Instead of trying to add new hard rules to your life, focus on removing the things that make healthy eating difficult.
Think of it this way: imagine you're trying to walk down a path, but there are rocks and branches blocking your way. You could try to jump over each obstacle, but that's exhausting. It's much easier to simply move the obstacles out of your path.
The same idea works with healthy eating. Instead of relying on willpower to fight temptation every day, remove the temptations from your life. Research shows that people are much more likely to stick with healthy habits when they make those habits easier to follow.
Simple Ways to Remove Barriers
Let's look at some practical ways to clear your path to success. When you cook dinner, make enough food for several meals. This way, you'll have healthy meals ready when you're tired or busy. You won't have to make decisions about what to eat when you're hungry and in a hurry.
Pack your meals before you leave for work. This saves you money and prevents you from buying fast food or processed snacks when you're out. When you have your own food with you, you're in control of what you eat.
Stop buying foods that tempt you to overeat. If there are no cookies in your house, you can't eat cookies at midnight. This isn't about willpower - it's about being smart. When unhealthy food isn't around, you can't eat it even if you want to.
Use technology to help you make better choices. There are phone apps that can tell you how many calories and nutrients are in your food just by taking a picture. Apps like Calorie Mama, NutriPic, and CaloriMate use smart technology to give you instant information about what you're eating. When you know what's really in your food, you can make better decisions.
Why This Approach Works
When you remove barriers instead of adding rules, several good things happen. You always have healthy food available without having to think about what to make each day. You don't have to rush around in the morning trying to figure out what to eat. Without tempting foods around you, it's much easier to stick to your healthy eating goals. And with helpful apps on your phone, you have the information you need to make smart food choices wherever you are.
Your Path Forward
Remember, the goal isn't to go on a diet. The goal is to create a new way of living that you can maintain for years to come. This means making small changes that fit into your real life, not following complicated rules that only work for a few weeks.
Start small. Pick one barrier that makes healthy eating hard for you, and work on removing it. Maybe it's not having healthy snacks at work, or maybe it's keeping ice cream in your freezer. Focus on that one thing until it becomes easy, then move on to the next barrier.
Your health and well-being are worth the effort. By thinking like the ancient Greeks and focusing on your whole way of life, rather than quick fixes, you can create lasting changes that will serve you well for years to come. The journey to better health doesn't have to be about strict diets and constant struggle. It can be about making your life work better for you, one small change at a time.
Sources:
The rise and fall of dietetics and of nutrition science, 4000 BCE– 2000 CE Geoffrey Cannon. Public Health Nutrition: 8(6A), 701–705
Diets, Mary Yannakoulia, Ph.D.; N Engl J Med 390;22 June 13, 2024
This article is strictly for educational purpose. Please speak with your healthcare professional to see if this information is applicable to you.
Stay Healthy Stay Strong
Dr. Leon Katz
